Holly Chayes

Welcome! I'm Holly Chayes.

This online space has been around in one form or another since 2010, it focuses on making, creativity and living a curious life, plus a lot of clothing.

Some of the projects I've worked on in the past 10+ years include...

Talking About Clothes with Holly Chayes

An interview podcast that's all about clothing (and also, not *really* about clothing at all). Find all the details and listen to conversations about comfort, style, change and shopping here. Or search for Talking About Clothes with Holly Chayes wherever you listen to podcasts.

Who Wears Who?

The Self-Made Wardrobe Project

Predecessor to Who Wears Who, a year-long challenge in 2014/2015 where I only wore clothes I made. That year would have been a lot easier if the clothes had magically made themselves. Learn more about The Self-Made Wardrobe Project and explore the archives here.

The Shawl Geometry Book Series

Enough shawl shapes to keep you knitting for a lifetime. A multi-year exploration of math, shape and space in knitting, where I documented traditional shawl shaping, and iterated on those traditions to create new recipes of shawl shaping. Ultimately this lead to 75+ shapes, and 400+ pages of common and uncommon shawl shaping instructions. This project was inspired by a dozen individual shawl designs, each encapsulating a love of geometric lace design. You can find The Shawl Geometry Series here.

Thank you for being here with me. –Holly

I started a new sweater & knit some pockets this week

11 Feb 2015

what's in the works

Each Wednesday, I post little snippets about what’s happening, and what I’m working on. Two projects got all my attention this week. But they got lots of attention. I finished the pockets of my winter coat. (Finally!) And I started a new sweater, it’s a top down yoked sweater, I’m through the waist, and it’s been flying. I can’t wait to wear it. No related posts.

How to Sew a Straight Seam – which is not always as easy as it feels like it should be

10 Feb 2015

thoughts & things, Tips & Tricks

(Background: Two weeks ago, I spent most of the week sewing through 3,000+ yards of thread, for fifteen 5ft by 15ft pieced drapes as part of a theater project. I taught a handful of people a true sewing fundamental – proper pinning – and spent most of the time sewing super long straight seams & thinking. This is one of the things I thought. ) I’ve taught a dozen or so people to sew over the past couple years, and as it turns out there are tons of things that can screw you up when you first sit down at a sewing machine. There are lots of new things to learn, no motion is entirely intuitive, and it turns out, that sewing a seam in a straight line is not as easy as it feels like it should be. Intuitively, you watch the sewing machine needle. It’s the most eye...

The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 27

06 Feb 2015

The Self-Made Wardrobe

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. This week’s update is without commentary, thanks to a fuzzy head-cold and a pile of deadlines. DAY 183 – JANUARY 30th Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater Black Tank Top Black Scarf Graphic Silk Circle Skirt Black Tights Brown Boots Various Rings DAY 184 – JANUARY 31st The First Archer Button Up Shirt Black Tank Top Cascading Flowers Skirt Various Rings DAY 185 – FEBRUARY 1st Boring Black Sweater Black Tank Top Birds & Wheels Flare Skirt Black Tights Various Rings DAY 186 – FEBRUARY 2nd The Transitional Weather Sweater Black Tank Top Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit Various Rings DAY 187 – FEBRUARY 3rd Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater Black Tank Top Graphic Silk Circle Skirt Black Tights Brown Boots Long Necklace Various Rings DAY 188 – FEBRUARY...

Welcome! I'm Holly Chayes.