Today for Me Made May I’m wearing a silver pin dot print Comino Cap Dress accessorized with a DVD of “Fire Walk with Me” from the library. And yes, this is a dress made from the same sewing pattern as the shirt from Monday. You haven’t seen the last of this pattern yet, and may well be sick of it by the end of the month…but I won’t!
A Month of Clothing Philosophy — Part Three
The Comfort of Repetition and the Repetition of Comfort
I have very mild OCD. It doesn’t affect my life the way my anxiety and depression do, and my therapist agrees that although it’s definitely there, it doesn’t really require treatment at this level. (Unlike the rest of my craziness, is what she means. I have always admired her tactful honesty.) I do exhibit some ritualized behavior, though, and I find some forms of repetition very soothing, especially when stressed.
There’s a specific form of repetition I find especially pleasing when it comes to sewing: I can make as many versions of the same sewing pattern as I want. I’ve always tended to sew multiples of well-loved patterns, but since fitting has become more of an issue, it’s especially soothing. After putting in the initial (and sometimes lengthy) effort to make a pattern work, the second or third version of a garment can be pure pleasure. By that point only an ill-chosen fabric or a real lapse in concentration can ruin a garment. It’s nice to just enjoy the process when you can be fairly secure in your final product. It’s relaxing.
I would say that my favorite sewing pattern right now is the Comino Cap top and dress. Even at my size the top only takes one yard of fabric — the dress only two yards — and including cutting I can make either one in less than two hours. Two hours! Sewing is in many ways the opposite of fast fashion, but when you have limited time or energy, a fast project is definitely easier.
The Comino Cap also has the benefit of being very comfortable — the phrase you usually see amongst sewists is “secret pajamas.” I love having a closet full of comfortable knit tops and dresses, all in different colors and prints, and it never bothers me that many are from the exact same sewing pattern. No one ever notices, either — unless they sew themselves, and then they usually just want to know which pattern you like so much. I am kind of a repetitive sewing bore, but no one has ever said so to my face!
Not every garment I sew is worthy of repetition, but I definitely enjoy those that are.