The Dreamstress

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Sewing & Sustainability & some shorts

Remember my Pants on Fire shorts? (I hope you do, because I love the photos, and the story of how they got their name is pretty hilarious).

I made them to take with me to a visit to my parents on their farm in Hawai’i back in 2016. They were great, but the farm is hard on clothes, and they got thrashed.

Something got on the fabric, or there was something about the fabric, that got this weird bleaching everywhere. Plus there were farm stains.

The Pants on Fire Shorts - Sewing & Sustainability

I would have just left them on the farm, to wear the next time I went home to Hawai’i, but I brought them back to Wellington, because I’d made them so quickly I just drew the pattern straight on the fabric, and forgot to keep a copy.

So I took them apart back in Wellington, took patterns off of them, and then I sewed them back up.

I even took the time to add a zip facing, which I hadn’t originally included, and that meant I had to lengthen the waistband, so now the shorts are a weird patchwork of fabrics on the inside!

Why bother re-sewing worn, stained shorts?

My mother didn’t teach me to sew, but she did teach me one important thing about sewing: always use good quality fabric. Good quality isn’t the same as expensive, but don’t waste your time on stuff that won’t last.

And she & my dad also taught me another thing, even more important: reducing and re-using are the best way to care for the environment. Things should be cherished, not treated carelessly, and that function is more important than looks. The more uses you can get out of an item, the more you honour its existence and purpose.

(as kids we found Dad’s insistence on taking care of things and repairing things incredibly aggravating – as an adult, I desperately wish everyone of my parent’s generation had had the same convictions – the planet would be in a much better state if their attitude was more common).

So, these shorts may be stained, but the fabric is still robust, and I can still use them for painting and farm wear and other uses – and the more wears you can get out of a garment, the better.

So my shorts are back in circulation. They went back to Hawai’i with me last year, and got worn, and worn, and worn. This time they stayed there, to be used every time I’m home.

And to celebrate, here is the world’s most unflattering photo of the shorts in action, pockets stuffed full of macadamia nuts and an avocado:

Rate the Dress: Pale Pink Restrained Historicism

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week’s rate the dress was almost universally unpopular, and also quite confusing: what colour was it? Gold? Green? Grey-faune as the auction listing gave it? To simplify the confusion, this week I’ve picked a dress in a very simple colour. It’s pale pink. I don’t think anyone is going to argue with that! (We could get quite detailed about the exact hue though…cherry blossom? Blush? )

Last week: an 1876 reception or day dress said to have been worn by Empress Eugenie

I’m actually away for the next week, rusticating in the glorious rural swathes of New Zealand, away from reliable internet. So I haven’t tallied the votes yet. But I can tell you what the overall verdict is going to be: not good.

Update: Now with the Total! : 4.9 out of 10

With ratings ranging from 1 to 9.5, I find it very satisfying that the aggregate total is exactly at the mid point!

This week: an 1870s gown with historically inspired details.

This week I’m sticking with the same timeperiod as last week, but going for a very different look: a prim gown in palest pink with ivory damask trim

A pink faille and ivory damask historicist evening gown (dinner or reception?), 1875-80, sold by Kerry Taylor Auctions

Kerry Taylor Auctions describes this as an evening gown, so I’ve included that in my description, but I’m not convinced. The high collar of this dress is anything but evening-wear. The rest of the dress, with its restrained shape and historical touches, suggests early Aesthetic dress – and the Aesthetic movement wasn’t so far removed from standard dress that it flouted the normal conventions of what you covered and what you exposed in Victorian fashion.

I suspect this is more of a reception dress: worn to formal events earlier in the day.

Despite the historicism so beloved of the Arts and Crafts and aesthetic movements, and the removal of many of the extraneous details you normally associate with late 1870s dress, this garment sticks to the standard fashionable silhouette, with emphasis on the small waist. There is space in the hips and back for hip padding, and a small bustle. Slide back up and look at the front view, and notice how curved the dress is over the stomach. Flat abdomens certainly weren’t the Victorian ideal!

