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Practical Clothing

Taylor McVay November 13, 2013

This week I finished up a windbreaker. I had some rust orange ripstop nylon in my stash for years - yes, years - just waiting to be made into something.

I used fluorescent orange utility cord for the drawstring and fluorescent yellow bias tape for the casing and I quite like the effect. The utility cord is a little on the stiff side- it sticks out rather than hangs. Not so bad I guess, since I do really like the look of it, not to mention the nice visibility factory.

I added a zippered pocket for keeping little things in and stitched it into the hem to attempt to prevent the dreaded pocket bag hole.

I decided to base the design on a 1970's McCall zip up jacket pattern. I changed the design quite a lot...mostly I didn't have a good block of my own to work with. After completing the windbreaker, I realize I should have opted for the later. The pattern has a drop sleeve, rather than one set-in traditionally, which I feel like has less mobility though it is more roomy. I was going for mobility with this windbreaker, since I plan to wear it running.

That's another thing...

I've never been an athletic person - in the slightest - so this is incredibly new territory for me. I even tried running multiple times in the past and hated it. Something was different the last time I decided to give it a shot. Now I'm hooked and, in general, I really like the way I feel getting this much exercise. Though it's presented me with a problem: What on earth do I wear?

I am not fond of jewel tones, which for some reason tends to be the color palette of the majority of athletic wear for women. I've decided I will start making myself pieces for running, especially winter running, that are a marriage of performance AND style. This windbreaker is the first piece in this puzzle.

Now that it's getting even colder in New England, I have ordered some recycled woolblend polartec fleece from the mill that produces Polartec in Lawrence, MA. Very psyched...I love when fabric sourcing is super local.

Do any of you who run/play sports/work out feel similarly disappointed with your clothing options? Ever made any active wear?

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I finished up my floral chore coat this week amidst a lot of personal stress (on top of everything else going on in the world right now)
.:.
When all that was left to see were the buttons, I dug through my vintage button stash and couldn’t find anything that worked. Determined not to buy any new buttons (and desperate for a grounding project to direct my energy towards) I decided to make them.
.:.
I say grounding, because these little buttons are made from tree trimmings from my garden (either maple or cherry...not too sure) and finished with a homemade beeswax conditioner using beeswax from my hive! This is my favorite kind of project (DIY, dreamy, hyper local, found & foraged, easy) but something I’m rarely able to accomplish. I can’t quite explain why they felt so satisfying to make. If you’d like to know what I did, I’ll post about it in my stories.
#vintagecurtains #woodbuttons #handmadewardrobe

I finished up my floral chore coat this week amidst a lot of personal stress (on top of everything else going on in the world right now) .:. When all that was left to see were the buttons, I dug through my vintage button stash and couldn’t find anything that worked. Determined not to buy any new buttons (and desperate for a grounding project to direct my energy towards) I decided to make them. .:. I say grounding, because these little buttons are made from tree trimmings from my garden (either maple or cherry...not too sure) and finished with a homemade beeswax conditioner using beeswax from my hive! This is my favorite kind of project (DIY, dreamy, hyper local, found & foraged, easy) but something I’m rarely able to accomplish. I can’t quite explain why they felt so satisfying to make. If you’d like to know what I did, I’ll post about it in my stories. #vintagecurtains #woodbuttons #handmadewardrobe

I’ve sort given up on #memademay with all the stuff going in my life right now, but I did manage to eek out some sewing in the last few days and put some work into this wacky floral chore coat. It’s either going to be ridiculous or amazing.
.:.
I didn’t have enough of the curtain to do the facing in the same fabric, so I squeezed it out a grid check double gauze scrap leftover from another project.
#handmadewardrobe #recycledfashion #vintagecurtains

I’ve sort given up on #memademay with all the stuff going in my life right now, but I did manage to eek out some sewing in the last few days and put some work into this wacky floral chore coat. It’s either going to be ridiculous or amazing. .:. I didn’t have enough of the curtain to do the facing in the same fabric, so I squeezed it out a grid check double gauze scrap leftover from another project. #handmadewardrobe #recycledfashion #vintagecurtains

