Raven is a sweetie
“White Privilege” & Confronting My Own Racism
When I read the essay I’ve linked below, I remembered a conversation about race I had several years ago with a black coworker, a man who I respected and who was a friend, and a safe person to discuss such things…I knew he would not be offended by my questions and would be honest in his answers. He commented that he knew that many white women were uneasy around him when they encountered him on the street. He told me he noticed the women in their cars as he walked by, the expressions on their faces as they looked to make sure their doors were locked. I thought to myself, “I do that too when I’m in my car.”
It opened my eyes to the insidious racism that infects my thinking. When I catch myself, I take conscious effort to root it out. It is a continuous effort.
At least I am aware that it exists. Awareness at least challenges me to be better, to do better, to confront these thoughts.
In the last several months , I have been confronted with the concept of “white privilege.” I’m not sure I fully comprehend yet what it means to me as a white woman, how I need to acknowledge it, and what actions I need to take in my own life to root it out, but I am trying.
“It isn’t Richard Spencer calling the cops on me for farming while Black. It’s nervous White women in yoga pants with ‘I’m with Her’ and ‘Coexist’ stickers on their German SUVs.”
My VW Cabrio gets a Makeover: Phase 2 is Complete
Phase 2 of my Volkswagon’s makeover is completed . . . a new top!
The original top was beige, but I decided to go with a darker one since the beige top was near impossible to clean.
My VW Cabrio gets a Makeover
Here’s some new car news for my friends who are interested….
I’ve been driving my 1996 VW Cabrio for 21 years. It turned over 200,000 miles on the speedometer about a month or so ago.
I looked around at new cars a few months ago and didn’t see anything that excited me. So I took my car to my mechanic and asked him to look it over carefully. He performed some routine maintenance on it, replaced some things, and told me the car’s engine and transmission were in great shape. So I decided to keep driving it!
I left it at a body shop for Part 1 of a two part makeover a few weeks ago and got it back this week. Part 2 of it’s makeover happens on August 1.
Atlanta’s Women’s March for Social Justice
Here’s an impressive picture that was taken of the March for Social Justice & Women in Atlanta yesterday. (I didn’t take the picture…I was one of the pink dots in the picture).
I got home too late last night to watch the evening news but my husband watched the news and told me the count was at around 60,000 marchers in Atlanta! The organizers had estimated about 10,000 marchers and yesterday morning we all woke up to pouring rain, thunder & lightening. I did not rethink my decision to go, but I hoped that the rain would not prevent others from showing up.
When took the subway to town, and when I exited the train at the CNN station I was elated to see the crowds of people that were in the station…As I emerged from the station, it was exciting to see the large crowds that were gathering up on the street level….And the rain stopped !
The subway stop was several blocks from the starting point and as I walked the crowds who were walking beside me just got bigger and bigger. It was like I was floating along in a river with branches and tributaries dumping more and more marchers into it….
It was hard to get a sense of the numbers of sisters & brothers who showed up to march, but I knew it was a lot. Every where I looked I saw crowds of people.
When I approached the park where all the crowds were gathering I was at a higher elevation and I could look down and see a large body of people. It was amazing!
Today as I read about the march in Atlanta, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and across the nation and across the globe I am humbled, joyous, elated, encouraged, and energized. And now the real work begins….
Milo crossed the Rainbow Bridge today
Best friends come in many shapes & sizes
This one in the shape of a scruffy little terrier
By all accounts a wanderer,
When I eyed him trotting down the road
On a cold Spring evening almost 10 years ago.
He was a social friendly guy who had never met a stranger
A loyal devoted buddy to anyone who needed a friend.
A loyal devoted buddy to anyone who needed a friend.
Even after He’d settled into his new digs he’d wander,
Following his nose in his paripatetic fashion to find some new interesting adventure
Following his nose in his paripatetic fashion to find some new interesting adventure
Over the years he moved a little slower & stiffer,
his handsome brown mask lightened to white,
and his wanderings became infrequent…
He enjoyed the comfort of a warm bed, a regular mealtime, and the occasional treat
But mostly he just loved walking with his best friend
…and keeping his human company
and today as he crosses over the rainbow bridge, our hearts are sad and our tears are fresh
So long dear one….happy travels.
My Newly Re-sewn and Newly Sewn Top
Vogue 2074 is a close fitting, wrap or mock wrap top (in three lengths) that includes above elbow or long sleeves with stitched hems. The pattern also includes straight or A-line skirts in three lengths (mid-knee, below mid-knee, above ankle) with a contoured waistline and a back zipper.
I sewed two versions of the top.
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Vogue 2074 |
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Cream top: I originally sewed version E in a cream polyester double knit about 15 years ago. The wrap top includes ties that are sewn at each side seam. The ties are tied together at the left side. The longest tie is sewn at the left side seam and is threaded through a hole on the right seam and then wrapped around the back on the outside of the top to meet up with the right tie at the left side.
