art

The Self-Made Wardrobe is a project where I only wear garments I’ve made.
It’s a year long experiment in getting dressed without clothing labels –
it’s a year about noticing patterns, trying things, and observing what happens.

Day 239 – Friday, March 27th
black sweater // black tank top // graphic silk circle skirt
black tights // black shoes // pocket watch necklace // bead crochet bracelet

Day 240 – Saturday, March 28th
purple sweater // black tank top // jeans
black scarf // sneakers // various rings

Day 241 – Sunday, March 29
handknit sweater dress // black tank top
black leggings // black scarf // various rings

Day 242 – Monday, March 30th
black sweater // black tank top // jeans
black scarf // black flats // bead crochet bracelets // various rings

Day 243 – Tuesday, March 31st
purple sweater // black tank top // black maxi skirt
black tights // brown boots // black scarf
bead crochet bracelet // various rings

Day 244 – Wednesday, April 1st
Versio sweater // black tank top // jeans
black flats // robot necklace // various rings

Day 245 – Thursday, April 2nd
black sweater // black tank top // jeans
black flats // bead crochet bracelet // various rings

Sometimes, when I finish a garment and wear it for the first time, I suddenly see everything that isn’t quite right, all the things that could be better – and it’s tempting to rush in with a long list of complicated alterations.

Like with my jeans.

The minute they were done, I wanted to:
-Take in the waist.
-Take in this hips.
-Futz with the crotch curve.
-Redo the waistband, trying a different method.
– Try a new button.
-And add a 5th pocket (or a faux 5th pocket).

That was, two weeks ago.

And with two weeks of wear, now I want to:
– Take in the waist.
– Try a new button.

I’ll still need to redo the waistband to take in the waist, but I think taking in the waist will fix the issues I’m having with the waistband.

I originally wanted take in the jeans all the way through the hip, but they’re low rise enough that I think taking in the waist & making that alteration a long shallow taper will effectively do the same thing.

I have a hunch that taking in the waist (and therefore making the jeans sit where they’re supposed to sit) will eliminate or greatly diminish the futzing that needs to be done at the crotch curve.

And the 5th pocket can just wait for the 2nd version.

I probably wouldn’t have noticed much of this, without two weeks of wearing them as they are, and probably would have gone ahead with lots of fussy alterations.

It’s kind of like knitting with really messy balls of yarn – some tangles resolve themselves, some tangles you need to resolve – the tricky bit is figuring out which type of tangle you’re dealing with.