As many of you know, I’ve been dealing with an overuse injury in my dominant wrist. What started as pain and a lump at the base of right pointer figure ended up being a 6 month journey towards healing. Fast forward to today, my wrist is far improved. I was able to add back in knitting and sewing to my routine about two months ago while adding 1%-10% time each day as long as my arm felt okay. I’ve finally reached a good balance that seems to be helping the wrist heal. It includes: tracking and limiting the activity my hand gets, yoga 4 days a week instead of 5 or 6 days a week with modifications to care for the wrist, work with my chiropractor, acupuncture, Epsolm salt baths, self-massaging techniques and a whole mental component that I’ve talked about on Instagram. With all of this being said, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to participate in Karen Templer of Fringe Supply Company’s Summer of Basics challenge. But I did it! I made three basics for my wardrobe! I mean…technically the deadline was August 31st (I think), but I finished the following three garments before the Fall Equinox, so I’m counting it! The only rules of the challenge were to make a small capsule wardrobe of 3 items that you think will get a lot of use. So here’s what I made…
When it came time to deciding what to make, I already had a section of my wardrobe on my mind that was seriously lacking. That would be my loungewear wardrobe. As someone who loves lounging as much as I do, my wardrobe options for my favorite activity were very shameful. Think sweats purchased on vacation (complete with tiny holes forming in the seat), old t-shirts from thrift stores or events, and maybe 1 or 2 handmade items. What I really wanted was a loungewear capsule that reflected my personal aesthetic and that was verrrry comfortable. Like, comfortable enough to nap it. It also would be a bonus to be able to walk the dog, answer the door, run to the store in any of the items without feeling like a crazy lady. I mean, I’m definitely a crazy lady, I just don’t want that to be revealed in the way I dress. :)
I purchased some gauze on a recent trip to Taos which I doubled up and made this oversized top and pants. The pants are pant 1 with a looser waistband. The top features a raw edge pocket and neckline. I also made a highly altered Orton Bag from Merchant & Mills (not loungewear) using some linen that I had avocado dyed. I made a custom pocket on the inside of the bag that fits all of my everyday essentials. I’ve already done quite a bit of lounging in the pants and top. I can’t promise that the top won’t make it out into the world…I can see it pairing very well with my Jesse Kamm sailor pants.
The fact that I had to mind my wrist and go slow with these items felt limiting at times, but, essentially, I really enjoyed stretching out these makes over the course of a few weeks. Going slow and enjoying the process is one of the biggest lessons from this injury. It’s sort of brought my joy back of making.
That’s all for now, folks!