Cluttered Mind; Scattered Essays
I feel like every one of these starts with me saying “it’s been a while.” It’s a constant battle writing this thing that you don’t see: I don’t want to overwhelm email boxes. So I sit on an idea until I realize I hate it.
Or, sometimes I just do the whole … pedestalling thing.
You know, pede-stalling: when you put the idea of what you want to create on such a high pedestal that no start ‘feels good enough',’ thus you never start?
Yeah.
But it wasn’t JUST that this time - I wrote about what surprised me about having COVID, because, well, I’ve been dealing with having COVID. And that SUCKED. I’m still dealing with it - my sense of smell is still a little off / weak, and I tire very, VERY easily.
Walking a quarter of a block tires me. The brain fog is still pretty heavy, and I make stupid spelling and homonym errors I never would have before. But the biggest bummer was that I lost Halloween because of it. Which just makes me super sad, especially with all of my cute plans.
To hold Halloween in my heart EVERY DAY this year, I decided it was time to dye my hair again. a color I’ve not had since I was 16.
Black!
I dig it!
I’ve also been lucky in that I’ve been working for monies and my biggest concerns are around getting that work done. On a related note if there’s anything you’ve wanted to know about the hip alternative therapies, send me a message I have some stuff you can read.
In addition to the gig I stole from robots, I’ve also taken on a cobbler client, which is pretty exciting and an excuse for me to learn more about the cobbling arts.
I fucking love a good pair of shoes.
I don’t mind disclosing that my client is the cobbler that recently was picked up by DSW, Cobbler’s Direct, so if you want to know anything about that - let me know. If there’s anything you’ve ever wanted to know about I’m continuing to grow an information ecosystem for another client which is a lot of research, etc. Since Darren has been getting into leather working and my hobbies and personal weirdness have taken me into the mend-o-sphere, working with a cobbler who centers sustainability is actually a treat!. I had no idea they could resole Converse.
Making
I’ve continued to fall for Maggie, my lovely antique sewing machine. We’ve tackled some fun projects together, probably the most significant of which was Darren’s western shirt, which took some math to get fitted correctly.
Sleeves are hard.
The pattern I used was amazing at showing the shapes necessary (I teased it here), but it wasn’t amazing at being size inclusive. That’s okay, there’s a super power that can help - math.
Mathematical!
It really is worth the time, every time, to make sure the measurements around the arm are as expected. Do it three times.
I never realized how much ‘easier’ I had it with knitwork and armscyes / set in sleeves (you can easily count stitches for knit and know it will all work out if the pattern’s math is correct), but I definitely feel a lot more confident with woven fabric sleeves now - mainly because I did these things repeatedly until I could get it all to work.
And you might thing “But Jamie, you’ve made an array of shirts for yourself.”
Ah, yes. And _zero_ of those feature a set-in sleeve.
To make that sleeve happen included, at one point, scrapping the sleeve I had cut and patterned and re-patterning the top. The secret? Putting easing stitches along the top of the sleeve cap that I later pulled.
The answer in sewing is often more sewing.
The snaps - what an adventure! Less scary now that I’ve worked with grommets.
I’m planning an even more elaborate snappy shirt for part of his 50th birthday present, and I’m excited to sit down and feel that one happen. It’ll be out of a beautiful flannel I’ve had stowed.
It’s a delight to work with such an exceptional machine. I’m working on another rather large article about caring for antique machines, and I’m hoping I can collaborate with a machine repair person in the area to do so (wish me luck). I’d love to do some feature stories.
I could easily babble about the buttonholer and why it’s amazing.
Working with a machine I deeply enjoy has prompted me to think a lot about the tools I use, the tools I don’t - and why. It’s also the time of year that I start to dive deeper within to consider what tools I need to let go of - and which I possibly need to make some space for (sometimes that’s literal). I’m not just talking about physical tools, either. Many of us carry a bunch of ideas and stories about ourselves that may no longer serve us. I know I do - partially because of past trauma but partially because that’s what we humans do. And they aren’t all bad stories. You can tell yourself all manner of stories! But when you return a story about yourself, again and again, and use it to mold your behavior - and that if that story or those behaviors cause you distress — it’s time to re-evaluate.
Podcast
I do podcasts now. Podcasts are cool! I’ve actually done several at this point, but here’s one with some reach that I did about cannabis testing, if you miss my voice.
That’s all I have fit to print, but I’ll be writing more quite soon ;)
j