I’m trying!

yesterday I turned that t-shirt pictured in yesterday's post into some boyshort underwear.  I also crocheted a thong panty, but I didn't have enough yarn, so it's too small!  I'm going to modify the pattern and I'll post pics of both.  I still have a bit of the t-shirt fabric left over too, so I think I'm going to try and make a fabric headband.  that fabric is super stretchy!

in other news, in order to do something about my severe lack of sewing skills, I signed up for 3 sewing classes within the next month and a half!  I'm going to an Open Sewing class, where you take a project and get help on it – the biggest problem will be which project I bring! – a zippers class, and a class on making a pattern from a finished item of clothing.   one of my favorite dresses is completely falling apart and I must make another one!  I even have the perfect polka-dotted fabric for it.

on the knitting front, I managed to do my first cables today!  I'm so excited.  again, pics to follow.

Preparing to Refashion

I got two bedsheets (the pink print in the back). I’m not sure how I feel about the fabric, but it was cheap and I figured I could use it as a muslin if nothing else. The yellow sweater, I plan to felt and then make… mittens? I don’t know. it has some stains (which of course I didn’t see until I got home) so it will have to be something small. I also like this felted scarf so maybe I’ll try something like that once I get more sweaters to felt. The striped t-shirt, sadly is too small and I’m not sure how to reconstruct it. The pink sweater is for unraveling to use the yarn. and the green and white is an adorable halter dress with a full skirt that unfortunately is about one size too big. if I tie the halter really tight and can somehow take in the sides, it could be really cute though. But maybe I’ll hold onto it until my sister comes. It might fit her perfectly. Although I suspect it will be too big in the waist area.

I wish, I wish I could sew better. I know, I need to practice. But I can’t even understand the darn patterns!

What have I gotten myself into?!

I took the pledge over at Wardroberefashion! This fits right in with The Compact but now I am terrified, because I can’t really sew that well… and I am on the verge of accepting a new job which will require that I dress like a grown up and not wear the same jeans every single day which is how I dress now. I specifically chose two months thinking that I wouldn’t start till September. And now I’ll be starting during the pledge! Yikes! I’ll start sewing an easy skirt this Saturday, wish me luck! I have to quickly get my sewing skills into a standard where I can wear things I’ve made out in public. Since I’ve never sewn an article of clothing ever, I’ve got quite a challenge ahead of me.

The Compact – a summary so far

I’ve bought new :
Denyse Schmidt Quilting book (paid for with a gift certificate)
a hanging sweater thing
2 suits for interviewing
1 shirt for interviewing
knee-high stockings for interviewing
2 pairs of socks (but they had books on them!)
a little bit of new exercise clothing (no way was I buying that used!)
3 new magazine subscriptions (Veg Times, Scaba Diving and Martha)

craft stuff (which is kind of excepted by The Compact)
new bamboo knitting needles
new embroidery hoop
new embroidery needles
new sewing machine needles
sewing patterns
new thread
E6000 glue

and the positive steps I’ve made: (not just for buying, but for reducing my ecological footprint)
- signed up for a CSA (organic and local fruits and veggies!)
- take showers and lower temperatures
- increased the bulk foods I buy and decreased canned and packaged
- increased the time in between shaves to decrease razor use
- buying more organic foods
- serving on the advisory board for an eco-fashion startup
- got a lot of stuff I needed via swaps, bought used, or given to me

Ok, I’ve still got a lot of room for improvement, mostly due to my own laziness, but I am happy with some of the key steps I’ve made. I have definitely been much more aware of how my purchases affect the planet and I am still continuing to improve. As my skills improve (sewing, fixing things, building, etc) I think I will be even more independent from stores. I think my lifestyle is becoming more closely aligned with my values, and that has made me happier.

At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again

I’m reading Walden, and that line from the first paragraph really sums up how I feel having moved back to the US after three years living in a poor developing country. I’m struck by how similar Walden is to Your Money Or Your Life, except YMoYL of course has a nine-step plan for how to live on your very own Walden. Thoreau is so sarcastic though! And his arrogance must have been quite annoying for those around him.

