Calm Under Tension by Gwen Gyldenege
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Me Made May 2015

4/30/2015

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'I, Gwen of 'Calm Under Tension', 
sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. 
I endeavour to wear as many me-made garments 
as possible each day for the duration of May 2015.
I will share my spring/summer capsule wardrobe 
that aligns with my athletic and/or Work2Play wardrobe needs
as I uncovered during the Wardrobe Architect 2014/15 project.' 
A fleece pullover I made from my Kenneth King taught Moulage that's been awating it's turn to pose for the camera. (c) Gwen Gyldenege. http://www.calmundertension.com
A fleece pullover I made from my Kenneth King taught Moulage that's been awating it's turn to pose for the camera. (c) Gwen Gyldenege.
My closet. As is. A few GwenMade's are poking out amongst the Ready-To-Wear (RTW). (c) Gwen Gyldenege. http://calmundertension.com
My closet. As is. A few GwenMade's are poking out amongst the Ready-To-Wear (RTW). (c) Gwen Gyldenege.
Upon my last count, I have around 18 pieces I've made.  1/2 of which are athletic pieces or underbits. It will be interesting to show how many times I can wear a me made item over 30 days. Some outfits will consist of my "workout gear" and others will be my Work2Play gear.  I'm really excited for Me Made May. I've noticed that after participating in MMM14 and the Wardrobe Architect 2014/15, I took the spirit of both events and applied it to my daily life.  When I went to any event where I was at a show, demoing my art or doing readings the first things I reached for were something I made. MMM15 will be the perfect incentive to help me document my wardrobe for the Wardrobe Architect. 
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Breathing Life into UFO's and The Rarity of Sewing Repairs

4/28/2015

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More than a year ago, I made the stupid mistake to not wear my knee pads while rollerblading outside on a long concrete, somewhat irregular path. I was scooting along fine, practicing my airplane move when suddenly my wheel caught in a big crack on the sidewalk. Oh shit. Woman down! I caught myself (thank God I was smart enough to wear wrist guards) by my hands and one knee. Yeoutch! I tore the knee of my favorite summer pants (Boo!) and more importantly, I hurt my knee - skinned it,and did some temporary albeit painful muscle strain. I had to rest for a long time. Boo no skating!

I typically only sew new items - draft or from pattern. I'm not the friend who will hem your pants. I don't sew for others. I don't even alter my own RTW clothing. I take my clothes to an expert alterationist. The one exception is this pair of pants. Now, I did have the waist altered (smaller with darts and an altered waistband). That's not what I'm about to discuss.
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Those pants have been sitting in my "to do" pile for months along with several other UFO's that need some time & attention. This past weekend, since my art shows are done and I'm finally feeling rested and somewhat myself again, I cleared my schedule so I could do some sewing. And I found time while watching some Republic of Doyle to repair the knee. You must watch that show. I just love all the characters, especially Jake Doyle and Dez. Yes b'y!
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Allen Hawko as Jake Doyle Image Source
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Mark O'Brien as Des and Allan Hawko as Jake on Republic of Doyle. Image Source
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I found some bias scraps from my sleep shorts. Cut a piece to fit between the drawstrings, matched up thread (I was surprised that grey was the best match!), then went to town. The bias is helpful as the main pant fabric is a stretch cotton. It's a simple repair, but a good one. I'm happy with the results and really glad to be wearing the pants again. Hello old friend!
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I have a deeper appreciation for sewing repairs after meeting Stanley Hostek and learning some tips on how to extend the life of a garment. It appeals to me. I find that I am more focused on seeing a garment to last years in my wardrobe rather than just a couple seasons.

Have you ever done repairs on clothing? Did the results work out? Is the piece still worn?

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    Gwen Gyldenege

    Author: 
    Gwen Gyldenege

    I'm a one woman circus.  
    I'm curvy and athletic.
    ​I am a dancer.
    My last name translates 
    to "Golden Oak". 

    I'm an artist, intuitive, engineer, seamstress 
    and performer.

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Except for sources otherwise stated beneath images or bottom of the page (Creative Commons), all images and works are copyright Gwen Gyldenege, all rights reserved.  Contact Gwen to request permission.
Photos used under Creative Commons from I Robertson, DoNotLick, Gustty, Jayson Emery, Nbepko, Gamma Man, I Robertson, Lars Plougmann, RowdyKittens, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, The Wandering Angel, VasenkaPhotography, quinn.anya, Léa Chvrl, Lost Albatross, Guttorm Flatabø, BEST PHOTO, RowdyKittens, allistair, BozDoz, tanakawho, Navicore, Bilal Kamoon, D-Stanley, Kris Krug, glasseyes view, essers, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, Alex Pepperhill, Found Animals, adactio, Office Now