Category

The Self-Made Wardrobe

20
Feb
2015

203 days of handmade clothing – The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 29

The Self-Made Wardrobe is a project where I only wear garments I’ve made.
It’s sort of a year long experiment in getting dressed without clothing labels.


Day-197

DAY 197 – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13th

Deconstructed Sweater
Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Black Tank Top
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings

I’m still chipping away at my second purple sweater perfect for layering. I’m into the second sleeve, and hoping to steal a little bit of time for it this weekend – but we’ll see how that goes.

Day-198

DAY 198 – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14th

Boring Black Sweater
Black Tank Top
Black Scarf
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings

Each time I wear this sweater I consider making a second lace weight black sweater – and then remember how boring it was to knit – before deciding that (for this year) I can live with only one thin black sweater.

Day-199

DAY 199 – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15th

Boring Black Sweater
Black Tank Top
Cascading Flowers Skirt
Black Tights
Robot Clock Necklace
Various Rings

Day 199!!!

Day-200

DAY 200 – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16th

Blue & Green Archer Button Up Shirt
Black Tank Top
Black Scarf
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings

Day 200!!!!!!!!!!
Fuck yes!

It’s like day 100, but twice as good.

Day-201

DAY 201 – TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17th

Deconstructed Sweater
Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Black Tank Top
Black Scarf
Khaki Scarf
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings

Yes, I’m wearing two scarves. Yes, I look a little bit crazy. But at least I’m warm.

Day-202

DAY 202 – WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18th

Deconstructed Sweater
Versio Sweater
Black Tank Top
Black Maxi Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings

(I wore two scarves this day too…)

Day-203

DAY 203 – THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19th

Deconstructed Sweater
Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Black Tank Top
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings

(and this one.)

(and I’ll probably wear two scarves today as well.)

Here’s to 203 days of handmade clothing!!

I also wrote December’s wrap up over on the old self-made wardrobe blog. It’s here, if you want to check that out.

15
Feb
2015

What if, my wardrobe and I are grand adventuresses?

a bridge in a park

I had a thought about wardrobe planning the other day, and since Friday was the birthday of Winnie-the-Pooh,* this (probably kooky) thought seemed pretty appropriate – since adventuring is quite a Pooh Bear thing to do.
*or at least one of the birthdays – February 13, 1924 was when the poem “Teddy Bear,” which featured Pooh, was originally published in Punch magazine. The original Winnie-the-Pooh teddy bear was actually given to A.A. Milne’s son on August 21, 1921.

 

A small (but rather insistent) part of me has been feeling like I should be better at planning my wardrobe. That I should be sketching & swatching, picking out patterns and matching up fabric. But I have a pretty good record of NOT doing that for my self-made wardrobe – and so far things have (mostly) worked out.

And then I had a thought.

What if, my wardrobe and I are grand adventurers?
Or grand adventuresses?

My wardrobe and I are adventuresses.
On a grand adventure. Together.

And what fun would a grand adventure be if you pre-planned it?!
How would you even go about pre-planing an adventure?! Unexpected things always happen on adventures! That’s kind of the point of adventuring!

Is it a little anthropomorphic? Yes. Is this a kooky idea? Probably.
Does it feel a lot more fun than sitting down, plotting my entire wardrobe out, and sticking to a carefully laid plan? To me – hell yes!

“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.”
―from Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

So, here’s to the rest of a grand adventure!

13
Feb
2015

I’m racing through a new sweater, and living in my purple sweater – The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 28

The Self-Made Wardrobe is a project where I only wear garments I’ve made.
It’s sort of a year long experiment in getting dressed without clothing labels.


Day-190

DAY 190 – FEBRUARY 6th

Transitional Weather Sweater
Black Tank Top
Cascading Flowers Skirt
Grey Tights
Various Rings

I’ve said this before, but this is the perfect sweater for days spent working at home. I originally knit it for spring & fall, but it’s turning out to also be a fantastic sweatshirt substitute. The weight is just right, the zipper is fantastic, and the hood makes it feel that much more cozy.

Day-191

DAY 191 – FEBRUARY 7th

Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Black Tank Top
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Long Necklace
Various Rings

I’m going to apologize in advance for how much I wore this sweater this week, but it’s pretty much perfect for this weather.

Day-192

DAY 192 – FEBRUARY 8th

Transitional Weather Sweater
Black Tank Top
Birds & Wheels Flare Skirt
Grey Tights
Various Rings

This skirt is one of the 1/2 a dozen or so pieces I came into this self-made wardrobe challenge having already made. It’s not my usual style, and I haven’t worn it much in the past couple years, so it feels good to pull it back out every now and then.

Day-193

DAY 193 – FEBRUARY 9th

Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Basic Black Tank Top
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Robot Clock Necklace
Various Rings

This sweater is perfect for this weather, because it’s thin enough to work amazingly well outside under all of my “standard winter layers” (coat, scarfs, mittens, etc.), and at the same time it’s not so warm that I’m over heating when I get inside.

Day-194

DAY 194 – FEBRUARY 10th

Blue & Green Archer Button Up Shirt
Black Tank Top
Black Scarf
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Black & White Striped Tights
Various Rings

New tights! (and kind of crazy hair). I’ve been trying to play catch up with finished project photos, and finally figured out a way to make a matte black maxi skirt look a little more interesting – add striped tights! So you can expect a post about my Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit sometime next week.

Day-195

DAY 195 – FEBRUARY 11th

Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Black Tank Top
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings

Again, I know I’ve talked about it before, but the combination of simple shaping, and knitting with two strands of lace weight yarn, really is what makes this sweater so amazingly wearable.

Day-196

DAY 196 – FEBRUARY 12th

Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Black Tank Top
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Long Necklace
Various Rings

Since I’m basically living in this sweater, I cast on another sweater using the “simple shaping + 2 strands of lace weight + excellent color” formula, and I’m racing through it. Wednesday I was to the waist, last night I finished the body, and I’m hoping to start the sleeves tonight. Basically, I’m hauling ass through this sweater.