When I originally sewed this top, I included shoulder pads with it. I didn’t sew the pads onto the top, instead I added snaps on the pads and along the shoulder seam lines so I could easily remove the pads when I laundered the top.
The top I originally cut and sewed was too large, so I needed to take it in before I could wear it again. I never liked the way the wrap ties worked or looked, and I didn’t like the way I had to feed the tie through the small hole on the right side seam. I also didn’t like how the tie looked when it was wrapped around my back. The top was way too fiddly to suit me. I only remember wearing it two or three times. The top had been hanging in the back of my closet for years.
Alterations
I ripped out the side seams, removed the ties and sewed the side seams back up to form a mock wrap top. When I sewed the seams, I took the seams in by about an inch on each side. I also permanently retired the shoulder pads – I have broad shoulders and never needed them in the first place.
After I made these alterations, I was much happier with the top
| Sewn 15 years ago | After My Alterations |
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I was so happy with my new old top that I decided to make another one in teal.
Teal top: This time I sewed the mock wrap version (version I). This version is a few inches shorter than the wrap version. Since I preferred the wrap version length, I cut out Version E, but modified the side seams to match the seams in the mock wrap version pattern pieces (the side seams flare out a bit more). I also didn’t include a collar and cut out the smaller size.
Wrap tops are stylish and classic – they don’t go out of style – and I think they flatter small busted women like me. I especially like well designed mock wraps because they look like wrap tops without all the fussiness.
A New Black Suit
I recently sewed this lovely ensemble which consists of a jacket and a matching top and skirt. This was my most ambitious sewing project todate. I have always flirted with the idea of sewing a lined suit, had even bought a pattern and fabric long ago to sew one, but kept getting intimidated at the thought of it.
Patterns used:
Butterick 5235 (Jacket & Top)
McCalls 3341 (skirt)
Fabric:
100% Polyester Crepe Suiting & Bemberg lining fabric
The Jacket
I really liked the way the jacket looked the first time I saw the pattern. It is a professional yet feminine jacket and I liked the retro look of it.
Since this was the first time I had lined a jacket I followed all the pattern instructions meticulously. The sewing instructions were very clear and, even though there was quite a lot of hand sewing, the jacket was easy to sew. Some of the hand sewing I’m referring to is due to my own caution, choosing to hand baste many of the seams before sewing the permanent seam. But the instructions also had me hand sewing the sleeve linings into the garment. I genuinely enjoyed all of the hand sewing that was required.
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The Skirt
McCalls 5235 is a simple a-line skirt. I lined and added a vent in the back center seam. When I tried it on, the skirt was too much of a bell shape so I tapered the side seams, starting about 9 inches up from the hem, down to the hem by about an inch on each side.
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The Top
I didn’t originally plan to sew the matching top, but after I finished cutting out the jacket and skirt, I had about a yard of fabric left over which was just enough fabric to sew a matching top. When I wear the skirt and top together, it gives the illusion of wearing a dress, and I can wear them with some of the other jackets I already own.
I like the flexibility of having two separate pieces that I can mix and match to clothes I already own.
Breathing New Life into an Old Suit
I’ve had a Jones New York 100% worsted wool navy suit (jacket & skirt) hanging in my closet for at least 15 years. The last time I wore the suit was 8-1/2 years ago to my Mother-in-Law’s funeral. I liked the jacket, but never liked the skirt…..the skirt was a too long ankle length a-line skirt that had scooped pockets that popped open every time I moved, and it wasn’t lined so I found it to be quite itchy and uncomfortable to wear. The long a-line style was matronly and made me feel like a Christmas tree whenever I wore it.
I recently started a job search and needed a couple of professional looking interview suits. The suit jacket doesn’t have huge shoulder pads and has a fairly classic style so I think it will be fine to wear to interviews, but I needed to do something with that awful skirt. I thought about removing 8 or 10 inches from the bottom of it and hemming it to a shorter, more modern and attractive knee length, but that alone wouldn’t fix those annoying pockets or the itchiness. The skirt had been hanging in my sewing room for months and the more I looked at it, the more I knew I needed to do something a bit more radical than just shorten the hem……so I carefully removed the zipper and the hem, cut out all the seams and had enough fabric to cut out and sew an entirely new skirt. Recycling the fabric into a new skirt ensured a perfect match between my new skirt and the existing jacket.
For this project I used McCall’s 3341, which is a pattern for a-line skirts in five lengths with front and back darts, a back zipper closure, faced waistline, and a back slit (in the longer Versions A & B). I sewed the knee length version of the skirt (Version C). I chose McCall’s 3341 because it’s a classic skirt pattern that will never go out of style. I don’t care for elastic waistbands and prefer faced waistlines over waistbands because I think they are more comfortable to wear, are easier to sew and alter, and provide a better fit.
