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Feminism and Consideration

12/27/2018

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One day I told my mom, in passing, that I was a feminist.  "You are?!" she asked in bewilderment, and I wondered what feminism meant to her.  As I see it, I am a feminist because of the things my mother taught me: I believe in educating myself, paying my own way, embracing my inherent strengths, appreciating how I'm different from men, being strong and gentle, standing up to people who would use or devalue me, voting, et cetera.  Why would the word "feminist" put her off when she knows and approves all those things about me? 

But when I read something like this, I understand where the confusion comes from:
I should be able to dress how I want and act how I want.  That's what feminism is about, not about making others feel comfortable.
-- Emily Ratajkowski (a model), interviewed in Marie Claire Magazine, June 2018. 

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Have a Green Christmas!

12/23/2018

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Like most frugal people, my family was green before it was cool.  Every Christmas, we re-used wrapping paper from previous Christmases (no ripping or tearing allowed!) or used the colorful Sunday comics from the newspaper.  This year, as everyone seems to be ordering from Amazon, I see lots of the Amazon gift bags under the tree, which are some sort of outerwear-type chemical fabric covered with sparkly polyester organza.  Naturally, I'm saving them for next year, too! 
Picture
Amazon bags
Meanwhile, finding in my stash a bit of printed cotton with wise men on it (a Christmas print I actually like), I decide to make my own re-usable Christmas wrapping! 

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Plastron on a Whim

12/6/2018

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In which I make a Victorian-inspired plastron or dickie... and end up looking like I work at Grace Brothers!
(Sometimes when I title my posts I amuse myself wondering what Google searches will yield these confusing word combos, and what the searchers will think...)

A "plastron" is a chest covering.  If you're a turtle, it's your shell.  If you're a fencer, it's your padded vest.  If you're a Victorian era lady, it's a lacy faux-front that you tie around your neck to change up the look of your dress.  And if you're me... well.  Read on to see what I came up with! 

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All the dresses I haven't sewn...!

12/3/2018

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When I was a kid, I used to drape curtains and sheets and such on my sister, using every safety pin I could get my hands on to get her "dressed".  The best materials always got used first, on her, and as an afterthought I'd drape myself with the leftovers.  So when people at work ask me if my draping is a skill or a talent, I think it's both.  It's a skill because I've acquired techniques through practice, but it's a talent because the practice comes naturally to me. 

My lovely co-worker likes to take pictures of my "drapes", and I love it when she does, because I'm super proud of them!  It's nice to have a fan, and nice to have a record of my work!  Manikin-draping is otherwise a very Dadaist art... fabric pinned into a simulacrum of clothing, then taken down and sold with no hint of its past pretending! 
Picture
This soft sweep of charmeuse and ombre-dyed chiffon is a "dress" right now. Someday it will be something else. Sic transit gloria mundi.

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    Karen Roy

    Quilting, dressmaking, and history plied with the needle...

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