Picked up our babe from the (veterinary) hospital today and it was an emotional reunion. Sweet Clover had a scary kidney problem due to a botched spay procedure before we adopted her. After surgery and a few days at the hospital, she’s doing much better. I’m also doing much better knowing this, and wore a weird outfit today including workout leggings (which I normally don’t consider pants) and two of my favorite me made knit tops layered. I spent a lot of today laying on the dirt and grass in said tops next to a sunbathing pup in a cone in perfect weather. Spring makes everything better.🍀
[image 1: me and @jstored smiling and holding our puppy who is wearing a plastic cone. Image 2: a close up of my shirts and hand while I’m lounging in the grass. Image 3: Clover the puppy in her cone laying on the brick patio next to the grass. ]

Picked up our babe from the (veterinary) hospital today and it was an emotional reunion. Sweet Clover had a scary kidney problem due to a botched spay procedure before we adopted her. After surgery and a few days at the hospital, she’s doing much better. I’m also doing much better knowing this, and wore a weird outfit today including workout leggings (which I normally don’t consider pants) and two of my favorite me made knit tops layered. I spent a lot of today laying on the dirt and grass in said tops next to a sunbathing pup in a cone in perfect weather. Spring makes everything better.🍀 [image 1: me and @jstored smiling and holding our puppy who is wearing a plastic cone. Image 2: a close up of my shirts and hand while I’m lounging in the grass. Image 3: Clover the puppy in her cone laying on the brick patio next to the grass. ]

I’ve been missing the last few days of #memademay while we’ve been dealing with some unexpected health issues with our sweet new puppy Clover. Now that she’s recovering from surgery, and my sleep deprivation/anxiety fog has lifted a bit, I thought I’d share a little outfit snap from today. .:.
Amidst all the chaos, I’ve been thinking about the future of Blueprints and look forward to sharing these reflections with you someday, on the blog or here, when I get my act together.🧡🍀
[image: a close up of my torso. I’m wearing a me made rusty brown linen shirt & leather necklace, topped by a vintage railroad denim chore coat with a clover in the buttonhole.

I’ve been missing the last few days of #memademay while we’ve been dealing with some unexpected health issues with our sweet new puppy Clover. Now that she’s recovering from surgery, and my sleep deprivation/anxiety fog has lifted a bit, I thought I’d share a little outfit snap from today. .:. Amidst all the chaos, I’ve been thinking about the future of Blueprints and look forward to sharing these reflections with you someday, on the blog or here, when I get my act together.🧡🍀 [image: a close up of my torso. I’m wearing a me made rusty brown linen shirt & leather necklace, topped by a vintage railroad denim chore coat with a clover in the buttonhole.

I spent the entire day wearing my favorite weekend sweater and a pair of sweatpants covered in dirt from chasing a digging obsessed puppy around a muddy yard, so here’s the master bedroom of the Gropius house, with one of Ise Gropius’ dresses on the bed.

I spent the entire day wearing my favorite weekend sweater and a pair of sweatpants covered in dirt from chasing a digging obsessed puppy around a muddy yard, so here’s the master bedroom of the Gropius house, with one of Ise Gropius’ dresses on the bed.

My best attempts at documenting today’s outfit. This sweatshirt is dyed with tea and it’s one of my favorites. I love that it has a big splotch on it, a chemical reaction of the tannin in the tea to the iron in my old stock pot. I like that it looks like I have a big ink stain on my sweater. I like idea of stains as design details. (Puppy is sleeping sweetly while I knit a few rows of a sweater👍)
#memademay #stylishstains #naturaldye
[image: a view of my lap from above, wearing a tea dyed sweatshirt and jeans, holding my knitting and a beer, with a sleeping puppy at my feet.]

My best attempts at documenting today’s outfit. This sweatshirt is dyed with tea and it’s one of my favorites. I love that it has a big splotch on it, a chemical reaction of the tannin in the tea to the iron in my old stock pot. I like that it looks like I have a big ink stain on my sweater. I like idea of stains as design details. (Puppy is sleeping sweetly while I knit a few rows of a sweater👍) #memademay #stylishstains #naturaldye [image: a view of my lap from above, wearing a tea dyed sweatshirt and jeans, holding my knitting and a beer, with a sleeping puppy at my feet.]

