I has a bukket

Several bukkets, actually. Filled with water from the neighbors’ garden hose (with their permission). Because we have no running water. Because our landlord neglected to pay the water bill and the city shut it off. Browsing my archives, I notice it’s almost exactly a year since this post. Since then we’ve been without heat for three weeks at the beginning of winter (including 7 nights below freezing) and actually had the dumpster repossessed for a while. And let’s not forget that the only two times our lawn has been mowed this year (already two times more than last year’s total) were after the city issued him citations about it.

So this evening after work, instead of taking our special-needs cat to the vet for a scheduled followup appointment (she’s improving), we were heading to the hardware store to stock up on buckets so we can at least, y’know, flush the toilet and brush our teeth tonight. Landlord swears it was all a mixup with the payment getting credited to the wrong building. I don’t really care what the reason is; we had better have running water by tomorrow. It’s illegal for him to make us go without it. (Can’t it be illegal for this negligent dipwad to own rental property at all? Please?) I love this beautiful old building, and it’s a damn shame how he’s letting it fall into such disrepair.

Thanks to everyone who commented about Wardrobe Refashion. Yes, I’d found the new link and just hadn’t gotten around to posting about it yet. I’ve notified at least one other refashionista whose site gets much more traffic than mine, so I hope the updated link gets spread around quickly.

I am still trying to keep up with the clothing recycling this year, but I don’t think I’m going to take the pledge for now. I stuck with it through 2006 (my only non-sanctioned purchases were a t-shirt and jeans from a thrift store for Halloween), but all the pressure to photograph and document everything I made got to be too much. Some people are cut out to be faithful photo-bloggers, and I’m just not one of them.

Most of my energy this year is—or at least should be—going into getting ready to move. My husband’s been accepted into grad school in England, so we’ll be selling most of our stuff and heading overseas this fall. He’s busy fretting over his student loan applications, while I’m fretting over how we’ll ever get all this work done in time. We’ll make it somehow, of course—this is such a great opportunity, not doing it is out of the question.

Doing things

Yes, I’ve been doing things lately. Apparently being inspired to post is not one of them. But it’s come to my attention that sometimes people read this thing, so here’s what’s been going on in my world.

I still like my new job. I’ve been there a little over a month now, and I still think of it as my “new” job. People there are under the impression that I’m interesting. I’m trying to figure out how to live up to that - it’s definitely a step up from just being considered kooky, but it’s new territory to navigate. In other work news, I screwed up on a big project (I wish I could say that was new too). Fortunately my mistake was caught early, I owned up and brought it to others’ attention, and there’s time for me to go back and fix it, which I know how to do. I’m not in trouble for it. I’m busy all the time most days, and that’s good, but it’s quite an adjustment after my previous workplace.

I designed and made a skirt. I don’t have photos yet (I promise I will, and they’ll go up on Wardrobe Refashion too). I drew a pattern, sewed a muslin - actually sewed it out of an old bedsheet ’cause I didn’t have enough actual muslin - and then cut up the sheet-skirt in a long spiral and used that as a pattern. I made the actual skirt out of brown denim, which I had huge amounts of even before learning of the Brown Dress thing. It turned out great; fits me perfectly. I’m going to have to do a little remedial flat-felling on parts of the seam, and I do hope it gets softer with repeated washings, but I’m really pleased with it.

Today, since I received my first real paycheck (it has four digits! Oh yeah, it has to last me all month), I treated myself to some thrift shopping. Totally inspired by these tops, I picked up some sweaters for felting and cutting up. They’re in the dryer right now. One in particular that I thought would stay nicely big has already come out of the washer tiny. I’m thinking the lot of them will end up being fewer finished products than I’d originally planned. At least the colors will work together.

Also at the thrift store I scored a Vogue fitting shell pattern, printed in 1985, still in factory folds (I hear that’s a prestigious thing in vintage-pattern circles), and incidentally my size. I really hope it doesn’t actually include measuring for the gigantic shoulder pads the illustration on the package appears to be wearing.

I then hit the fabric store for a few miscellaneous supplies, though I didn’t find the other pattern I was hoping for. I noticed something there today: Nearly all the other shoppers in there were plus-sized as well. Are we fat girls (and guys - there was at least one there) all just dropping out and tuning into making our own clothes lately? Is there an opportunity here to take over the world and subvert the dominant paradigm? Or will we all just be too busy sewing as fashion marches on without us?

I almost forgot - I’m going to be participating in a fiber art show. It opens next Friday, August 4. More details to follow - but if you’re in Denver and into doing the First Friday thing, save the date.

Oh, and my Union Label fabric finally arrived today. I must think of something fabulous to make with it.

Look for the union label.

