(re-post)
Turning a church sale linen skirt into this vest several months ago continues to please me; I like how the turned- up corner made a handy pocket and the way the front buttons on the skirt became versatile closures for the vest front and how the back pleat remained useful as a back pleat.
I wanted to repeat the process in a green linen so have been watching for a skirt and found some but they were either too short or wrong colour.
At a garage sale last weekend, at a house on a hill with a magnificent view over Victoria, I found these two skirts, both linen, the dark blue heavier.
The green was the exact colour I – thought – I was looking for. But then I saw this pair of pants …..
…. and the colour was more perfect, the weight even better, and the challenge of turning pants into a vest – well, a challenge; satisfying.
In my haste to get started (like ten minutes after I got home from the morning of garage sales) I neglected to take a before shot. Here they are into the 'after' process.
The woman selling was the maker of the garments and we talked while I was browsing the clothing. I learned about buying linen online and how the sellers will send samples of their wares and how linen is given a number for the weight. At some point I may want to buy linen thusly but for the moment I enjoy the experience of a lovely summer Saturday chatting outdoors in the garden with the person who has made the items and, in this case, feeling it was appropriate to do so, I told her about my plans to repurpose the clothes. They all looked brand new, never worn, well-tailored. I did not find out why.
I opened the leg seams, spent some time deciding the front centre with its zipper opening would be the back and so I ripped out the back centre seam and this became the front opening. I wanted to retain the look of 'pants', for the repurposing to be evident so ripped out the zipper and closed the seam. The original pockets now form interesting 'pockets' at back of shoulders.
The back seam, sewn up, did not look or feel or drape right so I ripped it out again and tried it on and twisted and turned and finally decided to let the material 'speak'. Which meant laying the two pant legs flat and letting the former crotch-curve fabric overlap and sewing it down where it seemed to want to be even though the pleat gap seemed too wide. It was not too wide. It hangs very nicely. Trust is involved in being willing to listen.
It was done in a number of stages with periods of simply staring at it hanging on a hanger. I did turn up a corner bottom to form a pocket. I futzed with the shoulders and ended up keeping the waistband at front and back but splitting and splaying it on the actual epaulet position.
The front inseam curves got left as is and a kilt pin is presently the closure .
It is interesting to note what thoughts came to mind while working on it; the exposed seams are always great fodder for acceptance of the "unfinished" look. Wabi sabi. The mere fact of turning a pair of pants into a vest when you could just take some material and ….. And the risk of admitting that you 'listen' to fabric and let it 'speak'.
But, you know, it is worth it and I have certainly experienced how talking about or doing something that might seem daringly unusual brings the response of others feeling or thinking or doing the same but not realizing anyone else did …. And on it goes.
The first outing wearing the vest resulted in a woman stopping to comment on my apparel - and me on how she was dressed – and me saying I loved playing with fibre and clothes were my toys. And she agreed that she felt the same and called her garments "beloveds".
What we wear can companion us, can enhance our daily experience, make us feel good.
Can bring about communication between 'strangers'.
It's a way of seeing, a matter of perspective.
We wear clothing. Might as well let them be 'beloveds'.