Ciao Bella by Laura Bryant
October is with us at last! I am so grateful for the cooler weather! In the California Bay Area, autumn brings refreshing cool after many hot months. Fringe Association’s #slowfashionoctober also offers an opportunity to reflect on why I spend my free time making clothes. As you can see, I am not doing it because my wardrobe is bare. Few of us really NEED much clothing any more. So why are we still buying it? For me, the process of making clothes brings a sense of balance, calm, and beauty, reminding me to be grateful for what I have.
Slow fashion is a rebellion against “instant everything.” With online shopping and same-day delivery, every want can be delivered to your door. No wonder waste is such a problem! I feel this “instant” society is wasting not just resources but energy and time. There is so much pressure to always be available by phone, email, and text that it is hard to find a place of calm and stillness. That is what slow fashion, through hand knitting and sewing, offers.
The 100 Day Challenge of wearing hand knits has increased my gratitude for what I already have. It has been a welcome change celebrating finished projects instead of hankering for something new. It is not easy to integrate hand knits into daily outfits without taking the time to think about it, so this is teaching me to create outfits that work. I also plan to repair and finish old knits this month. Mending and altering old projects comes first, followed by finishing up WIPS.
By the way, here are the hand knits that I wore the past two days:
Day 72:
This is Blossom by Kim Hargreaves, knitted in Rowan 4ply cotton. A short-sleeved waistcoat seems to go with everything, even this wide skirt which is tricky to pair with knits. That skirt really should be a size smaller, but with resale one's choice is limited. I hope to improve my tailoring skills this year so I can take in the waist.
Day 73:
Today I am wearing Laura Bryant’s Ciao Bella pattern. It is knitted using Prism Tencel Tape yarn. I added additional waist shaping to this pattern but I don’t think it really needed it. The fabric has a ton of drape because of its tencel fiber.