# sewing my own clothes

june 24, 2021
#offtopic
I've spent more time pattern-making than programming, so let's take a fashion break on the blog this week!

## my life story told through clothes

Hand-me-downs from older girls at school and church have been a staple in my wardrobe for the majority of my life. Anything that was too big, I kept around to grow into later. I did enjoy the clothes because they weren't anything like what my peers were wearing at the time. My boxy denim dress with white embroidery received comments that I looked like I was from a different fashion era - maybe an insult, but it's a really curious way to be described. Also, sometimes they were old enough to swing back around to the cusp of fashion, like the story of my wide leg jeans.
When I grew up, I thought I could finally invest in a few nice work and event clothes for my adult wardrobe, since everyone said I was finished growing. Then I suddenly get a freakish growth in my early 20s. My doctor wasn't concerned, but almost everything was suddenly too short and couldn't fit around my shoulders anymore. Everything but old hand-me-downs from a boss's daughter. Since I was moving, I welcomed the opportunity to avoid the costly and demotivating search for clothing in my size. And with the initial pressure of having no clothes resolved, I never really tried to replace my wardrobe. I was even on trend, since thrifting exploded in popularity.
The clothes I did buy or make myself tended to be fussy by preference, rife with layering and delicate chiffons. It's feminine, but when the pandemic hit, I craved ease and comfort over anything else. For about a solid year, I wore nothing but comfy old cotton hand-me-downs and my husband's t-shirts.
Now, coming out of the pandemic, I crave normalcy and looking cute again. I still don't really have anything in my style, though, just a few loose-fitted chiffon blouses and skirts that survived the growth spurt. If the pandemic did any good, it finally pushed me to do something about it. I'm at a more stable point, so it's a good time for it.

## capsule wardrobe concept

You need a thesis before you jump into anything. If a higher-level concept is guiding you, it'll give you consistent answers for the little details. In general, a design-oriented approach encourages you to solve any potential problems ahead of time. Creating a style guide and debugging are a big part of both programming and fashion, and that common ground is what draws me to both.
My functional goal is to fill out my wardrobe with some solid core pieces that are easy to mix and match. I'll worry about more fashion-oriented or niche pieces later. My more abstract concept stems from my story above - my attachment to my old hand-me-downs, my desire to have an individualized style, and some lingering pandemic preference for natural fibers. I'll play with the sizing of clothes and update old styles in my closet.

## sketches

I'll make 3 mock turtlenecks, a button-down shirt, a bodice, a pair of pants, two shorts, a light bomber jacket, a kimono, two pajama sets, and 2 pajama sets.
Bomber: I've had a favorite light rayon bomber jacket for 10 years, but it's finally wearing out and has some weird bleach stains. This is basically a knockoff of a BB Dakota design, and I may end up making a few variations. This one is a shiny pink polyester (a beautiful exception to my natural fiber rule) with multicolored lace trim, a metal zipper, and a beige drawstring.
Instead of chiffon, I'm going to include more batiste and poplin. They're all lightweight, layer-friendly fabrics. Chiffon is usually polyester, though, while the others are usually from natural fibers like bamboo or cotton. Like the other tops, it's designed for layering. I will have ruffles at the shoulders and long straps from the waist, so they can be wrapped around and tied in a bow.
Kimono: I have a favorite purple floral chiffon kimono that has a seam that is still coming undone after three repairs, so it needs a break. This design is similar, but there's not really a lot you can do with a simple long, kimono-sleeved sheer kimono. This one is rayon batiste, though, with a dark inky print.
泣き虫 (Cry Bug): An oversized poplin button-down with short sleeves and an oversized beetle print. It has black piping along seams, a pocket, and black glass shank buttons. The fit is meant to fit like your dad's shirt where the short sleeves come down too far, the armholes are too deep, and the pocket is too big like they're from a menswear shirt, but the collar and length are appropriately proportioned for me. It's white with an oversized print that visually plays up the unusually large proportions of the shirt. The piping and glass shank buttons remain the corrent proportions, though.
Mock Turtle: Then there's three mock turtlenecks since I really like light turtlenecks but don't have any anymore. One is a foil knit with thumbholes, one is a striped knit, and one is a 4x2 rib knit.
Pants: Straight-legged plaid linen pants with a fly-front closure, belt loops, side pockets, and blind hems.
Shorts: Two pairs of linen shorts, one with stripes and striped fringe ribbon trim and the other with a dragon fruit print and cuffs and a bow belt.
Swimsuit: The one piece swimsuit is made out of pastel green and pink neoprene with pops of yellow in an abstract swampy design. I actually lived around wetlands for most of my life, but I mostly just like the print. It has long sleeves, a mock turtleneck, and an invisible zipper at the center back. The focus is the obi belt made from the same material. There are three panel-and-tier ruffles covering the shorts to give some illusion of volume against the closely-fitted belt and top without adding more unnecessary bulk. I'm not 100% on materials yet and may need to bring in a thinner swimwear tricot for the layers.
Pajama sets: The pajamas are not my design. They are basically knock-offs from Yahoo! Japan shopping, since I don't feel like importing pajamas. (The originals are Japanese-style yukata-style long sleeve pajama set for spring and fall from OPEN-CLOTHES and summer pajama set for ladies in their 20s with flared collar and cute short sleeves from kittyshop. Products names are translated from Japanese to English.) They're only included in this collection because I have no pajama sets that fit besides the never-seasonally-appropriate heavy sets I occasionally get for my winter birthday. I'm using jacquard fabric I've had around but never used, and instead of the ruffles on second set, I'm going to use oversized rick rack.

## pattern-making and sewing so far

I'm working the 泣き虫 button-down shirt first, but while waiting for the buttons to arrive, I went ahead and got one version of the mock turtleneck pattern done.
I'm in the middle of sewing the button-down. The sleeves are cuffed and reinforced with interfacing (finally available again after the early pandemic mask-making frenzy) and decorated with the piping. Next, I'll set the sleeves in and work on the button placard.
After the button-down is finished, I really want to tackle a swimsuit next. I was prioritizing everyday clothes, but I've been thinking it would more fun to have a swimsuit as soon as possible. Since I was planning to take my time with it, the obi swimsuit is not only made from the most challenging fabric, but it also has the most elaborate design. I might design a simple swimsuit to use for now, since it's reasonable to have more than one swimsuit.
Maybe I'll update again when I've completed some garments, but thanks for reading an off-topic post.
Last Updated June 27, 2021