“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
2020 has been a lot. I was about to describe all the ways this quote is applicable to current times, but it just bummed me out. Instead, let me share with you two makes that are simply the best.
Back in September, I made my very first Zadie jumpsuit as a part of Zadie Appreciation Day. I’d had my eye on the Zadie Jumpsuit for a while and the week before I purchased and printed the pattern it, a so-called ethical fashion label had stolen the pattern and was selling the garment as their own. Then, they had the AUDACITY to threaten Paper Theory with a lawsuit. Hence, Zadie Appreciation Day was born. I whipped up my first Zadie in one afternoon! I lengthened the legs by three inches and added a snap closure to my bust because the girls wanted to come out and play! I don’t know why I feel the need to kick my legs open every time I make something new. I guess new makes just make me feel like dancing! The fabric is from AKN Fabrics and the pattern is from they one and only Paper Theory. Since it was still warm, I decided to make a short-sleeved Zadie and a long-sleeved Zadie.
As temperatures dropped, I knew it was finally time for my second Zadie. This time, I used a stretch linen provided by Minerva. The color is French Navy, but it’s a soft, almost heathered mid-toned blue. It’s such a unique color that I feared I’d have a hard time finding matching thread, but Gutermann polyester thread in #236 is a perfect match.
This was my first time working with stretch linen and I’m OBSESSED with it. Like regular linen, it’s incredibly easy to work with and feels heavenly against my skin. But because it’s a 15% stretch fabric, it moves with my body better than my waxprint version. Also, the stretch fabric fits my bust better, so there was no need for a snap to contain the girls. I honestly didn’t even know stretch linen was a thing, but now I’ll be hard-pressed to go back to regular linen. I think this make will be my go-to traveling outfit. It’s comfy, stylish and has large pockets to hold anything I might need. I even styled them with my go-to traveling shoes!
