Link party: Phones and Pockets and Politics

Want to see something funny? Watch me pat myself down looking for something?

 I'm trying to find my pockets. 

There's been a lot about this recently in the news as iPhones get bigger than pockets and men can't figure out how to carry them. Lots of palavering. Trust those first world boy problems to make this topical.

2014 iPhone announcement presentation, photo from Bustle, now with magic jeans

These are not all the articles I've read on this topic, but I'm trying to make a party of this, not a funeral march to the pyre.

When you read these articles about women's clothes and politics and pockets, the Victoria and Albert Museum article they cite is this:

from V&A article history of pockets

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/history-of-pockets/

You could read that and be perfectly happy. But history isn't an activity, palaver is. And I do love palaver.

from Racked article politics of pockets

http://www.racked.com/2016/9/19/12865560/politics-of-pockets-suffragettes-women

There is a lot wrong with this article in terms of research and reference. Chelsea G Summers links to a wealth of information over the century, and those links are a well-spent afternoon of reading all by themselves (just look for the telltale highlighted words). The article itself walks right over that history and opinion to suit its present day theory about Hillary's pantsuits. 

Let me just stop here for a minute: one thing I used to do is research and write history papers in college. One lesson I learned: rewriting the past isn't necessary and distracts from the point you are trying to make. It's often more about what you don't say than what you do. Methodological bias is inherent in all historical works; I think you're better off stating your bias at the outset and THEN proving the point you're trying to make. She could have done a historical analysis of the iconology of the Madonna and proved her point much better, but then we wouldn't be having this party today.

http://www.marketplace.org/2014/09/18/tech/why-womens-pockets-are-useless-history 

Hey, gender politics and research! Ariana Tobin can do it all. This really is a wonderful piece of work, with lots of great photographs

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/09/the-gender-politics-of-pockets/380935/ 

Tanya Basu has some nice research and interviews with people in the clothing industry.

From 2011, Paul Johnson at the Spectator has some juicy arguments and rewritten history and is the personal source for the Dior quote.

Finally, the oft cited

1905 New York Times editorial page 8 on men's clothing and pockets 

 http://nyti.ms/2cEy8AG

Charlotte Gilman was correct then as now. Pockets should remain alike in size, shape and position.

Particularly that position thing. Want to watch me pat myself down looking for something? I'm trying to find my pockets in the clothing I'm wearing today. They keep moving.

from NYT "World's Use of Pockets" 1889

Earlier this year, my son was trying on a vintage suit in a thrift store, and kept puzzling over why the welted pockets were all sewn shut. "This is stupid. No one in their right mind would go to all the trouble of making a pocket just for show"

Oh honey.....let me tell you a story.....

Refashioners 2016 Denim Had Ambition, Pep

This is what we start with 

This is all we end up with.

The jacket' toile was a dud, I need a new block to start from. That's not going to happen for a few months, I have paid work coming in.

I had fine ambitions and lovely textures in mind. That bias at the top left? That was going to be the cuffs (runs off crying)

I wanted to start with a sampler of possibilities, so I figured I could use another hat.

Strip the jeans into the parts I wanted and let it work itself out from there.

Yes, that was a relined pocket. It's day is done.

Ooh. This is where the idea starts, with these layers and wear marks and contrast.

Collage hat in progress.

Measure twice

Cardboard pattern this time

Yeah, I'm still working on Ernie Kap 2.0. What's it to you!

A scalpel is a beautiful seam ripper

I anchor the end of the piece I'm ripping to the tabletop with one of these Irwin quick clamps. Not as pretty as the vintage 3rd hand birdy, but faster and more uses around the house.

(and no, I don't get money from Amazon. Those links are just so you can see what the thing is called in the real world and how much they cost. Hardware stores all over carry them one apiece. Only I need four of them. Maybe more.)

Measured against the headband piece. Making a cardboard pattern for this makes sense: I make a lot of these hats.

I put interfacing in the waistband/headband

Layers of seams, sewed down the belt loops, the button is no longer needed.

The top is a collage of mending techniques that I am not in love with. This is a sample for my entertainment.

 Voila. That's it.

And you will have to wait until Spring, my friends.