The Lab - Summer Hacks
a short rebel, a long vento
It seems to be hot everywhere. Obviously, it’s not (so please send us some cooling relief from the southern hemi!), but when your brain feels fried from humidity and sun it feels like it’s hot anywhere and everywhere we turn. So of course these heatwaves have got us desperate to free ourselves from sleeves, pant legs and any unneeded fabric constriction so we can just breathe!
This is where the best summer hacking comes in. Some of our first early forays into sewing was likely summer hacking. Cutting the legs off of well loved jeans and attacking the hems with scissors to fray out; tie dyeing a white shirt (and then immediately anything else white we could find), turning t-shirts into tube tops or shredding the hem into strips and tying those all into knots (anyone?). These distinctly summer flips bring up memories of running through humid grass after a thunderstorm at camp, a few grains of sand between the bedsheets, the scent of bug spray, sunscreen and chlorine…
Summer hacking is fast and loose; we feel free, impulsive, maybe even a little wild being too hot to care that much; willing to take a chance on the low hanging fruit of a summer hack paying off. We have all the time we need to hone and plan in autumn and winter; right now, we need easy ways to feel cute and pulled together whilst having the least amount of fabric touching our bodies.
Today we are looking at two, literally, fast and loose hacks for the Daughter Judy range; shortening the Rebel Jumpsuit and lengthening the Vento Tank. These hacks were inspired by two darlings of our sewing world who both just happened to release excellent e-books geared towards the modern maker; Kolina and Kelsey. Two knowledgeable women, sporting two perfect summer ensembles to release us from the heat and just enjoy that slice of watermelon under a big umbrella by the side of the pool while dreaming of meticulously tailoring a blazer for late-fall. All our favorite, much needed cool-down activities.
Enjoy our free to all July version of The Lab! We hope you stay cool with your versions of summer hacks and can give the gift of sewing or knitting to a friend or family member this season with one of these two awesome, accessible e-books by Kolina and Kelsey!
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/ HOW-TO’S FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
The e-books by Kolina and Kelsey entered the home sewing world almost simultaneously. Our sewing community is growing and refining itself; it’s even starting to become an aspirational life style for friends of ours. As modern makers, we have grown out of earlier “how-to” guides popular in the early aughts and the striking thing about these e-books is their realistic perspectives; they are no-nonsense accounts of what it is like to take the first steps into sewing clothing for yourself or stepping up your knitting onto the sweater-making level.
Kelsey’s book offers the down and dirty basics, “I like to talk about sewing to beginners with need to know in mind, and all the nice to know info can come later. All you have to do is just take the first step, and you can figure the rest out as you go.” The Let’s Sew ebook is, “really for the person who is too nervous or intimidated by sewing. That was me for many years, even after learning the basics.”
It is always nice to hear someone’s consolidated take on sewing essentials; machines, materials, money saving tips. For a lot of us, we are mostly friends with sewists online (and if you have a few IRL friends, give a little nod to the sewing Gods, they are smiling down upon you!), so in a book like this you feel Kelsey being your friend and just tell it like it is, so you can have the confidence and clarity with sewing no matter what level you’re at. The next time your friends’ wishful eyes fill with all the potential of sewing their own clothes after you’ve said “thanks I made it”, get them started with Kelsey’s e-book. This is actually what you want to read when you learn to sew; thoughtful and to the point, realistic, not too hand-holdy and getting you project-ready right away!
As a sewist who has dabbled in knitting a Sophie Scarf and a ribbed beanie or two, you might be looking to take the plunge into knitting a full on sweater. The Kolina Makes Sweaters ebook is the first place you should turn; it’s both aspirational and contemporary with tons of info on orienting yourself into materials, construction, fit and pattern styles before you commit all that time, sweat and likely a few tears into your first sweater (to be expected let’s be honest).
