Tidbits #2

Dear readers,

Welcome to the second edition Tidbits where I randomly link and talk about sewing and non-sewing things that have been on my mind lately! I really enjoyed the discussion and the links you shared on Tidbits #1 so I thought it would be worth to keep going...

Sewing Bits

Interesting thoughts from Debbie at Lily Sage & Co on why you may end up with more iterations of a trend when you sew then when you buy RTW. Refining a design does require more than one garment for most of us, but unlike Debbie I don't do much transformation/refashion of my previous makes and no matter how slow I sew my wardrobe grows and grows and grows...

You may have read recent blog posts and reactions (here at Sew Liberated and at Noble&Daughter) about the pressure of blogging, which I thought was quite interesting. I would link it to the sewing blog transition almost exclusively towards showcasing finished items.

I was enjoying recently the latest posts of Sigrid who has been in my reader for a very long time. Like Sigrid's, a few years ago, successful blogs were all about elaborate evening dresses, little french jackets or tailored coats sewalongs, highlighting the process of making things. I went back to Gertie's older posts too, when she was actually sewing her way through the Vogue Book (exciting sewing blog times!!), and her posts were definitely more about the making.

Today, it seems that the frequency of finished garments posts  is what influences the popularity of a blog. While blogs showcasing the process of making complex garments still exist, they are just not the norm anymore. It could explain the relative simplification of patterns offered by some Indie Designers, as they try to match our expectation to have a quick make to show. But of course, there is only so much content you can create around making a woven tank, so you only post about your finished garment. The vicious circle of consumption is activated and you are looking for the next tank pattern, to sew in 2 hours and blog in 1!

In addition, it puts pressure on the Indie designers to try to churn out patterns as quickly as possible. I guess that if you are StyleArc or Burda, you have professional patternmakers, samplemakers and graders on your payroll as well as a huge library of existing patterns to derive new designs from. It's completely possible for you to do monthly releases, especially since instructions are rather sparse... But if you're not one of those established companies and you have the pressure of delivering new patterns regularly, it can lead to disappointing or underwhelming patterns.

Recently I saw a pattern being released that seem to illustrate that.. As a disclaimer, I'll say that I am not in the brand’s target customer so this pattern is not intending to fit my expectations. I have also no idea if this pattern is actually selling or not. So it's definitely a stretch for me to call it a bad pattern release. It may be selling like hot cakes ("comme des petits pains" for those of you who like French-isms). But in my eyes, it's just so sad. I don't see it flattering, well-designed, filling some kind of gap or even cute. I know we could enter the endless debate of what is a flattering fit, personal taste, good design, etc. and that's not exactly where I want to go. I'm not even sure that it does match well the rest of this designer's offering. In addition, there are several cheaper and better looking patterns for similar styles available in Burda, Big4 and other Indies...

On the other hand, having some kind of trust issue with the more complex patterns of Indie designers, I rarely buy them and even more rarely make them. I want to overcome my bias and I bought the Françoise Jacket by République du Chiffon. Between the pattern price and the shipping to the US, I ended paying way more than I normally would allow myself for patterns so I hope it proves a success. I am in love with the proportions and the narrow collar but of course I want to make changes so I will have to make a muslin and take it from there. I would like to make 2-pieces sleeves with functional button vents, add a back vent (or 2) and see if I can forego the double closure. Lots of work ahead, so I'm not sure I will gather the energy to do it all.

and other bits

Because we cannot only talk and read about sewing, here is an interesting article in the NY Times about having more time to unwind, except if you are a woman... Today, I have grand plans of managing to go see the Manux X Machina exhibition at the Met, getting my nails done and taking pictures of finished makes all before 4pm (can I insert a nap somewhere??) so I'd better stop my ramblings, and get started!! Don't hesitate to share your thoughts  and own tidbits in the comments, you know how much I love reading them!