I first read Your Money or Your Life when I was abroad, and living a simple life, but now that I am again “in civilized life”, working too many hours and not spending enough time on what matters most to me, I really see how spot-on the book is about so many things. While I have managed to avoid buying lots of new clothes or spending money on pricey lunches for work, the mere fact that I spend so much time here makes me want to “treat” myself by buying things, or going out to dinner, coffee with friends, etc. And since I don’t have time to go thrifting, but I really need some new furniture, I have the urge to just buy it new, which is going against my semi-commitment of buying nothing new. I do have the attitude, “well I worked 11 hours today so it’s ok if I go out for a nice dinner”, even though the expense of that dinner isn’t in the budget, and I don’t want to trade that many hours of “life energy” for a meal. So I think I need to reread the book, and really follow the steps, calculating how much $1 is worth in terms of life energy, and analyzing my expenses to see if they really fit my values.

I don’t think I’m am enjoying the civilized life so much. I am really going to take steps to go back to a life of simplicity.

I’m failing at The Compact

Because of my semi-commitment to buy nothing new, I feel the urge to confess every time I do buy something new.  Today's purchase:  Martha Stewart Living magazine.  I'm sorry but I just love that magazine!  And I got such a great deal on it through Best Deal Magazines that I finally could no longer resist.  Other recent purchases include new plastic food storage containers (but I'm not feeling guilt for that one, they are essential for bringing my lunch and I really wanted ones that hadn't touched meat) and not too long ago, Scuba Diving magazine and Vegetarian Times.  I suppose Scuba Diving should be guilt-inducing, but I can rationalize Vegetarian Times for the great recipes that are helping me reduce my ecological footprint by giving me recipes I can use instead of eating processed food.

It was so much easier to buy nothing new when we didn't have any money.  Now that we can afford to spend a little, I find myself much more tempted, especially by the Hancocks & Joann's sales!  Luckily, I have a trip planned to S.C.R.A.P. next Saturday, so I can get feed my craft-supply-buying need then.

The oil in your oatmeal

Inspired by this article about how much oil is used to process your food and to get it to you, I finally joined a CSA – Community Supported Agriculture. So once a week, freshly picked, locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables will be delivered right to my door. Good for the planet, good for my health! My first day is tomorrow and I’m so excited. Read this article for more information about CSAs, including a rundown of the Bay Area ones: Community Supported Agriculture

RRR blogs, shopping, and info

RRR of course stands for “reduce, reuse, recyle”. I think it’s the easiest way to quickly refer to a group of blogs, some of which are about voluntary simplicity, some about reducing your ecological footprint, some about the environment. I’ll be adding to this list as I find the addresses of the blogs I check.

Shopping
http://www.debrisdesign.com/ – the name says it all. accessories for your ipod, clothes for men and women. from recycled & reclaimed materials.

http://www.giantdwarfdesign.com/ handmade recycled one of a kind items.

Information
http://www.simpleliving.net/ – tools, examples and contacts for conscious, simple, healthy and restorative living.

Blogs
http://fiftyrx3.blogspot.com/ – perusing the crossroads of style and sustainability

http://sfcompact.blogspot.com/ – 1) to go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of U.S. consumer culture, to resist global corporatism, and to support local businesses, farms, etc. — a step, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact; 2) to reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er); 3) to simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

It looks like I buy all my clothes new

Inspired by this blog I started categorizing my clothes by their ecological impact. Hmmm, not doing too well today. I wore boots purchased new just 6 months ago. Leather, imported and purchased from Nordstrom. Socks also new (but they have a book print! they are so cute!) purchased just last week from Marshalls. Probably made in China but I didn’t actually check, I was so taken in by the books print. It gets better – my pants were purchased from a small boutique 2.5 years ago, an I’ve worn them at least 100 times. Shirt – purchased at Saks on super-clearance, 3 years ago, worn a ton. Sweater – purchased from a small boutique at least 4 years ago, made in the USA, and worn many times. My jacket was bought new this season from smartbargains.com. Obviously there is a lot of room for improvement here! I’ve recently purchased some clothing patterns and I’m improving my sewing with the plan of making my own clothes from reclaimed materials.