“For my 40th birthday, I published an ebook that I titled “Kolina Makes Sweaters”. In my previous career working at Google, I enjoyed writing technical documentation and product copy, and I’ve missed using those creative muscles. I decided to write a book to show that any knitter could knit a sweater if they are equipped with the right tools and context. I distilled everything I learned about knitting sweaters into a book that would be easy for anyone to read.”
You know how you can knit something but not wear that thing? Kolina helps you make sure you will love and wear the piece you’ve knit, saving you time and tons of heartache! “I caught the knitting bug 9 years ago and knitted a few sweaters but it took perhaps 2 years before I made something I truly loved and wore — the Cline Sweater by Julie Hoover. At the time, the style and fit was a bit out of my comfort zone, and I pored over others’ project notes and tried to imagine how I would look wearing it. In retrospect, I realize this is the unifying theme: in order to make a garment that I will like and wear, I need to be able to envision how the finished garment will work in my wardrobe before I can choose a pattern and yarn.”
/ SUMMER HACKING
“In my process of trying to decide what I wanted my end result to look like, I saw so many beautiful Rebel makes that were chic and elegant, but I wanted mine to feel more lived in and casual. I opted to leave the waist tie out (I love a fit with lots of ease), chose a simple gingham cotton, and also did mostly French seams on the inside. After my years of figuring out what I appreciate on a garment, I do find that my seam finishes change how I feel and how often I reach for a garment.”
“Initially I set out to make a silk tank dress by hacking the Vento, and I mulled it over for about 2 months. I wanted the dress to be casual enough for a walk on the beach but nice enough for a nice dinner out. I knew the Vento would be the perfect pattern to hack into a breezy tank dress—the neckline dips low, it’s bra-friendly and bra-optional, and the French dart is subtle—but I was searching for the perfect silk as well as the energy and patience to sew with silk. Eventually I accepted that a silk dress would feel too precious to wear day-to-day, and a “basic” black dress would be more practical for me.
I decided to use Kaufman Brussels linen, which is a cotton-linen blend that wrinkles minimally and has a slightly slubby feel. Black can read too formal and classic, so the texture of this fabric softens the starkness of a black dress. To hack the Vento top into a dress, I traced out the pattern for View A and simply extended the sides of the tank, for both the front and back pieces, until the dress reached the length I wanted. I squared off the bottom and added side vents. I checked where my hip would hit, and made sure that it would give me at least 4 inches of ease, and it did. My measurements are 32” bust, 26” waist, and 36” hip. I made the size XS, and this hack measures approximately 42” across at the hip.”
/ SUMMER MOOD & DIY FUTURE VISIONS
While we had the chance to be in these lovely ladies’ DMs, we took the chance to ask them more about their summer inspiration, DIY and the future of the home sewing community….
• Do you have a summer mood you’re going for?
Kelsey: Living in an extremely hot climate (Tampa, FL) strongly influences my fashion choices. I’m also a mom to two little girls, so if it’s not breathable and practical, it probably isn’t going to get much wear time from me. This is the first summer in 5 years that I’m not nursing a baby, so I’ve been really obsessed with romantic little mini dresses lately! I’ve sewn probably 4 or 5 dresses in the last couple weeks and they’re all I’m reaching for right now.
Kolina: During the summer, I want to look and feel sensual and unbothered. However, I usually feel anything but, with high heat and humidity or sitting on a metal bleacher at a kids sports tournament. I wish I had a better way to convey it, but “sexy potato sack” is the vibe I’m going for. I think the Vento dress hack fits the bill — it’s an easy, body-skimming dress to swan about in the summer, with or without a bra, and later I can layer it under an oversized sweater in the fall and winter.
• What does DIY mean to you?
Kelsey: As a very type B person, DIY is where I thrive. I’m really good at winging it. I usually don’t even check to see what notions something might require and if I have exactly what’s needed - I just dive in. A zipper that’s too long or turning double fold into single fold bias tape has never scared me! DIY means “figure it out however you need to” to me.