First of all, lesson learned from my previous post (once in a while, these things finally sink in): Talking about your insecurities is BORING. And so is talking about your own posts, so that’s that.

Project Runway is back! Words can’t describe how excited I am. For all your online dirt-dishing needs we have Blogging Project Runway, FourFour and of course Television Without Pity, whose forum users came up with the term “auf’d” long ago - proof that the TV people are paying attention.

Real quickly, my impressions of the first episode and no predictions: Love Angela’s clothes (Michael Kors says the DIY patchwork thing is really big right now! Yay!), not crazy about Angela personally so far. Ditto for Laura - so elegant, so skillful, so condescending. Vincent Must Go. Stacey was rightfully auf’d if she didn’t even know how to change a needle (for the non-sewers out there: Pull the old one out, pop the new one in - same for every machine). Glad the producers have wised up and given Tim Gunn “star” billing along with Heidi - they’ve figured out that everybody loves him. I can’t believe no one used that gorgeous Marimekko-looking wall art in their designs. That’s the first thing I would have grabbed. Gimme those. I’ll make something out of them.

Apparently one of the models was in a serious accident on the way to taping the finale. The article doesn’t go into much detail on her current condition, but she’s at least alive and conscious. I won’t be able to help staring at her with morbid fascination in every episode from now on. I hope she’ll be all right.

Remember the Little Brown Dress I mentioned a while back? Well, it’s been a year, Alex had a party and took it off, and it was promptly stolen. It’s living a nomadic life of its own now. Taking its disappearance in stride, she’s a better person than I - after interacting so closely with a possession for so long, I would attach inordinate sentimental value to it and be really pissed if someone took it. But then the whole point of the project was about not defining oneself by one’s possessions. And I gotta admit the gnomelike adventure thing is a hoot.

I may not have many project pictures to show here for a while. I really want to concentrate on de-cluttering my house and getting rid of a lot of the junk I have (that I can’t use to make other things), and I think the only way I’ll get that done is to make a “project” of that itself. I am very very bad at organizing, sorting, prioritizing and all the skills it takes to live in a neat tidy place without a bunch of stuff I don’t need (see above, re: attachment to possessions). It’s a component of my particular mental-ness, but at least I recognize it as such. This will be difficult. But I hope I can sell some of my unneeded stuff for money. And I know what a good feeling it is after the stuff is gone. I have one really cool sewing idea in my head that I must get out, and after that maybe I’ll just start posting pictures of things I want to give away.

On a totally contradictory note, look what I just won on eBay.

Inspiration rationalization

Today I was browsing through the online catalog of a store I wouldn’t shop at even if I hadn’t taken the pledge. I won’t mention its name; I’ll just say that I always want to mispronounce it as “Arthropodigie”, like something to do with insects. It really is a shame that this store (and that other store, you know the one) are owned by someone with such a reprehensible political agenda and unscrupulous business practices, because daaaaamn they have some cute clothes.

I used to love to browse in those stores, never spending any money there but getting ideas for things to make (or possibly to buy elsewhere). But every time I hear they’ve ripped off yet another independent designer’s work, copying it verbatim without permission and sweatshop-producing it without credit, I get more reluctant even to look at their products. Of course their stuff looks really cool, I tell myself. It’s because they plagiarize from every creative source they can find.

And therein lies my ethical dilemma. If I copy something I’ve seen in this store, not knowing the store stole the idea in the first place, does that make me a participant in the theft? My disdain for the store makes me want to say yes. But then I have to admit: If I saw the real designer’s original product and liked it but didn’t want to buy it, I’d probably have no qualm about making a similar item for myself. And following the same logic, isn’t that worse than if I believed I was just imitating something mass-produced?

So here is my rationalization. I’m only making the thing for my own use, not to sell. And I wouldn’t be copying it exactly, just getting the general idea and then using different materials and making modifications. And of course if anybody asked, I’d be sure to tell them where I got the inspiration for it: “So&So makes the neatest things that are kind of like this, and I thought it would be fun to try doing something similar.” I think all that is ethical and honest and fair, isn’t it? I’d be interested in getting some actual designers’ opinions.

Anyway, the Arthropod store does have some really really cute clothes, and my not shopping there is even more a moot point because they don’t carry my size anyway. I wrote down the names of a bunch of styles I liked, and I plan to have fun seeing if I can approximate those looks on my own. I need a new wardrobe for my new job, after all.

Radio

I don’t want to make a habit of writing too much personal stuff here, and blogging about work is a just plain bad idea, but I have to share this.

At my current job, which ends in two days, I share an office with someone who listens to the radio. It’s actually a station I would like quite a lot, if it came in clearly. Unfortunately it doesn’t, so most of what I hear is khhhhhhh, and I’ve taken to wearing earplugs to block out the static. It’s inconvenient when people come up from behind and start talking at me.

