Lessons From 4-H: Introduction

Yes, you read that right. I'm doing a feature month on lessons I learned about clothing from participating in the 4-H program.

For those of you who don't know what 4-H is, the simplest definition I can give comes from Wikipedia:

4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents four personal development areas of focus for the organization: head, heart, hands, and health. The organization has over 6.5 million members in the United States, from ages five to twenty-one, in approximately 90,000 clubs.

4-H was started in 1902 and was originally meant to introduce new agricultural technology to youth in rural areas. The intent was to encourage participants to "learn by doing," an idea that is still present in the organization to this day and is, in fact, the organization's slogan. One of the main ways that we "learn by doing" is 4-H projects that are judged and exhibited at the county fair.

Over the years, 4-H expanded its reach beyond its agricultural roots. Agriculture is still present, certainly, and most people who have had contact with the program know that one of the project areas is livestock. However, there are now literally hundreds of topics that project areas can explore including "Self-Determined," a catch-all for projects that do not fit into the other project areas.

So what does this have to do with clothing?

A lot more than you might think.

4-H has three projects under the "Clothing and Textiles" project area that are absolutely relevant to the alternative fashionista: clothes you make, clothes you buy, and fashion review. The point of the fashion-oriented projects is to help participants:

• Discover their unique style
• Discover what looks best on their body, how to make it or where to buy it, and how to care for it.
• Express themselves through creating and planning an exciting wardrobe.
• Develop skills to purchase and make clothing.
• Learn how to use equipment to make and care for your clothes.

Essentially, the 4-H clothing projects are about self-expression through clothing and learning new skills of budgeting, coordination, and creation.

Clothes you make is exactly that: clothing you have created yourself. This is where young seamstresses discover how to make anything from a pair of elastic-waist shorts to a full suit. Clothing is judged on construction and, sometimes, whether or not the person doing the sewing challenged themselves.

Clothes you buy is actually much more difficult than it sounds. This project area involves not only buying a new outfit but establishing, either through a booklet or through some sort of visual aid, how the different pieces of that outfit fit into the existing wardrobe. This isn't a project area that's just about shopping. It's about estimating cost per wear, creating a workable wardrobe, and budgeting.

Fashion review is probably the trickiest area to figure out because it seems like it's the shallowest. Participants are judged based on how their outfit is coordinated, how well the outfit suits the wearer, and how well they model the outfit. Participants are judged privately and then model their outfit on stage at a later date. However, fashion review also requires a heck of a lot of confidence, which is more what it's about than the clothes themselves.

And, of course, I should explain where I fit into this craziness.

I was a 4-Her from first grade (the rule, at that time, was "first grade or age seven") through my freshman year of college, also known as "grade 13."  I spent thirteen years of my life working on 4-H projects and trying to "make the best better," as the motto goes. Many of those projects were part of the clothing and textiles project area.

I learned a lot about clothing through my time in 4-H and, since it's July and that means county fairs are popping up all over, I'm going to share some of that with you.

If you want to know more about 4-H, I'd recommend looking at their website, especially if you're young enough to participate yourself. I cannot say enough about how this organization helped me become the person I am today.

Clothing as Hobby: At What Point Does "Enough" Become "Too Much"?

A while back, I was talking to my cousin about how I like clothes. I like them as a means of creative expression, as a way to build my skills as a seamstress, as a way of bolstering confidence. Clothing is a hobby for me, both designing it and coordinating it, and I enjoy talking to her about it because she has a similarly artistic mind when it comes to clothing. But, at certain point in our conversation, she declared that clothes are fine as self-expression, "but everything in moderation."

This, of course, got me wondering: at what point does enjoying clothing go from something we praise to something that is to be condemned?

As girls, we are often taught to believe that there is a line between the girls who care about clothing and style and, well, "the rest of us." The media tells us we are supposed to think long and hard about clothes, to be stylish, to be fashionable and pretty. The media also tells us that the girls who do this are shallow creatures, unable to see past the veneer of fashion and popularity. It's a serious mixed message.

Is there a line between fashionable girls and the rest of us? I don't think so.

I am more than how I dress, but how I dress is an extension of myself. As long as we do not reduce ourselves or others to that single facet, I don't think there is anything particularly bad about enjoying clothing, fashion, or makeup.

Can there be a point where enjoying clothing becomes too much? Well, there are points where anyone can have too much stuff or be spending too much money. You can go beyond your means. But gaining enjoyment from clothing, using it as creative outlet? I don't think so.