Kolina: DIY means to make it up and do what you need to make something work for yourself — whether it is to save money (often not the case with sewing or knitting, ha!), to scratch a creative itch in figuring it out, or to express yourself in a way that isn’t available off the rack. With the summer heat, I was missing an easy dress that can work for a date night out as well as a walk on the beach. The Vento tank has the perfect neckline and bust shaping that has a strong point-of-view that I haven’t seen anywhere else, and I know better than to think I can draft it myself. In this case, the pattern hack is a perfect combination of what DIY means to me.
• Where do you want the home-sewing/knitting community to go in the next 2-5 years?
Kelsey: I want to see more men step into pattern making! We’ve seen such an incredible amount of growth in the sewing community in the last 5 years, but one area that seems virtually untapped is the men’s sewing pattern world. I have a few patterns that I sew up for my husband, and that’s pretty much it! I’d love to see more exploration from designers in that realm.
Kolina: I’ve been in the Instagram home-sewing and knitting space since 2017. I saw the explosion of makers in 2020-2021 (the silver lining of the pandemic), and I appreciate how Instagram, as a platform for this community, has been the catalyst for so much creativity and making, for myself and for so many others. However, I do see that we are increasingly subject to seeing only what performs well based on social media algorithms, and I’m afraid that increasingly we will miss true expertise, thoughtful design, and creative innovation. I recognize that independent designers have a difficult time balancing making popular patterns to sustain their small businesses, rather than what is truly creative and self-affirming, and I think that will only become more difficult.
Over the next 2-5 years, I hope to see more designers and creators invest in talking about not only the what but the why of what they do. Not only does this differentiate them from the masses—and AI—but it helps all of us form the vocabulary we need to express ourselves, it creates connection, and it reminds us that we are all human.
• Any goals for your sewing/knitting (or publishing) in the second half of the year?
Kelsey: Yes, big ones! I’m currently enrolled in a pattern making course and my brain is exploding with new knowledge. It’s overwhelming in the best way! I also started a summer workshop series called Sewing Camp where I live. It’s been so special to get to share this craft with folks in my community. For so long, I’ve said I wish I had in person sewing friends, and now I’m building that community myself. It’s inspiring me so much!
Kolina: I am trying to pace myself, and I’m actually cutting back on some of my making goals. I left my career in corporate tech last June in order to prioritize my family, but in my post-Google life, I went a little too hard: I started test knitting; I wrote and published “Kolina Makes Sweaters”; I created a community event called Knitter Dinner Club; at school, I co-chaired our first benefit gala. I didn’t set out to do any of these things, but I suddenly had mindspace to explore outside of my comfort zone. Over the rest of the summer, I am investing in the community that Mariel and I are creating with the I MAKE SWEATERS! Knit-Along, with virtual office hours and our Slack channel, and in the fall, I hope to host Knitter Dinner no. 3.
(Is there room for an east coast Knitter Dinner? I know a space or a boat….)
Make sure to check out Kelsey and Kolina’s ebooks, they’re the perfect bite-sized guides to boost confidence in early stages of trying something new; perfect for friends and family, or yourself if you’re swimming in inspo but somehow can’t get started! So many thanks to both of them for their beautiful hacked versions of the Vento and Rebel, their inspiring contributions to the making world and letting us pick their brains the last few weeks!
Coming Up…
Bulletin Board : July 28th, summer patterns are here! We’ll dive into the Dern Short, Steely Dress and Rama Top (patterns launching July 23rd).
Extracurricular : July 31st, some summer small bites.
Loose Leaf : August 5th, if you enjoyed the Holiday Reader last December we think you’ll really enjoy the upcoming Summer Reader! Plus a bag pattern you won’t want to miss.
So timely! I was literally thinking about a Vento dress hack over the weekend.
Big yes to a Vento dress! I'm thinking it would also be fab as a nightie (Am totally obsessed with cute nightwear and this would be so perfect for year round wear.) Also can't wait to make that bag - looks so chic!