Back from Strasbourg. We had a glorious time dyeing in blue. Maison Mimir, the place where the textile event took place (or better still takes place, unfortunately I had to cut short my visit there) is a living collective in a formerly squat now made legal by the municipality.
I think, I have to explain a bit about house squatters in Europe. This is a political movement (at least in France and Germany) which began sometime around the political movement of '68. People moved into empty buildings partially to protest against incredibly high rent combined with purposfully empty buildings (for real estate speculation) and partially to re-invent new forms of living together. They called themselves "Kommune" or "Kollektiv". In some cities, squats outlasted till today, made legal like in Strasbourg, some places where emptied forcefully and after much legal arguments by the police and some just changed into gentrification like in Berlin or Hamburg.
Later when I began living on my own in the 1980s, I lived in several "Wohngemeinschaften". A "Wohngemeinschaft" can be anywhere on a scale from 'just sharing a flat for the rent' to 'actually living together, celebrating the togetherness in shared meals, lives and sometimes love'. Mine were usually somewhere in between. ;o)
When I was little, I was a bit torn between the bourgeois lives of my parents and the rather bohéme life style of my elder brother (he is 16 years older than I am) living in diverse collectives and Wohngemeinschaften. I took after my brother, moved out with 15 and into several Wohngemeinschaften. I finished grammar school while working at the same time to pay rent and bread, so it wasn't a lost time. I continued to live in Wohngemeinschaften for many years during university, with my first living partner and even after I was married later to my now-husband. Sharing living space with other people was not always fun, I moved a lot in my life but I wouldn't want to have missed it in any case.
Being in Strasbourg in the Maison Mimir collective was a huge trip down memory lane. I've been there so many years ago. I had the collective meetings with all the discussions about house rules, cultural events being a social being in an unsocial world and whatnot, being Political. And I know that it is right and good and well what all the young people there are doing and how they are living it. But at the same time I had the strong feeling, this was something I've left behind. Been there done that bought the t-shirt kind of style. I still understand and support what they do but I moved my political being into the smaller surroundings of my personal life. I don't want to change the world anymore in one go but person by person starting with me. Maybe that is part of becoming older.
As I said, the dyeing was fun. The vat behaved like it should and they were so happy to dip in everything they got their hands on. A wonderful day to dye blue.
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And I finished my first trousers in years. I've sewn trousers for myself in the past but not lately. But it's like riding a bike ;o) They fit, they are comfortable, I just overestimated the linen fabric. It felt thicker when I chose it. So I will have to sew another one, a bit more fitting for the morning chill :o)
The pattern is a generic mompe(i) pattern based on Jenni Dobson's Making Kimono and Japanese Clothes in combination with John Marshall's wonderful book Make your own Japanese clothes and some ideas from Kaz Madigan's Curiousweaver May 96 issue. Basically it's a simple trouser pattern but with a refined crutch. Pockets are a must and I will add some loops for my keys as well.
The fabric is linen bed sheet, sewn first, dyed in indigo, with added patchwork pockets. All hand-sewn with lapped-fell seams for extra strength.