Archive for the ‘Keeping up Appearances’ Category

There is a beautiful jacket hanging in the closet of my work room.  I meticulously matched the fabric pattern at each of the seams – the only time I have successfully done so.  I also lined it and finished it by hand.  It represents many hours of work.  And yet, I’ve never worn it.  For almost 4 years now, it has remained in the closet missing only a button.

There is a pin in the place where I intend to place said button, but, I am stuck.  Few things cause me to leave projects unfinished; they are typically small tasks that have the potential to cause disasters, rework, and frustration.  Making button-holes tops the list.

I’ve learned that many other people – including through recent Twitter exchange with @Soph4Soph – do not like making button-holes either, and may even resort to outsourcing the task to an expert.  To be honest, it’s a pain.  And for me, particularly now that my sewing machine has also given up on button-holes, it is easy to leave the task undone.

But, don’t get me wrong here.  I have to distinguish my feelings toward making button-holes from those towards the buttons themselves.  I love buttons.  Like fabric, they represent possibility.  They can be functional or decorative.  They can turn an ordinary item into one with flair.  They can add interest to an almost-hidden or often-ignored aspect of an item.  They can be understated or flamboyant.  In short, they can be anything you want them to be.

Storm's Button Box

A year ago, I went to San Francisco and visited Britex Fabrics near Union Square.  While my mom waited patiently for me, I spent the better part of an hour just scouring the button trays.  I couldn’t help but walk away with a pile of buttons for which I had no plan.  They just appealed to me, so I bought them.  It’s the same motivation that’s led to my accumulating 7 bins of fabric that I will make something out of “one day.”

ABC-Button.com

Anyway, I digress.  This morning, I ran across ABC Button company from Germany by way of Steve Hoefer’s blog “Made“, which prompted me to write this post (though it took me a long time to come back to the inspiration).  The ABC Button is a 9-holed button that allows you to sew it on to things in letter form.  It’s great for kids’ clothes, embellishment, or even for stuffed toys I would think.  Whatever the choice, it’s a button that allows freedom.

While I can’t find a place to buy the ABC Buttons, Steve sells his version on Etsy under the name Grathio.  I also stumbled across a DIY post from Design Sponge on how to make 9-hole buttons yourself.  You can always go back to ABC Button to download the button stitch patterns.

Did you know that in one year, the average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing and that more than 3/4 of our discarded clothing goes to landfills?  Consider finding ways to reduce the amount of clothing waste your family has each year by sewing green.

A wonderful way to sew green is by using your discarded or outdated clothes and re-fashioning them into new designs that fit your kids.  In some cases, simple repairs of second-hand kids clothes are all that is needed to renew an item.  I covered some ideas on how to do this in a post last June.

Re-fashioning fashion and other fabric items into funky new kids’ clothes

There are a number of books and websites dedicated to giving clothing and other textile products new life, from making a skirt for your little girl out of a pillow case or making pint-sized tops out of your old sweaters to altering vintage clothing found at a thrift store – or grandma’s closet – for funky kids togs (Browse Etsy.com for ways that others have done this).

This type of green sewing is a great way to express your creativity, re-use materials that might otherwise wind up in a landfill, and give your child’s closet a boost on a limited budget.  It can also allow you to add items to their closet that will not be found anywhere else.

Calculating your impact

If you are really hard-core about green fashion or reducing your overall impact on the environment, check out the  Colour Connections Household Textile Environmental Impact Calculator offered on EcoTextileNews website.  The calculator lets you enter in the number of various items you buy, throw away (bin), donate, use as rags, and recycle each year, as well as your laundry practices and then it calculates your water and energy consumption, pollution, and use of non-renewables.

So, what do you do when your little girl walks out of room dressed in purple tights, sandals, a yellow polka dot skirt, and a paint-stained t-shirt that is on backwards?

Do you:

1. Ask her to change?
2. Let it go this time, but lay her clothing out for her yourself from now on?
3. Support her unique fashion sense and ability to dress herself?

Between the ages of 3 and 4, kids begin choosing their own clothes and dressing themselves…and their clothing choices will reflect a style all their own, possibly one that makes you laugh or even frustrates you occasionally.  No matter what, congratulate your child on their ability to dress themselves.  Don’t worry: their sense of style will evolve over time.

