Sew Busy

I love making lists. First off, it keeps me from having to actually remember the thing itself, and forcing me to remember simply where I put the list. Secondly, I get a little bit of a thrill when I get to manipulate the list. For example, crossing things off a to-do list, or adding another project to the 'project list.'

I started keeping an excel sheet listing all my projects a few years ago. Looking at it makes me feel like I've actually done something productive with my time. But it also allows me to analyze what I've been working on. So, last year, I made 40 projects. 32 of them were knit and only 4 sewn with 2 'other.' This year I set a goal of 52 projects, averaging one per week. Currently, I'm at 24 and today starts week 30. (But I'm not worried about it. Summer isn't over yet, and I haven't even begun to think about Christmas.) Of those 24, 11 are knit and 10 sewn. A slightly better ratio in my opinion. But I also like that I finally have the time to sew. In any case, here are a few of things I've made so far this year.

First, a few knitted things:


Caroline Cloche by Hannah Ingalls, knit in Silky Wool by Elsebeth Lavold. I loved this project. It was simple and quick, the yarn is really wonderful to work with. Wool/silk blends may just be my new favorite to work with. I've found that they are light and drapy, but still retain structure, and are great to block.



This Drawstring Raglan was also knit in a wool/silk blend, but for this one it was JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk. The merino in this is incredibly soft, and generally the yarn was good to work with. The only thing that tripped me up on this project was choosing colorways. First it was white, light gray, dark gray, and black. Which would have been fine, but the white isn't exactly white. It's more like winter white. And there would have been nothing wrong with that, if I was working with warm grays. (These are the unfortunate circumstances of ordering yarn online.) So I had actually ended up buying the light beige (mushroom), the blue, and a red instead. However, the red ended up being overpowering, so the dark gray made it back in. Whew. I'm quite happy with the result, but I'm glad it's done.


I finished the Pleated Top last month during my trip to San Fransisco. This was knit in Misti Alpaca Hand Painted Lace. It just doesn't get better than alpaca. Ever. And in a lace weight, it's light enough to wear during the summer.

Ok. Now some of the sewn stuff:


I'd made this dress for my friend Rima's wedding. (Simplicity 2933.) The front yoke used to have beading on it, but I took it to a major cleaning operation, who doesn't give a rat's ass about beads, sequins, belts, or buttons, (It's true. It says so right on the ticket they print out.) so the beading fell off. I haven't bothered to redo it, and I'm not sure I will - I like the dress just fine this way too.


I call this dress "Fields of Grain." This is McCall's 5465. I've actually done this dress out of a sweatshirt fabric as well, and I sleep in it during the winter - so warm and comfy.


I'll wear this to my friend Amy's wedding in August. Since it's a traditional Bengali wedding, there are 3 full days of events. This is for the Bride's dinner Friday night. Saturday - the day of the wedding - all us girls will dress up in saris (!!), and Sunday, for the Groom's Reception, we'll each wear a lehenga, which is just a top and skirt. I'm quite excited for it!

Otherwise, this dress is kind of weird. It's almost like the mod squad goes golfing with George Jetson. I'm glad I have a reason to wear it.

Also, this is Simplicity 2927, which is one of the Project Runway inspired patterns. I think the clothes are cute, but the way they write the fabric requirements is completely ass backwards. Instead of "Look A, Look B" etc., they've broken it down by each element. So, they'll say "For collar, this much. For pockets, that much. And so on." I feel that an experience sewer will know that there will certainly be enough fabric for the pockets and collar both, without having to add the two measured requirements together. I think it then becomes a situation where too much fabric is purchased because the math starts to drive people a little crazy. Bad design.

These were going to be linen drawstring pants. Instead it became this. Not that I mind, I actually really like the way these turned out. These were made using Burda 8488. Burda is probably my favorite pattern company - I especially love their pants patterns. I've made a few pairs, they always fit just right, and I've also found that I've altered different patterns in the same place every time. No surprises on a pants pattern = happy me.


I absolutely fell in love with how light and elegant this cotton was. There was a yard and a half left on the bolt, just enough for a little peasant shirt. This is another Burda pattern, but from the magazine. It's actually an altered version of #121 from the 07.00 issue. That top had come down to just below the bust, I simply lengthened it, adding 7 inches below the waist.

Ok. Phew. That was a lot. See? I've been busy. :)

Paul Rand on a post-it

"Don't try to be original, just try to be good."

-- Paul Rand

I remember the first time I heard this, I rejected it. How could this be?! I thought this went against everything associated with creativity.

But I couldn't get it out of my head.

I scribbled it on a post-it and stuck in on the wall above my desk. (In pencil no less, just to suggest the non-permanence of it.) I have lots of little quotes and sayings stuck and taped to the wall - humorous, nostalgic, inspirational, whatever.

But the Paul Rand post-it hangs directly in front of me. I look at it everyday. Me vs. Paul Rand on a post-it.

When I first heard this quote, I was still nascent in my design career. I didn't really understand what creativity meant -- it just was. It existed somehow, worked somehow, and couldn't be controlled somehow. (I also think this is true of many companies jumping on the innovation bandwagon -- they want it, but aren't quite sure how to wrangle it. As Caroline and I interview innovation centers across the country, this especially resonates with those still in their fledgling states, who seem to struggle with their footing and defining their project capabilities.)

At some point, I figured out that creativity is nothing more than bringing unrelated ideas together. Epiphany! And creativity doesn't just happen - creativity is work. Hard work. Now I'm starting to think that creativity can be measured. Not it necessarily should be measured, but I think it could be measured. Maybe I'll work on a framework for that. Hmm...

If originality is a byproduct of creativity, then one is left with no choice but to be good. This isn't a function of the chicken-and-egg syndrome. In order to be creative, and therefore original, one must first be good. Being good is understanding constraints -- design without constraints, after all, is art. Being good is being thoughtful and deliberate.

Certainly there are many creative and original works in the world, but if the execution is poor, then what difference does it make? What isn't good doesn't get noticed. Paul Rand is right. Thanks for the advice.