Today, I’m wearing my favorite me made jeans, now with the addition of a few little well-earned tooth holes from our new puppy (she is very little and her name is Clover.🍀)

Today, I’m wearing my favorite me made jeans, now with the addition of a few little well-earned tooth holes from our new puppy (she is very little and her name is Clover.🍀)

Tonight is my students’ year end fashion show. Here I am (awkwardly?) helping light the stage before the run through in one of my favorite tops from my fall collection, featuring fabric panels I hand wove using fabric scraps from my studio. I love pulling things off the studio rack for a night out on the town. 🧡✨#memademay #memademay2019 #handweaving [image: me standing on a stage under a spotlight, wearing a boxy knit top with scrap woven panels, black jeans, and a lanyard with a backstage pass]

Tonight is my students’ year end fashion show. Here I am (awkwardly?) helping light the stage before the run through in one of my favorite tops from my fall collection, featuring fabric panels I hand wove using fabric scraps from my studio. I love pulling things off the studio rack for a night out on the town. 🧡✨#memademay #memademay2019 #handweaving [image: me standing on a stage under a spotlight, wearing a boxy knit top with scrap woven panels, black jeans, and a lanyard with a backstage pass]

It’s May first, which means two things:
1. It’s #internationalworkersday . Today (or tomorrow, or everyday...) take some extra time to think and read about the folks around the world who work hard and make sacrifices to create the things your consume.
2. #memademay starts today. I’m going to share my outfits every day and talk about them.
[image: I’m standing in front of a raised bed full of plants, wearing a top and scarf from a clothing swap, handmade by me necklace, #blueprintsaframe skirt, hand knit sweater, and a gifted linen coat. Only the skirt and necklace are me made, but it’s one of those perfect outfits full of trued and true, we’ll loved pieces. ]

It’s May first, which means two things: 1. It’s #internationalworkersday . Today (or tomorrow, or everyday...) take some extra time to think and read about the folks around the world who work hard and make sacrifices to create the things your consume. 2. #memademay starts today. I’m going to share my outfits every day and talk about them. [image: I’m standing in front of a raised bed full of plants, wearing a top and scarf from a clothing swap, handmade by me necklace, #blueprintsaframe skirt, hand knit sweater, and a gifted linen coat. Only the skirt and necklace are me made, but it’s one of those perfect outfits full of trued and true, we’ll loved pieces. ]

QUESTION FASHION EXCLUSIVITY
Another post as we wrap up fashion revolution week.
In the same way we ask ‘who made my clothes’ we should also ask, ‘who gets to wear them?’
.:.
We need to address the ways in which fashion perpetuates things like white supremacy, fat phobia, ageism, and ableism. Can we redirect some of the energy we invest in convenient, pretty ethical practices that serve us (and others who look like us) towards creating fashion that celebrates and empowers others? Especially those who have been ignored and left out? And those who have had their identities disparaged, then stolen and commodified? And of course those who have been harmed by the industry’s discrimination and negligence? .:.
When you shop, browse Instagram, flip through magazines, chat with friends, observe and inquire about what you see.
.:. Why do most brands exclude larger bodied folks?
.:. Why aren’t there more brands making clothing accessible and functional for people with disabilities?
.:. Why are bodies that look a certain way prioritized over others? .:. If fashion is one of the few industries that tries to support gender diversity, why do so many brands still differentiate between ‘menswear’ and ‘womenswear’?
.:. Why are ‘mature’, ‘matronly’, and ‘old’ seen as negative qualities in dress?
.:. And countless other observations of exclusivity and discrimination (share yours below if you think of one!)
.:.
The answers often lie in deeply held, institutionalized biases. The irony? If it’s all about profits, what do businesses gain by excluding large groups of customers? To me, this reveals many choices often touted as ‘business decisions’ as what they really are: biases, both conscious and unconscious. These biases need to be addressed and deprogrammed in meaningful (not superficial) ways. Can fashion be a starting point for approaching these issues in other facets of society?
.:.
My personal goal is to help open up discussions about these topics and encourage others to think about them. My hope is that these conversations will have a ripple effect, and that bit by bit, we can do the work of disrupting the system and reshaping fashion.
.:.continued in comments