In the meantime, try these ideas for encouraging their growing sense of self:

• Look for clothing that your children can put on by themselves. In a previous post, I provided an age-by-age guide for helping your toddler dress themselves with recommendations for clothing that supports your child’s developing motor skills.
• Make sure that clothing is easily accessible to your child, such as in the lowest drawer of a dresser.
• Stock your child’s drawers with clothing that is clean, the correct size, easy for them to put on, and appropriate for the season.
• Involve your child in shopping for their clothing – they are  likely to want to wear things that they picked out themselves.
• If you are concerned about their color coordination, make sure your child’s clothing is in similar or complementary colors so that their outfits are less likely to clash.

Getting dressed by themselves is a big deal for kids, and by being supportive – rather than critical, you are encouraging them to keep trying and to be themselves.

For more information on toddler development milestones, visit:

• The Mayo Clinic’s Child development chart: Preschool milestones
• KidsGrowth Toddler Developmental Milestones: What to Expect….. and when to be concerned!

Today, I ran across a post from Fashionary Blog with an great list of free sewing patterns available on the web. A quick scan shows the following resources for people wanting to see baby and children’s clothing patterns specifically. The links go directly to the child/kid page of the site.

About.com Sewing – an assortment of free sewing projects to create children’s clothing.

Babyclothes – free, ready to use patterns for sewing baby clothes for those with moderate sewing skills.

Crochet Pattern Central – a directory of links to other websites featuring free crochet patterns for children’s and baby clothes.

Free Patterns.com – this site also offers numerous crochet patterns for children’s clothing and accessories.

Fitz – a cute toddler leggings sewing pattern. Not free, but almost at $1.50.

FreeNeedle – a database of sewing patterns and projects, including children’s clothing patterns.

Instructables – a community of creative people sharing their DIY ideas and instructions on just about anything “kid”.

Sewing Stuff – a directory of links to free children’s clothing sewing projects and patterns on the web.

A personal favorite is a sewing project I ran across on the Sewing Stuff site. It is a Simple Kimono Wrap pattern found on Amy Finlayson’s “Habitual’ blog. She offers guidance for creating the top in sizes 0-6 months through child’s size 8.

Living in Utah, I am at the heart of the modest clothing movement. The Latter Day Saint community, AKA the Mormons, has a practice of dressing conservatively. Changing social norms and styles have led parents in this community – as well as many others around the US – to rebel against what they see as improper dress, particularly when it comes to their children. Their demand for more modest standards from clothing designers and their efforts to positively influence what their daughters wear has gained a lot of momentum recently.

The interesting thing is, girls are responding. A recent article by TrendCentral found that many tween girls are voluntarily changing their clothing style, modeling their mothers’ more conservative style and taking cues from entertainment outlets that now feature kids in more innocent attire.

Whether your interest in the movement is based on religious affiliation, values, trend-spotting, or simply your desire to help your little girl stay a little girl for as long as she can be, here are tips offered by proponents of modest girls’ clothing for shopping and dressing in style.

Building your daughter’s wardrobe

There are a number of clothing items available at your local stores that are cute, modest, and in style. Start by looking for items that meet these criteria, such as long, flowy skirts, pants with natural waist lines, tees and hoodies. You can build from there.

Not all clothing is inherently modest. Avoid low-cut pants, deep necklines, short skirts, midriff tops, too-tight clothing, and see-through fabrics as much as possible. Or, consider supplementing these items with accessories and other pieces to create a modest, yet stylish outfit. Leggings have made a serious comeback recently, and can be worn beneath skirts, dresses, and long shirts to provide coverage and comfort. Outfits can also be modified with shrugs, jackets, wraps, shawls, cardigans, tank tops/camisoles and undershirts to keep arms, bellies, and necklines covered.

Testing clothes at the store

Before buying things, have your daughter try them on and then see if they pass the following tests offered by Dannah Gresh, founder of Pure Freedom:

• Is the shirt too tight?
• Does her belly show if she lifts her arms above her head?
• Is a pantyline visible through the pants or skirt she is trying on?
• Is too much leg exposed by her shorts or skirt if she sits cross-legged?
• Do pants reveal too much leg or back side if she bends forward in them?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you may opt not to purchase the item. But, buying one size larger than your daughter would typically wear, layering clothing items, looking for a different style of pants, or modifying the outfit with other clothing can also result in a more modest look.

Stylish, but Modest Clothing Sources

• DownEast Basics
  
• Modbe Clothing
• Splendid
• Ella Moss Girl
• See the Modest Clothing Directory for more clothing sources