So, if last week’s dress was strangely coloured, strangely trimmed, and overall strange, is this pink ensemble, with so much less trim more pretty and picturesque and presentable?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

A reminder about rating — feel free to be critical if you don’t like a thing, but make sure that your comments aren’t actually insulting to those who do like a garment. Phrase criticism as your opinion, rather than a flat fact. Our different tastes are what make Rate the Dress so interesting. It’s no fun when a comment implies that anyone who doesn’t agree with it, or who would wear a garment, is totally lacking in taste.

(as usual, nothing more complicated than a .5. I also hugely appreciate it if you only do one rating, and set it on a line at the very end of your comment, so I can find it! And 0 is not on a scale of 1 to 10. Thanks in advance!)

Scroop Patterns – Call for Testers!

Published by The Dreamstress

I’ve got a new Scroop Pattern ready to be tested – and need approximately 6 testers in a range of sizes!

Read this post to find out how to apply to be a tester!

A little note: I’m away with limited internet access for the next four days, so will not be responding to emails until next Friday, when I let people know if they are part of the tester group or not.

The Pattern:

A loose, draping cardigan inspired by my circle cardigan, with multiple length and shape options, and a fully customisable fit.

The cardigan is designed for knit fabrics with 25-40% stretch across the width. It makes a lovely spring/summer cardigan in light, lacey knits, and a wonderfully warm winter cardigan in heavier wool knits.

The pattern uses a unique fit system based on your shoulder and upper arm/bicep measure.

The pattern is designed for a bicep between 10″ / 27.5cm and 16 1/2″ / 43cm and a shoulder (from shoulder point to shoulder point, not from outside shoulder to outside shoulder) between 13″ / 33cm and 20″ / 51cm.

As long as you fit in that range, the cardigan should fit you!

Testers:

For this pattern I’m looking for testers who are low-intermediate or higher level sewers with some experience working with knit fabrics.

To be a tester you will also need to:

be able to print patterns in A4, A0, US Letter or US full sized Copyshop paper sizes
have the time to sew up the item if you agree to be a tester for it
be able to photograph your make being worn, and be willing for me to share your photos on this blog and instagram.
be able to provide clear feedback
be willing to agree to a confidentially agreement regarding the pattern
have a blog or other format where you share and analyse your sewing

I would hugely appreciate it if testers would share their finished make once the pattern launches, but this is not mandatory. I’m asking for TESTERS, not marketers. The requirement of a blog/other review format is to help me pick testers. I want to be able to see how you think about sewing, and that your experience level matches up to the pattern.

As always I’m be looking for a range of testers, in terms of geographical location, body type, sewing experience, and personal style.

The Timeline:

Materials:

If you’re selected to test I’ll let you know and send you the materials requirements, line drawings, and the full pattern description by 5pm NZ time on Friday the 12th of April (Thur the 11st for most of the rest of the world).

Patterns:

I will send out a digital copy of the pattern to testers before 2pm NZ time on Thur the 18th of April.

Testing & Reviewing:

Testers will have until 2pm NZ time on Monday the 29th of April (11 days, with two full weekends) to sew the cardigan, respond to the testing questions, and supply photos.

Depending on the edge finish technique you choose, the pattern takes most sewers 2-5 hours to make from start to finish.

What you get:

Pattern testers will get a digital copy of the final pattern, my eternal gratitude, and as much publicity as I can manage for your sewing.

Keen to be a tester for cardigan pattern? please email me with the following:

Your name
Your upper arm/bicep and shoulder point measures
Your height
A bit about your sewing experience — particularly knits
A link to your blog/Instagram/Flickr/Sewing Pattern Review profile/something else sewing-y presence
A link to a sewing make with a review (so I can see how you think about and analyse your sewing)
Where you are located (country is fine, country/ state or region for larger countries is preferred)
Do you have any other skills that would really make you an extra-super-awesome pattern tester? (i.e. experience copy-editing)

Email me to be a tester!

If you’ve already applied to/been a tester for Scroop Patterns in the past you are welcome to just copy and paste all the info and add into a new email, as long as nothing has changed.

Hope to hear from you!