Be you. Like what you like.

...or not

Kazumi Hyguchi.
Photographer: Rebecca Magdalena.
No reason. Just wanted a picture and it's pretty.

There will be no excited meetup post this weekend, unfortunately. A sudden conflict came up.

Great, right?

Seriously, universe. I prepped an outfit. I re-fluffed my petticoat. For the love of all that is frilly, I baked cookies when I could have been working on projects for the county fair.

And yet here I am. Unable to go because of a last minute schedule change.

Hopefully I'll be able to clear my schedule for the next meet because I really really really want to meet the girls from the state comm. Finally. After a few years of wearing lolita.

But today is not that day.

Dabbling in Boystyle: A Thrift-Store Sourced Floordinate

This is going to be a quick update without much depth because I'm prepping for my first ever meet this weekend. Look out, MN Rufflebutts, because I'm taking my nerdiness north to meet you (and will probably be making a big ol' personal post to match)!

Anyway, boystyle.

I haven't really done all that much with boystyle, so  I decided after my recent secondhand splurges that I should try it out. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of this while it was actually on my body. Ah, well. Here's a shot of the whole outfit (which looks much less rectangular when it's actually on my body.

This Was Way Harder Than It Should Have Been: My Lolita Playlist

Oh, the lolita playlist... meme... thing. It's about time I got into this.

This took me a lot longer than it probably should have because my lolita music is hard to divide from my music in general. As a result, the first things I think of when I think "lolita music" are the music that I listen to while wearing lolita, things like symphonic metal and psychedelic rock covers of Scots folk ballads. Which are... well, not lolita. At all. Unless your definition of lolita involves large, viking-like men shredding their electric guitars and bands with unpronounceable names.

Come to think of it, that would be kind of hilarious.

In the end, I was able to find music that I loved that actually felt like it matched my wardrobe. I went with the pieces of music that I would choose as a soundtrack to a wardrobe video if I ever made one.

Pattern Roundup: Sailor Lolita For The Seamstress.

The temperatures are starting to rise, and that means one thing: sailor lolita is going to be on the rise, too.

I love sailor lolita as a substyle. It's just so darn cute. If you're not as familiar with it, though, here are a couple of super cute pictures. If you are (as I assume most of us are if we've been involved with lolita for a while), hey, pretty pictures!

I've been trying to find a source for this. If you know a source, please tell me.
That said, she has an aircraft carrier on her head.

Paper Sails shows us how it's done
(Check out this video. Not just for full citation, but because it's super cute)

Anyway, back to topic.

Most brands have released something that fits in with the sailor theme in one way or another. Bodyline has released sailor dresses. Innocent World has released sailor dresses. Most brands have released something. However, if you don't fit into brand, can't afford it, or are trying to make some of your own lolita, it can be difficult to find dresses appropriate for the sailor substyle.

But never fear! Bookish Beauty is run by a pattern-mad crafter who is happy to share her information with you.

Because most of these patterns focus on sailor collars, I'm keeping this list down to two categories: dresses (or patterns that can easily be made into dresses... you'll see what I mean) and tops. Sailor-style details on skirts can range from trims and anchor buttons to fabric choice, which makes sailor-style skirts much easier to make. But dresses and tops? That's where it helps to have a source.

There are many patterns you won't find on this list. They might be vintage that is difficult to find or difficult to find in a variety of sizes. They might be sailor-ish but not distinct enough to be recognizable as sailor unless you squint and make sure to make them in navy blue.

I'm focusing on patterns that will work for many sizes, are fairly easily found, and are recognizable as sailor style with little-to-no modificiation other than perhaps a skirt swap.

International Lolita Day: Summer 2013

Woo, International Lolita Day!

This is another Lolita Day where I am not able to actually participate in the festivities, unfortunately. Last year, I was attending a play with a friend of mine and did, in fact, wear lolita, but the day was too busy with the already planned socialization to add a meet to the roster.

This year, I'm missing the festivities because the boyfriendthing is visiting.

Ah, well. I can dress in frills anyway, right?

So this is what I wore, more or less. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of my outfit yesterday and most of it went into the wash last night, so here's a Polyvore approximation!

Strawberries and Straw Hats

So that's what I wore. To a picnic with the boyfriend.

I hope everybody had a wonderful International Lolita Day. Maybe next time I'll have pictures from a meetup to show you.