Anyway, someone just came in to talk to me, and so I took out one of the earplugs for the short conversation. I caught a bit of what was playing on the radio…it took my brain a few seconds to parse what it was hearing, but then there was no mistake. A bluegrass cover of “I Want A New Drug”. I could not make this up.

Need to save my sanity won out over morbid curiosity, and I popped the earplug back in as fast as I could.

Another skirt

Finally getting around to posting about this past weekend's refashioning project…I made another skirt from button-down shirts, this time shirts that had actually been mine but never looked quite right on me (let that be a lesson not to wear off-white near my face).

The pattern was based on the one I drew for my first button-down shirt skirt, but for this one I put a border around the bottom instead of a yoke at the top. I had a moment of panic when I realized there wasn't enough of the striped fabric for the full body of the skirt - but there turned out to be just enough of the floral to make up for it, and the two contrasting panels in front and back make a nice accent.

I did have to do some piecing together on a couple panels, and by far the hardest part of this project was getting those stripes to match up. (Well, almost.) One of those things that's such a simple concept, but the execution of it is surprisingly tricky.

I think I had to make four seams like the two pictured above, and it took me at least a couple hours for that part alone.

I'm pleased with the workmanship - I forced myself to rip out and redo every seam that wasn't quite right. I used all French and flat-felled seams, so there's not an exposed raw edge on it. (Have I mentioned that it's been just within the last year or so that I learned it's okay to do that?) I wore it to work on Monday and got a ton of compliments. Quite a few people know I'm doing this refashioning thing, so they still asked me right away if I made it - but I think I am getting closer to the "Where did you get that?" skill level. (Come to think of it, I wore the Sassypants today, and no one said a word.)

In other news, I got a new job. I start next week, and I'm nervous about it. I've been doing temp work for a long time; my current job is a long-term temp gig, and I've really enjoyed it for the most part. But the company is switching temp agencies, meaning my assignment was going to end this week anyway. I would have had to sign up with the new agency - which is one of those graphics specialty places requiring a lot of testing and no guarantee of approval. I applied there once before and failed their tests, so I've just been paranoid about the prospect of them rejecting me again.

Anyway, this other company contacted me after seeing my résumé online - I keep forgetting I even have it there. I interviewed last week, got called back for a second interview, and today they told me the job was mine. It's a real job, full-time and permanent, with benefits and everything. It's daunting. But I guess now I just have to live up to their expectations.

Mixed reviews

Drinking material

Today at lunchtime downtown they were giving out free samples of Coca-Cola Blak (warning: cheezy audio). I'd been a little curious about the stuff - Coke and coffee? Mixed together? Could be genius, could be disaster - but not enough to pay for it, so of course I accepted one for the sake of science.

My first impression was that it tasted like coffee-flavored candy. I like coffee-flavored candy, but I don't think I've ever consumed 8 ounces of it at a time. It didn't remind me of Coke at all, except that it's carbonated. I'm not generally a huge fan of sweet drinks, and this stuff is very very sweet. That's why, when I glanced at the nutrition information, I was surprised to learn one bottle has only 45 calories. A closer look at the contents answers the question: High Fructose Corn Syrup is (of course) the second ingredient, but it's also followed further down by Aspartame and Acesulfame Potassium. Jeez, why not add a smidgen of Pestilence just to get all four horsemen of the apocalypse into your trendy new beverage? This might be the unhealthiest substance on the planet. Shortly after finishing the drink, I noticed a vague throbbing sensation in the middle of my head and idly wondered how many (or rather how few) of these I'd have to down before I began hallucinating.

A neat thing about Coca-Cola Blak, however, is that it comes in a glass bottle. I wasn't expecting that. It's shrink-wrapped in a plastic label, but once you peel that off you've got a classic 8-ounce Coke bottle. It's clear instead of green and lacks any printing, but for those of us on the lookout for craft supplies, those are bonus features.

My verdict: Tastes good for an occasional treat, but you may regret drinking it. Container is a class act - but you might be better off digging through the garbage if you want to collect them.

Reading material

I picked up the premiere issue of Adorn magazine the other day. It was everything I expected…which isn't entirely a good thing.

My first disappointment - I can't really call it a letdown - was opening it to the very first page and seeing an ad for sneaker paint. (Go see Art School Confidential. Right now. Trust me.) The magazine bills itself as "the crafty girl's guide to embellishing life". Its focus is very much on adding ornament and decoration to stuff you've bought, rather than on creating things. Well, of course, what do you expect from a publication called "Adorn"?

I recognized a couple of contributors' names - people making it big on the web craft circuit. Good for them. Congratulations.