QUESTION FASHION EXCLUSIVITY Another post as we wrap up fashion revolution week. In the same way we ask ‘who made my clothes’ we should also ask, ‘who gets to wear them?’ .:. We need to address the ways in which fashion perpetuates things like white supremacy, fat phobia, ageism, and ableism. Can we redirect some of the energy we invest in convenient, pretty ethical practices that serve us (and others who look like us) towards creating fashion that celebrates and empowers others? Especially those who have been ignored and left out? And those who have had their identities disparaged, then stolen and commodified? And of course those who have been harmed by the industry’s discrimination and negligence? .:. When you shop, browse Instagram, flip through magazines, chat with friends, observe and inquire about what you see. .:. Why do most brands exclude larger bodied folks? .:. Why aren’t there more brands making clothing accessible and functional for people with disabilities? .:. Why are bodies that look a certain way prioritized over others? .:. If fashion is one of the few industries that tries to support gender diversity, why do so many brands still differentiate between ‘menswear’ and ‘womenswear’? .:. Why are ‘mature’, ‘matronly’, and ‘old’ seen as negative qualities in dress? .:. And countless other observations of exclusivity and discrimination (share yours below if you think of one!) .:. The answers often lie in deeply held, institutionalized biases. The irony? If it’s all about profits, what do businesses gain by excluding large groups of customers? To me, this reveals many choices often touted as ‘business decisions’ as what they really are: biases, both conscious and unconscious. These biases need to be addressed and deprogrammed in meaningful (not superficial) ways. Can fashion be a starting point for approaching these issues in other facets of society? .:. My personal goal is to help open up discussions about these topics and encourage others to think about them. My hope is that these conversations will have a ripple effect, and that bit by bit, we can do the work of disrupting the system and reshaping fashion. .:.continued in comments

I finished up my floral chore coat this week amidst a lot of personal stress (on top of everything else going on in the world right now)
.:.
When all that was left to see were the buttons, I dug through my vintage button stash and couldn’t find anything that worked. Determined not to buy any new buttons (and desperate for a grounding project to direct my energy towards) I decided to make them.
.:.
I say grounding, because these little buttons are made from tree trimmings from my garden (either maple or cherry...not too sure) and finished with a homemade beeswax conditioner using beeswax from my hive! This is my favorite kind of project (DIY, dreamy, hyper local, found & foraged, easy) but something I’m rarely able to accomplish. I can’t quite explain why they felt so satisfying to make. If you’d like to know what I did, I’ll post about it in my stories.
#vintagecurtains #woodbuttons #handmadewardrobe

I’ve sort given up on #memademay with all the stuff going in my life right now, but I did manage to eek out some sewing in the last few days and put some work into this wacky floral chore coat. It’s either going to be ridiculous or amazing.
.:.
I didn’t have enough of the curtain to do the facing in the same fabric, so I squeezed it out a grid check double gauze scrap leftover from another project.
#handmadewardrobe #recycledfashion #vintagecurtains

Picked up our babe from the (veterinary) hospital today and it was an emotional reunion. Sweet Clover had a scary kidney problem due to a botched spay procedure before we adopted her. After surgery and a few days at the hospital, she’s doing much better. I’m also doing much better knowing this, and wore a weird outfit today including workout leggings (which I normally don’t consider pants) and two of my favorite me made knit tops layered. I spent a lot of today laying on the dirt and grass in said tops next to a sunbathing pup in a cone in perfect weather. Spring makes everything better.🍀
[image 1: me and @jstored smiling and holding our puppy who is wearing a plastic cone. Image 2: a close up of my shirts and hand while I’m lounging in the grass. Image 3: Clover the puppy in her cone laying on the brick patio next to the grass. ]

I’ve been missing the last few days of #memademay while we’ve been dealing with some unexpected health issues with our sweet new puppy Clover. Now that she’s recovering from surgery, and my sleep deprivation/anxiety fog has lifted a bit, I thought I’d share a little outfit snap from today. .:.
Amidst all the chaos, I’ve been thinking about the future of Blueprints and look forward to sharing these reflections with you someday, on the blog or here, when I get my act together.🧡🍀
[image: a close up of my torso. I’m wearing a me made rusty brown linen shirt & leather necklace, topped by a vintage railroad denim chore coat with a clover in the buttonhole.

