Hello internet friends. It has been a couple of years since I last posted. Sometimes life throws you curve balls and plans get interrupted, but I’m excited to get back into the swing of sharing my sewing creations with you. So here it is, the where-I’ve-been and what-I’ve-been-sewing post!
So Where Have I Been?
Let’s just keep it short and simple and say that there were a couple of family emergencies that needed our full attention for a while. I won’t be naming any names or getting into the details of our struggles the last few years, to keep people’s privacy in tact, but I will give you a glimpse of what has been going on.
Family Came to Stay
At different points family moved in with us, including my brother who actually helped me on some projects. We have video footage of those that I hope to share with you at some point. Here is a picture of some of our shenanigans to keep you in suspense!
Losses
We had some deaths in the family that needed proper time grieving. These things are never easy. With time and grace for ourselves, and time to heal, we are moving forward. The space of lost love in ones heart never closes but life goes on and there is still joy to be had.
As well as family members and loved ones passing, we lost our beautiful cat Koukla. We miss her everyday.
We Had a Baby!
In 2022 we welcomed a new son, Baby N! He is an absolute joy and brings us to four children!! My mom, Denise Ludden, occasional author and editor here at Home Sewn Life, made this gorgeous pinwheel quilt for him.
If a Tree Falls On A House That is Already Being Renovated Will Anyone Be Able to Fix It?
Soon after Baby N was born we continued on with our ongoing living room renovations.
We were in the middle of covering the popcorn ceiling in said living room when on March 3, 2023, a tree fell on our house and ripped our roof off like a tin can! Minutes later a monsoon poured straight into that torn-open roof and completely soaked our closet ceiling. We were lucky no one was hurt, but spent the better part of 2024 not only finishing our living room but also completely gutting and restoring our closet.
No Computer? Big Problem
Lastly, I lost use of my computer and it took me all too long between all of the above mentioned to replace it. But we worked hard, we got the house fixed, we got a new computer, and now I finally feel ready to dive in once again to blogging and video creating. I have missed you all!
So What Have I Been Sewing?!
Though I’ve been away from the internet, I have NOT been away from my sewing. Here are the things I’ve been up to.
Clothes for Myself- That Actually Work!
As stated previously here on my blog, I have made it a goal to sew my whole wardrobe. Not only do I want to sew my own wardrobe but I want to, once and for all, solve the problem of needing a totally new wardrobe for my pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and post-partum body. Through tons of research and just gritty brainstorming I have made the great discovery that all the answers to these problems can be found in the pages of our history books. Not the history of men and wars, but the history of the mundane daily lives of women.
It seems that the introduction of jeans, t-shirts, and dresses with modern style closures have created great problems for women in their child-bearing years. When my first child was born I was rudely enlightened that none of my pre-pregnancy clothing fit after she was born. To add insult to injury, even if those dresses still fit I wouldn’t be able to nurse in any of them. Every dress closes in the back or on the side. All of my clothes instantly became utterly useless.
Enter Historical Clothing…
One beautiful thing that came out of COVID was what I think of as a historical sewing renaissance on YouTube!! You may have heard of Burnadette Banner, Abby Cox, and Samantha Bullat, as well as my all-time-favorite Marriah Pattie, to name a few. These girls have simply inspired me and brought forth the information I have been seeking all these years! It was one video in-particular though that had me completely shaken to the core, and of course I am not even sure whose channel I saw it on now. I will do my best to find it and pin it here.
It was, though, a video explaining how regency dresses closed. As it turns out, regency dresses closed in the front like a jacket, sometimes with buttons but more often with ties or simply straight pins. The skirt front was apron style, tying in the back as shown in my picture below. This front closure not only makes breastfeeding completely easy, it is also one-hundred-percent adjustable for size change including pregnancy!
I was sold the second I had this information! I am now creating my own totally adjustable, totally nursing-friendly wardrobe! There are about fifty additional reasons why I think we should bring back historical fashion but I will save that for a different post.
And if you were wondering, no, a bra is not historically accurate for this time period but I am not going for prefect historical reenactment (which by nature is an impossibility any way). Instead, I am simply trying to find comfortable clothes that work for my daily life! Why not pick and choose what I like from the last four-thousand years of fashion history?
Clothes for My baby
Since Baby N was born I have been loving making all the clothes for him! I made a whole slew of linen pants for him in his first year.
He outgrew all of those and so I made him this shirt/shorts/pants set last week. I used this sewing pattern from this beautiful little Etsy Shop Tiny Design Pattern .
My mom made this adorable sweater for him too. She used the yarn Brick Yard- Diva by Leading Men Fiber Arts and the pattern Flax Light by Tin Can Knits.
Coats Don’t Have Long Enough Sleeves
My husband has notoriously long arms. I have tried for years to find him a coat off-the-rack but every last one of them makes him look like he’s wearing 3/4 length sleeves. So, among the projects I took on in the last couple of years was a very functional, triple-wool coat. I made the outer coat with a heavy, boiled wool, middle layer is wool batting , and lightweight wool for the lining. This makes a completely waterproof yet breathable coat that my husband says keeps him totally warm without ever feeling sweaty or too hot.
My mom also made this hat! She used colors Bare and Emerald in Classic Merino Super Wash Sock Yarn by Knitting Notions and pattern Alaska by Camille Descoteaux on Ravelry.
Throw In a Wedding
My husband’s brother got married this past year. My husband’s sister and I had the honor of being bridesmaids in their wedding so I made both of our dresses. The color theme was an exquisite blush and sage green. The wedding was outdoors and just completely lovely in every way.
Leggings
I’ve also been in the process of making more daily-wear items such as leggings. I made myself a pair of wool leggings that are perfect for under dresses during winter. They stay dry and are thermoregulating. I hope to make more, both in wool and cotton, soon.
Sewing Projects I’m Working on At Present
Right now, I’m working hard on getting ready for winter by sewing foundational linen garments to go under my dresses. I just finished a white elbow length linen chemise. Additionally, I am about half-way done making an almost historically accurate pair of stays (the zipper I put in the front totally takes away any historical bragging rights).
What Sewing Projects To Come?
Today I was brainstorming some winter dresses I’d like to make out of a navy blue wool suiting I bought a little over a year ago. I also have more pants and some long-sleeve shirts I’d like to make for Baby N. The big kids are all set in their wardrobes at the moment so I will keep my focus on these two areas for now.
I’m so glad to be back at documenting my sewing journey and am thankful for your presence here. Let me know in the comments what projects you are tackling to get ready for winter! Sewing, knitting, spinning, canning? What do you love to do?!