The format is smaller than a standard magazine, but I quickly got sensory overload looking at it. The trimmings added to everything. The big fuzzy textured oversized accessories. The festivities of kitschy festive kitsch and the self-conscious rock-n-roll themed projects. The bright, bright, BRIGHT colors everywhere. I've left the house at times sporting just one or two of these recommended looks, and by the time I get out in public I've had a keen awareness of oh my god everyone's staring at me because I look like a fucking clown. I want to warn young, impressionable readers to back away from the magazine. Take a class in pattern drafting or screenprinting or something. Cardboard stencils and spray paint will not make a respectable imitation of a designer original garment.

And then there are the associations my mind makes with the title. Adorn. Dorn. Adorno. Adorno. But maybe that's just me.

When I heard there was a new craft magazine coming out, I hoped for something that would bring a new level of quality craftsmanship into the mainstream. But I wasn't holding my breath. Much more likely was what we got: Lowest-common-denominator, beginner-level jumping on the "crafts are trendy" bandwagon. Which - don't get me wrong - has its place and its significant target audience. Lots of people will get lots of good ideas from Adorn, and more power to them.

Will I buy the next issue? Of course I will. Because I am a total sucker for these things.

Bad skirt

It’s interesting…much as I give intellectual lip service to the idea that making your own clothes causes you to be more aware of how all clothes are made, this realization didn’t hit me until today. The skirt I’m wearing - which I’ve owned for probably a year - is really poorly made. I bought it at a discount store, and knowing me, it was probably on the clearance rack. It’s embellished with machine embroidery (only along the front border - cheap!), and I have to cut off or tie off little hanging threads every time I wear it. The hemline hangs higher in back than in front. One side seam is serged together until it reaches the zipper, where it separates really sloppily. The zipper itself is wonky too. There’s a grosgrain ribbon running across the sewn-down pleats (again, only in the front) - and the seam holding down this ribbon mashes the pleat seams down pointing every which random direction, so they’ll never lie flat.

This morning as I was ironing it, I imagined a store buyer cancelling any further orders from the skirt’s designer. The designer yelling at the supplier for daring to send out such a shoddy sample. The supplier yelling at a third-world sweatshop boss and the boss yelling at a hapless young worker who, first day on the job, got plunked down in front of a machine with no training and ordered to sew this skirt. All that misery trickling down so that some sucker like me would end up snapping the thing up from the bargain rack at Ross for a single-digit price that’s probably still more than that worker’s weekly pay.

Okay, actually I didn’t spend that much time dwelling on the misery; I have no idea where or under what conditions the skirt was made. What I did think - for the first time in the year I’ve owned and worn this thing - was “hey, it would be so easy for me to fix all that.” Undo the ribbon stitching, re-sew it so the pleats lie in one direction. Tie off the loose embroidery threads once and for all. Re-set the zipper. Adjust the waistline so the hem hangs straight. ‘Cause it really is a cute skirt, and I’d wear it even more often if some decent workmanship made it fit better. I’m just amazed this idea never occurred to me before.

Lesson for the day: Just because something is professionally made doesn’t mean it’s good quality. And of course the inverse, too.

Pricey jewelry

And here's the broken gear that caused it all. The repair man gave it back to me and the first thing I thought was, "What a great necklace that would make!"

The oil problem might not have been my fault after all. He said someone had actually put oil on the motor, which you should never do, and which I didn't - I only put it around the hook and bobbin case, and it couldn't have reached the motor from there. So it must have been whoever repaired the machine last. And since it's been working fine other than the broken-gear thing, I'm not in such a hurry to take it back in for cleaning.

Today is Worldwide Knit In Public Day. I didn't do anything to commemorate it last year, and I'd been looking forward to it this year. My regular knitting group is planning to meet, but I just don't feel much like knitting or being in public right now, so I can't decide whether to go.

…and what is so great about the Barrier Reef?

My recent pondering on the subject of craft(s) has had me remembering a conversation I once had with my sister Ingrid. I was saying that of course craft is art, and some of it is even fine. She reminded me of the “official” definitions: If a chair is built to be sat in, no matter how beautiful it is, it is Craft. If a chair is built to be displayed in a gallery and looked at (presumably no matter how ugly), it is Fine Art. And yes, I had already known those definitions (I’m not totally unedumacated). But that doesn’t mean I have to like or accept them.

Anyway, surfing around through some seldom-visited links, I happened upon this. Via Larkfarm, which comments:

It’s this really old ratty armchair in a corner, see? But it’s not just any chair - an artist, Rodney McMillian, found it and put it in an art gallery, to make a statement. The piece sold for $2800, and the artspeak on this site is, well, priceless.

Indeed.