I spent the entire day wearing my favorite weekend sweater and a pair of sweatpants covered in dirt from chasing a digging obsessed puppy around a muddy yard, so here’s the master bedroom of the Gropius house, with one of Ise Gropius’ dresses on the bed.

My best attempts at documenting today’s outfit. This sweatshirt is dyed with tea and it’s one of my favorites. I love that it has a big splotch on it, a chemical reaction of the tannin in the tea to the iron in my old stock pot. I like that it looks like I have a big ink stain on my sweater. I like idea of stains as design details. (Puppy is sleeping sweetly while I knit a few rows of a sweater👍)
#memademay #stylishstains #naturaldye
[image: a view of my lap from above, wearing a tea dyed sweatshirt and jeans, holding my knitting and a beer, with a sleeping puppy at my feet.]

Today, I’m wearing my favorite me made jeans, now with the addition of a few little well-earned tooth holes from our new puppy (she is very little and her name is Clover.🍀)

Tonight is my students’ year end fashion show. Here I am (awkwardly?) helping light the stage before the run through in one of my favorite tops from my fall collection, featuring fabric panels I hand wove using fabric scraps from my studio. I love pulling things off the studio rack for a night out on the town. 🧡✨#memademay #memademay2019 #handweaving [image: me standing on a stage under a spotlight, wearing a boxy knit top with scrap woven panels, black jeans, and a lanyard with a backstage pass]

It’s May first, which means two things:
1. It’s #internationalworkersday . Today (or tomorrow, or everyday...) take some extra time to think and read about the folks around the world who work hard and make sacrifices to create the things your consume.
2. #memademay starts today. I’m going to share my outfits every day and talk about them.
[image: I’m standing in front of a raised bed full of plants, wearing a top and scarf from a clothing swap, handmade by me necklace, #blueprintsaframe skirt, hand knit sweater, and a gifted linen coat. Only the skirt and necklace are me made, but it’s one of those perfect outfits full of trued and true, we’ll loved pieces. ]

QUESTION FASHION EXCLUSIVITY
Another post as we wrap up fashion revolution week.
In the same way we ask ‘who made my clothes’ we should also ask, ‘who gets to wear them?’
.:.
We need to address the ways in which fashion perpetuates things like white supremacy, fat phobia, ageism, and ableism. Can we redirect some of the energy we invest in convenient, pretty ethical practices that serve us (and others who look like us) towards creating fashion that celebrates and empowers others? Especially those who have been ignored and left out? And those who have had their identities disparaged, then stolen and commodified? And of course those who have been harmed by the industry’s discrimination and negligence? .:.
When you shop, browse Instagram, flip through magazines, chat with friends, observe and inquire about what you see.
.:. Why do most brands exclude larger bodied folks?
.:. Why aren’t there more brands making clothing accessible and functional for people with disabilities?
.:. Why are bodies that look a certain way prioritized over others? .:. If fashion is one of the few industries that tries to support gender diversity, why do so many brands still differentiate between ‘menswear’ and ‘womenswear’?
.:. Why are ‘mature’, ‘matronly’, and ‘old’ seen as negative qualities in dress?
.:. And countless other observations of exclusivity and discrimination (share yours below if you think of one!)
.:.
The answers often lie in deeply held, institutionalized biases. The irony? If it’s all about profits, what do businesses gain by excluding large groups of customers? To me, this reveals many choices often touted as ‘business decisions’ as what they really are: biases, both conscious and unconscious. These biases need to be addressed and deprogrammed in meaningful (not superficial) ways. Can fashion be a starting point for approaching these issues in other facets of society?
.:.
My personal goal is to help open up discussions about these topics and encourage others to think about them. My hope is that these conversations will have a ripple effect, and that bit by bit, we can do the work of disrupting the system and reshaping fashion.
.:.continued in comments

Blueprints For Sewing