Handmade by Carolyn is what I love about clothes: transformative.
I had to keep occupied for an hour while my son saw a medical specialist and rather than pay for parking I drove a little further and found a short string of shops on Oxford St in Paddington that made my eyes light up. Imaginative clothes, not particularly specific to an age group, and I went for a wander, finding a merino tunic and a magic scarf. Pictures when I figure out how. Parking station fees would have been cheaper.
Carolyn's clothes have the same kind of vibe. I love what she does, and found she re-ignited my sewing imagination, particularly in the ways she rescues things that haven't quite worked. I liked what she did with some patterns I have that I have hesitated to explore. Obviously I could usefully adopt the rule that you never start anything new until you've finished the the one on your table , except perhaps for the hand finishing or knitting department? At the moment I have a coat from last winter that I have recut a lining for, a pair of black crepe pants to finish hemming, two new knit patterns to fully test, two new coat patterns that I can't wait to try out, and a bag full of shirt patterns to test.
What I liked about Carolyn's sewing is that she makes things that are transformative for everyday, not just dream dresses for special occasions. I have entered the inexplicable invisibility of the middle aged woman, which I loathe. So? I am vain!
Yesterday, when I wore the new tunic over my beloved skinny leg black jeans with an incredible scarf, people saw me!
There was eye contact. Eye to eye is somehow a metaphor for I to I, but somewhere in there, is connection, human to human, and delight, and it's like a sunrise or a sunset or the turning of the leaves here (Bowral, now) and then there is grace and magic, even if only for a moment.
So I've decided to try again, to push through the distaste for what I've finished which assails me so often, and try to think of some way to rescue my UnFinished Objects. To find the fun again.
Wish me luck?
