Field Notes: Me-Made-May, Podcasts, and Sewing School

Where does the time go, friends?! My intention is to add to the blog every week, but, clearly, that isn't happening. I. WILL. TRY. HARDER. lol

But, really, May flew by. For the most part, this little Field Notes post basically sums up how most of my time was spent in May. 

I started out strong with Me-Made-May. This was my first time participating, and I pledged to wear at least one me-made item every day in May. And I started out so enthusiastically. Every day I thought carefully about my outfit and then thought carefully about staging and photographing said outfit for my Instagram post. I tried, but the wheels fell off the bus after Day 9. During the first week of May, it was crazy windy every single day, which made it difficult to take good photos. Not to mention, my tripod kept blowing over and eventually broke. At that point, I gave up on putting the time and energy into documenting my me-made outfits. Also, I shall admit, on Day 10, I stayed in my pajamas all day. That officially sealed the end of my month-long campaign. Next year I will try to make it past nine days. 

Of course, I still wore me-made items in May, just not every single day as I had pledged and not staged and photographed. And, you know something, a Me-Made-May pledge doesn't have to be so all-consuming. I also went through my closet and dresser drawers and donated about four plastic grocery bags of unworn clothing. Clearing away a bit of the old really felt good. 

Day 5 of Me Made May

Do you listen to sewing podcasts? And if so, when and how? I like to listen while out walking. I have a three-mile loop that I usually walk, giving me about an hour of listening time. My favorite sewing podcasts at the moment are

• Check Your Thread -- Zoe Edwards focuses on sewing sustainably and covers a full range of topics, and I mean a full range, and she interviews so many interesting people out there doing great things. This is my most listened to podcast right now. 
• Love To Sew -- If you don't listen to Love To Sew, you really must get over there and meet Helen and Caroline, two sewing friends (who feel like your own friends) who chat about their sewing lives and more. And as business owners, they truly are inspiring. 
• Seamwork Radio -- I currently am a member of Seamwork, so I enjoy listening to this podcast to keep up with what is happening at Seamwork. Sarai, the founder, and Haley, the pattern designer, often mention specific Seamwork patterns and what particular projects they are working on -- as well as fabrics, techniques, and trends. 

Catching up on my podcasts is my main motivation to get out for my walks. I don't like to listen when I am sewing because I tend to be more focused on reading pattern instructions or watching a sewalong. When sewing I prefer to listen to music. 

In other news, the Sewing School side of Ensemble Sewing Studio officially has been launched. I love teaching again. It is truly rewarding watching a student progress in both her skills and confidence -- and then seeing her proudly wearing the garment she made is the very best feeling. I like working with students individually in their own spaces in order to help them become more familiar with their own equipment and streamline their own routines. My student S. is a qullter but never made clothing for herself. She also navigates the challenges of Parkinson's disease. In Sewing School, she finished her first apparel project, a skirt, and now is working on making a pair of shorts. 

S. modeling her new skirt

What I am sewing this week: I just finished the Seamwork Wynn top and now have cut out a Seamwork Ash slip dress in the same bee-motif fabric to wear with it. I am also planning to make a pair of Seamwork Miller shorts in black denim or twill to go with a couple of the vests I made earlier this year. It still is not really warm enough for shorts here in the Chicago area -- and I really am more of a skirt and dress person than a shorts person at this point in my life -- but I really do need shorts that are comfortable at this stage of my life. For a glimpse of my current projects, I invite you to follow @ensemblebydeborah over at IG.  

I would love to know what you are working on as well. Feel free to share your works-in-progress in the comments section below. 

In the meantime, sew happy! 🙂

Independent Pattern Makers Offering Free Patterns

Discovering independent pattern designers has opened up an entire new world for me as an apparel sewist. I will soon write a blog post mentioning some of my favorite indies, but right now I want to create a list of some of the digital patterns that these designers so generously offer for free. In most cases, you will need to join the pattern maker's email blast to receive the free pattern. This list will be an ongoing project, edited as free patterns come and go and as I stumble across additional ones. Be sure to follow these designers on social platforms to see their latest releases and, of course, to say thank you!

• Violette Top from Gold & Skye 
• Orchard Top and Dress from Helen's Closet 
• Costa Tote from Helen's Closet 
• Luna Tank from Helen's Closet 
• Deer and Doe Plantain T-Shirt from Closet Core Patterns 
• Core Fabrics Brise Knit Dress from Closet Core Patterns 
• Core T-Shirt from Closet Core Patterns 
• Hanbok Vest from Sewing Therapy
• The Manhattan Dress & Top from Sewing and the City
• Bonilla Ruffle Tiered Sundress from Tiana's Closet
• Sandstone Shift Dress from Salt Lake Sewciety

Field Notes: Hats, Sewing Machines, and Our Beloved Joann

An upcoming event commitment has me changing gears for the time being, and I have had to step back a bit on making clothing for myself to focus more on my hatmaking. I am enjoying the process immensely though. I am working on a line of quilted hats, and the garden of floral motifs makes me feel so happy. So happy that I have pulled two of the hats out of the collection to keep for myself. 

The Fresh Air Collection at Palmer Adams Millinery

I purchased two new sewing machines this week. A Brother SE2000 sewing and embroidery machine and a Singer Heavy Duty machine. Soon I will write an entire post about my sewing machines and the stories behind them. Several of them I purchased used, so I don't feel so badly about the number of machines I own and the fact that I just bought two new machines in one week. At the moment I am getting used to the features of the sewing machine part of the Brother SE2000. I am so used to sewing on mechanical machines that the computerized features of the Brother are definitely a bit of a challenge. I am amazed by it, quite frankly. I probably won't delve into the embroidery side of the machine until May, but I am looking forward to learning to machine embroider. I plan to add some designs to my hats and add some special touches to the clothes I make for myself. 

The biggest reason many things are now on hold until May is because I started working at my local Joann Fabrics three weeks ago. I was a longtime customer, and when positions opened up to carry the store through closing, I decided to apply. As a customer, I got to know the store manager and many of the employees. Like many of you, I was heartbroken to hear of the Joann acquisition and liquidation plans. I felt that I needed to be there and help carry my local Joann store gently into the night. That sounds dramatic, I know. But many of us are genuinely sad about the closing announcement. Initially our store's closing was slated vaguely for the end of May, but just this week we learned that our store will close at the end of April instead. This is the reason I bought two new sewing machines this past week. Here is another topic I will dedicate another entire post to after the closing. 

What I am sewing this week: I am working on the Reggie Faux Wrap Dress from Seamwork using one of my own fabric designs. This dress is my first project on the new Brother SE2000, my practice project. I will probably make a couple more hats for the spring collection of my hat shop, too. I made another Everyday Waistcoast last week, and I most likely will make a coordinating midi skirt after I finish my Reggie dress. I love planning projects. 

I will write again soon, friends. Happy sewing!