Men's Fashion Is Boring!

For this post, there won't be any real craft. I've decided that I want to complain a little about an issue that's been on my mind for a few years. Today I want to lightly explore my angst over the fact that its tough to find sewing resources for men (patterns, blogs, style reports, and the like). The fashion industry is basically built for women's wear. Menswear comprises maybe about 5-10% (my figure) of the industry. I find this frustrating as all get-out.

One popular blog for men who sew is Male Pattern Boldness. Peter, the gentleman who runs that blog, posted an interesting article on why he thinks more men don't sew. This article was reprinted at other blogs and, in my opinion, hit the nail on the head. Newer generations that are not as tied to the old gender roles are making their way into sewing and design, but the information ABOUT menswear and the resources FOR men's fashion remain slim. One popular craft site incorporating a great deal of sewing is Threadbangers. It has a large male membership, mostly young people, but most of its clothing archives deal with women's clothes. Even MPB, mentioned above, seems to be largely focused on creating clothes for women. The ever popular television show Project Runway had many male designers, but had only a handful of menswear challenges in the show's entire run.

The biggest and most frustrating reason why the menswear industry isn't quite as well-formed as its female counterpart may be that menswear isn't as creatively flexible. Women can walk outside their door in huge hats, big skirts, wild ties, bows, scarves or shoe-monsters. Men have a basic look - a simple silhouette from which they dare not deviate - and little use of color or pattern. Despite that men run our patriarchal society, they nevertheless restrict themselves to the most limited style pathways. Variety seems to be something that men fear. (Lest this become a discussion on the actual limited power of men to operate as they please - an act that would display true inner strength - I will table this facet of the discussion.)

In recent years, some effort has been made to push the limited male style standards outside the box. A effort to widen the look of kilts has succeeded among some gay men and alternative communities. An adoption of softer Asian styles is also making a jump to the west. More men are also wearing scarves and wraps than ever before. But as male fashion takes time to stretch just its pinky toe, women's fashion is busy sprinting down the field.

Men who sew are missing a real opportunity. A sewing machine is essentially a power tool like any other. Instead of cutting wood, it joins cloth. Men who are great at cabinetry, carving, and welding would do very well with sewing. Maybe if more men did sew, and were not afraid to claim that they did, we would have more resources available for men. Maybe then the men who sew wouldn't tolerate the limited pattern offerings for boxer shorts, bathrobes and boring button-ups; maybe then there would be more sites for suggestions and creative techniques. Maybe then men's fashion would expand beyond just the suit and tie.

Ultimately, I would be okay being one of the few men who sew (or the only one), if I could find more resources for making men's clothes. I just wish I didn't have to spend so much of my time reading between the lines and sifting through women's wear blogs, transposing concepts from women's wear to menswear, just to come up with a new way of looking at men's clothes.

Reuse for Seed Sprouting

I decided to start some seeds this year, despite a very shady yard. Casey and I have been finding a some new varieties of vegetables on the market and we wanted the chance to produce them ourselves to save some money. I staked my claim for the garden plot and went shopping for seed starter trays.

Wouldn't you know it: so few people are starting their own seeds these days that the local nurseries didn't provide segmented plastic trays, and Lowe's has stopped carrying peat-pots completely. Home Depot still sells stacks of square pots and a starter tray, but they don't carry a clear lid. I decided to try to make do with some household plastic wrap. Boy, was that a big mistake!

As you can see, the peat-pots are exactly as tall as the tray, which means that my plastic wrap lays too close to allow my seedlings to grow strong. I needed more head space.

While on a return trip to Home Depot, the answer occurred to me. Lately, I have been intentionally failing to put my recycling bin at the curb so it can completely fill up, preventing the city from using extra gass to stop for a half-full bin. In my recycling bin was all manner of plastic trays that delivered berries, grapes, tomatoes, and salad greens into my home. I decided to make use of these as my new seed-starter trays.

Not just any tray would do, however. Berry trays wouldn't work because they had drainage holes in their bottoms, preventing me from watering my peat-pots from below - an important ability when your seeds are smaller than a grain of sand. The trays for salad and tomatoes seemed to be better.

I broke out my scissors and began the puzzle of fitting as many peat-pots into my trays as possible. My first tray was a salad greens tray and it sealed completely. A paper punch helped to add tiny vents in the corners so the air wouldn't become stagnant. It provided plenty of head room for the seedlings to get started.

The other tray had the opposite problem. Because it had holes in the lid and the lid didn't seal completely, too much air flow would make me lose too much moisture. Packing tape helped to close up the holes on top allowing the space along the edge of the lid to give just enough ventilation.

So there you have it! Two seed-starter trays made from reused plastic produce boxes. The cost was minimal and my seedlings will have the head space they need to grow before they get moved to the ground! Now I just have to get my garden plot ready.