dearabbyleigh

welcome to wednesday, where we use our words to make a promise:

dress for the day you want to have,
not the one that’s trying to have you.

today and every wednesday, i invite you to link arms, blogs, and instagrams in solidarity. here’s to setting the tone for the days we desire with the clothes we pull from the closet!

i am so excited to introduce you to my friend andrea of four square walls.

a louisville native now living in philadelphia, andrea has a natural knack for her personal style that she continues to hone as she practices the art of sewing. i love how she not only knows what she wants to wear – but takes things into her own hands and makes them herself . . .

When I tell people I made what I’m wearing, they typically respond in the same way, by parroting back “You MADE that?” Sometimes their reaction is genuine surprise because they had no idea I pursued such a technical hobby (“You should go on Project Runway!”). Or sometimes it’s pure confusion, as they try to visualize what is actually involved in the process of making clothes using one’s own hands and resources (“What? From… cloth?”).

People have shared with me stories about their failed home ec class projects, or have reminisced about how their grandmother sewed clothes but they never bothered to learn how to sew themselves. I’ve heard so many times about those grandmothers who were active seamstresses for their families, so it’s remarkable that now – just two generations later – most Americans are completely shut off from the production process of everything we wear. How quickly history has changed to where we often don’t have any connection at all to the garments that envelop us so intimately, protect us from the elements, and help project our personalities onto the world around us? The people making our clothes now are mostly silent, unseen.

I have never been very interested in fashion, per se, so it’s interesting to see how clothing has become such an important part of my life and my identity. I learned to sew as a kid, but didn’t really start sewing obsessively until I moved into my own tiny apartment and had nowhere to put my sewing machine except on my desk.

I have always enjoyed the technical aspect of sewing and how it reminds me of piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. But over the past two years it has truly become my passion, my craft, and my way of trying to remove myself from the “fast fashion” industry.

I am working towards building a wardrobe where I have complete control over the quality, style, fit and function of the items I wear on a daily basis.

I certainly have a long way to go in building my skills and defining my personal style, but in my sewing journey so far, I have reached a point where I am truly proud of the clothes I make and have established a sense of agency and self-sufficiency as the creator behind them.

I dress for the handmade life I want to lead!

***

visit andrea at four square walls for more of her beautiful projects and great tutorials if you’re not afraid of a sewing machine. you can also vote for her over on project sewn where that incredible floral sundress is in a tight competition!

how connected are you to the clothes you wear?

have you ever craved the self-sufficiency andrea finds in sewing?

 

<a href="http://wp.me/p27DaS-1tU"> <span class="pibfi_pinterest"> <img class="aligncenter" title="dayyouwant" src="http://dearabbyleigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dayyouwant-e1348458849775.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> <span class="xc_pin" onclick="pin_this(event, 'http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://dearabbyleigh.com/dress-for-the-day-handmade-by-andrea/&media=http://dearabbyleigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dayyouwant-e1348458849775.png&description=dress for the day: handmade by andrea')"> </span> </span></a>

if you’re into buttons, feel free to grab this one, and link up a post or a photo that tells your story below. feel free to link up anytime during the week, and look for a new dress for the day story each wednesday. even if you don’t link up – join me throughout the week on twinstagram (twitter +instagram) by using this hashtag:

#dressfortheday