Seam Allowance: Tova Tunic

 
      It has been a little over seven months since I decided to take the Seam Allowance Pledge- well in spirit anyways because I don't live in Berkley- where they hold the monthly meetings- on the second Sunday of each Month at A Verb For Keeping Warm- that would be quite the commute. To refresh your memory the pledge was to make at least 25% of my clothing- that is a goal of making one out of four items in my wardrobe- that I actually wear.

     It has been a bit of a struggle between sewing for Miss Lo and The Boy- who just keep growing- I don't know somebody must be feeding them some good food or something- often my own sewing gets passed over. Case in point this great turmeric coloured tunic- it is the Tova Tunic from Wiksten- sewn out of some completely random fabric- it's gauzy with a slight sheen in an interesting basket weave- and the colour! How could I resist? At any rate although the fabric was a steal of a deal it has been sitting on my desk for over a month now- yesterday was the day to get this project going!

      The pattern it's self was very simple and clean- easy to assemble- although I did encounter some issue with fitting the collar. The fabric- regardless of being fantastic in every way- was perhaps not the best choice- as you can see the Mandarin collar does not want to stand up- I do actually like the open neckline so it's not an issue for me. This is a soft and breezy top- perfect paired with shorts or jeans for the Summer. 

     I am digging the Seam Allowance Pledge- if anything it has made me much more mindful of my purchases and consumption- where goods are made and how they are constructed means more to me now than a year ago. Instead of conveniently shopping at the mall I have managed to either sew, buy second hand or swap for almost every item of my clothing since October. I'm not looking for a pat on the back- instead I am just trying to share the possibility- of consuming differently- of craftsmanship- of patience. 

    If nothing else then I am just trying to share what I made- this super cute top- an easy tunic pattern from Wiksten that I will most definitely be making again- pledge or no pledge!

     

P.s.- yes I did buy these jeans- with a gift certificate from Anthropology during boxing week- guess how much they cost me? Just guess! $14.99! Marked down from over $150.00- how is that even possible? Should I have bought them? Probably not- then again I'm not perfect!

P.s.s- thank you to my friend Alison for snapping these pictures of me after preschool pick up yesterday!

Seam Allowance- the Tote

    Every January I seem to get really bored with what is in my closet- in the past that would have meant hitting the mall or thrift stores and getting frustrated because there is nothing new yet- we are between seasons after all! However with my Seam Allowance pledge ( to sew 1/4 items that we wear) still very fresh in my mind I turned towards my scrap bin to see what I could come up with.

    It does help that I had this lovely length of saddle leather from Merchant and Mills to use as a strap- I think it really ups the anti on a simple bag like this! Plus it was fun to get out the hammer to put the grommets in- unusual for a sewing project. The bulk of this grown up tote is made of sturdy painter's linen- reinforced on the bottom with a length of denim ( remnant of last years jeans which were turned into shorts) and accented with a piece of gingham salvage.

     I was looking for something very simple- not too heavy yet must be sturdy enough to carry a multitude of Legos and Fairies, paper and crayons as well as snacks. I guess you could say this is the evolution of a diaper bag for me! Bonus points for looking great- super fresh for Spring- nice and simple- not to mention free because I used what I had on hand!

    There really is no pattern for this- I just sort of made it up as I went along- I sewed a basic lined tote but omitted the fabric handles- I added the loops for the D-rings and the leather handle once the bag was complete.  I think I might make another one- I am contemplating experimenting with waxing my own linen- making it waterproof. I also was thinking it would be very interesting to dip dye a bag like this- so once warmer weather gets here I am going to start experimenting with some natural dyes- which I am very excited about!
 
    The Seam Allowance project which I started participating in a few months ago is really tough- I thought it would be easy considering the amount of clothing I already make for this family. To physically sew one in four items though if a lot more difficult than I imagined. What it has done though if anything is completely curbed our impulse purchasing because I always think "oh I can make that" and I consider where it was made and by who- which is really the entire point of the project- to get people thinking!

    Going into Spring I am feeling quite a bit more organized- I know we will all need shorts soon and so I am starting on it now! Miss Lo has more than enough sundresses, cute tops and skirts so this time it is The Boy's turn- he needs a new hoody, shorts and a few more pairs of shorts for warmer weather- sewing for boys can be so much trickier than sewing for girls!

    Thank you to my friend Andrea for snapping these pics yesterday after we went for our tea date! Nothing like a good chat about babies!

 

Seam Allowance Progress

      Today I thought I would update you all on my Seam Allowance progress- if you will remember from a few weeks ago I pledged to sew twenty five percent of our clothing. I cant lie- it has been slow going- some times easier to buy something at the Thrift store than sew it from scratch. I haven't bought anything new for the Littles- they really are a tonne of fun to sew for!

    This time it was Miss Lo's turn to have something Momma made- and that came in the form of a slightly modified Oliver & S Puppet show tunic. I have made this pattern before- with the collar- but I noticed that the collar sort of annoys Miss Lo and she voiced the need for pockets. Where is a girl to put her rocks?

      So may I present the Puppet Show tunic with pockets and no collar! There is a shorts pattern that comes with this pattern and I simply took the pocket pattern pieces from there and transposed them onto the tunic. The fabric is lovely- it reminds me of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her sisters- it is from Lecien and is called Memoire a Paris. I think the scant leftovers will become the base for Miss Lo's new quilt- it is that pretty- so soft with dusty colours.

    This girl of mine is tough to catch- always in motion- running, marching, exploring- doing everything on her own-testing her boundaries. These Littles of ours are growing so fast that sewing for them is necessary but it is oh so much more fun that sewing for myself! My Seam Allowance Pledge stands- there is something coming up on my sewing pile for me- but first there are pants and a hoody for the Boy and then there is my Mr.'s Solstice gift that needs to get started- and then I will get to my project- I swear!