Dearest Needleworking Friends - especially those interesting in the #needleworkyourjeans challenge!
Here are some more work-in-progress snapshots of my coat-from-3-old-pairs-of-jeans project: I am almost finished! Which is quite amazing for me, as I expected to be labouring heavily for many weeks, hehe!
And for your information: click the following to go to; PART ONE
or to PART TWO of this project
In fact, at the end of this part three is quite near the point where I can do a (PROPER!) photoshoot, BUT I wanted to be even more adventurous and challenging to my skills, by adding a lining: I bought a lovely secondhand sheet, in pale blue with small white polkadots on, and this will be perfetto - if I can figure out an easy way to line it! I imagine I can just lay the coat on the sheet on the floor and then draw around it?
Actually, so far this project has been incredibly - if not easy then at least not as much of a strain on my skills as most of my projects have been! Even though it was a VERY complex construction process, it seemed to grow easily out of the old forms and shapes - at first, when I draped one pair of jeans and the zip with the two waistbands either side of it, it seemed like it would take an enormous leap to arrive at the next part. But it was just another simple step.
And every following step was straightforward; I really got a sense of mastery in this garment, though it is far from perfect! The overall drape is slightly off, and I am still thinking of whether or not to add a couple of darts to help shape the zip, which curves a bit unflatteringly... That is one of the things I need to master better; if anyone has a tip about setting a big zip?? It is in place now and would be too hard to remove and re-set, but I'd love to know for next time.
The sleeves were a LOT easier than I expected, too! As I'd envisioned before putting them on (I checked in my Reader's Digest big book of sewing), it was just a matter of tacking a couple of rounds of stitching where I wanted the puff to go...
(Though the making of the holes for the sleeves was a bit of concentrated work! I had to open up the sides, and then pull some of the extra material across so that I could make the correct size of hole on one side... it worked out fairly easily in the end!)
I loved making the cuffs! Such a simple and enjoyable task; allowing the form to tease itself out and add itself to the garment in progress - my action seemed minimal!
I did tacking for the top of the shoulder of the sleeve, and then for the full circle of the cuffs.
I even made several sketches of the cuffs, but finished with the one that seemed most straightfoward - and I love a wide sleeve - I didn't take any width out of it, as it fits nicely with the rest of the coat, at least to me!
I also did quite a bit of scraps-re-use for the front-middle of the coat - the bit where the zip ended and downwards... It was a super-absorbing task where I got into a zone and just followed through; no plannning or sketching or even thinking! This was one of many really good moments, feeling led by the fabric and by some form that wants to come into being. This is how I paint, cook, live in gift, and have relationships with all things: the vibrant livingness of full immersion. I love when I can get fully out of the so-called 'logical' mind, because it mostly causes mischief and prevents Art. from happening! The final shape of the bottom strips came very nicely, as I half-watched a film, and let the Sunday afternoon envelop me.
I added some pockets, taken directly from one of the jeans; a supposedly really simple job, though my wee vintage Brother sewing machine got a bit moody as we tried to clamber over the biggest seam overlaps at the corners... I did a fair bit turning the wheel by hand - and might have to carry the machine up to the old man who fixes sewing machines at the Sunday market in the new town: I think she is a tad over-challenged by my Year Of Needlework Mastery! Anyhow, the pockets started by being hand-stitched on, but I had to undo one of them, as it needed to be laid more flat as I sewed, which the machine makes it easier to do.
I have tried the coat on several times now - and was outside on the Via fixing up threads, where my weekend neighbours (who come up from Torre Del Greco) were all keen to see what I was working on - and we ended up spending the evening together, eating a glorious pizza and drinking wine and talking about creative things - that was such a delight, after the oltra intensity of our big wine festival: SO MUCH NICER to sit without a techno DJ up on the bridge ruining the atmosphere! We could hear the bats and chat with the gatti and cani - such a beautiful evening.
It feels very good to be being seen for what I'm creating, too. Visibility has been very difficult for my whole Art. career, but the last few years with algorithmic censorship and the general psychosis of humanity, has basically made my work invisibile. I am glad in a way to have a Sabatical, and am using it to explore more conducive mediums which folks can relate to more directly (without needing their hands held: the majority of folks are deeply stuck in the 'I am not creative' paradigm, which is untrue conditioning).
So the clothing that I'm making gets everyone quite excited! They can see the value in it immediately, and this aligns with my passion and enthusiasm for the making. I trust that the time and energy I'm investing in this Mastery Year, will be rewarded - unlike my 35+ years invested in my Art., for relatively nothing. Instead of being angry and resentful of the world rejecting Real Art., I can channel all my emotion into something that I know will support me later in life, because fashion has to come back to recycling, transformation and a creative hand. The direction of cheap and fast fashion - even of expensive designer stuff! - is always atrophying, and becoming less beautiful, ultimately.
spot the mend: I think that this hole was a 'fashion' detail, from the old leg of jeans which became the sleeves; I filled it in with this patch, which I put under the hole and sewed around - in this final photo you can see it is quite well camouflaged...
I know that my pieces will have a whole other level of value, because of the ethical and ecological aspect, the attention to detail, the love and care and TIME put into every stitch - especially the hand-crafted details and the uniqueness of the whole thing. I know enough about Natural Law and Sovereignty and Co-Creating with Universal Intelligence, to comprehend the expansive possibilities of this kind of work.
I will feel into whether or not to make some nips and tucks, and will try to get the collar to sit more beautifully: it is soooo lumpy at the seams, because of too many layers of fabric, which I should have found a way to cut back; I did some curve darts, but they can't get all the way down to the seam line, so I will try and cut some out and get the darts right down into the seam!
I really want that lovely collar to sit nice, as it is an important feature of the coat.
So I'll leave this post here: as you can see, I still have the lining to finish (and a professional photoshoot!), which I will endeavour to do soon, and/ or to be in time for the deadline!
