the current stage that I'm (a wee bit stuck) at
These huge trousers are my latest invention, and I really would benefit from some advice from you all – I trust very much in the Needlework Monday community here on Hive, and am sure that some great comments will assist in my finishing this project… It has been a long couple of weeks in the making, and it is hard for me to see how to end them!
some thread details; trying to match the colours of the colourful strips...
This is part of the hazard of a) trying to move home very slowly and over a very long period, and b) not having QUITE the skills that I need and want, in order to keep moving in any given project.
Between driving from Guardia Sanframondi into Molise, having 
away for a week in the Netherlands, and trying to ‘harvest’ our olive trees, nevermind moving into our new (rental) home that is only two small rooms, with an accumulating mass of stuff from 10 rooms (and including a very packed-to-the-gills atelier)…. It has been hard to focus on my beloved sewing. At least, in the kind of way that I can actually finish something. Successfully.
So here I am in a now super-tidy wee rental bothy, with Vincent sorting out some greens that we picked on the land today…. The fire is roaring with beautiful olive wood, and this feels glorious on multiple levels. We’re supping on warm tea with lemon verbena, nettle, tea rose and elderflower: VERY VERY nice; it is a joy to have teas like this from things we’ve grown and foraged ourselves!! It is a spontaneous blend that hits the spot perfectly.
trying to neaten up the lower edges, sewing under a belt loop!
I have my new half-made trousers on the mannequin, and have cut the bottom hem to a roughly-even line all the way around the (very ample!) legs. I am quite pleased indeed with how the trousers look…. And am probably so unsure as to how to finish them, because I am unsure as to where they are heading. I have little stable outlet for them. I don’t even have an online shop/ Etsy/ whatever people use nowadays. I don’t want to sell things online for fiat currency, anyhoo: this is something that is taking up a lot of my bandwidth right now; how should I actually give my clothes to who needs them??
Until I figure that out, the clothing is mostly a ‘medium’ size, particular to the one mannequin that I own, which is similar to my own body size and shape. A 5’4” height, UK size 12-ish. So far I’ve adjusted garments to whoever is interested in them, and had good results and happy customers :-D
these trousers are made from 4 pairs of jeans - cut and laid long-ways down the sides, with the pockets/ waists at the bottom of the new legs
This pair of big trousers are somewhat large on my model, and I am unsure as to whether or not to permanently reduce the waist and hips – by adding a dart or four to the waist – front and back.
Either way, I also wish to double-sew the seams between the coloured panels at the side, for a more durable finish, and for neater-looking seams. I am deciding whether to make matching-coloured or contrasting seams. Now that I have the bottoms cut to roughly where I need them to be, I can finish these seams and then take up the hems correctly.
This all feels like a huge task! But it is fairly straightforward, and now that I have my wee desk and favourite chair here, I can sit down later today and do some machine-sewing up in the bedroom.
note: photos are not in chronological order (in case you didn't notice that!
this is how wide the new waist was, before I took in the above darts!
The kitchen was getting a bit overwhelmed with half-done projects in amongst buckets of olives, sacks of nuts, and other foraged goodies; I’m trying to create a designated space in the rental bothy, but garments are piled in bags up and down the side of the stairs. The completed McMA clothing collection is almost all in Guardia at our previous house. And my accessories are in trays and pouches on chairs under the kitchen table.
It is all coming together, though. The rental bothy is a really great in-between space that is helping us figure out how a self-constructed house might look eventually: what do we actually need, and how can a small space function best? What kind of storage can we structure, that’ll allow the best atmosphere and energy for our writing, sewing, drawing, painting, cooking, crafting, etc. Having our land now, makes everything quite different, in regards to how we’re occupying a home, a workspace, a living room.
I look forward very much to seeing what you are all making this week, and again, would love to hear any ideas or inspiration that comes to you, around these big pantaloons I’m making!
Thank you and much love!
