Brocade Bomber for Biking

I told you I am obsessed with outerwear right now and here’s more proof! My brocade bomber jacket is done!

I bought this brocade in New York City last year in a store that was going out of business. I am thrilled at how well it coordinates with the bronze reflective fabric from Mood.

I was originally thinking I would make a moto jacket but decided on Simplicity 8418 instead – the simpler lines allow the fabric to shine, plus this pattern includes the lining. And it has pockets! The same flannel backed lining I used on my reflective tweed coat matches perfectly with this as well. (I’m newly converted to how great this lining fabric is.)

I’m pretty happy with how easily this came together. However, I need to automatically add at least an inch to every sleeve I make. The sleeves aren’t horribly short but I would have preferred them longer. Helps keep my wrists warmer while biking.

Speaking of biking, check out how cool the reflective trim looks:

Oh yeah!

I’m excited to have a dressy casual jacket that I can wear a multitude of ways.

Competing Hobbies, Different Tribes

One evening last week I braved our Metro system to go to an event at Stitch Sew Shop, a fairly new sewing store in Old Town Alexandria totally geared towards people who want make their own clothing. The event was an opportunity to meet Lisa Comfort, the sewing genius behind London company Sew Over It. Lisa’s goal with her shop is to teach as many people to sew as possible, and the store offers classes, patterns, online classes, and I believe has expanded to other cities. Her patterns have both a modern and a vintage feel. There were maybe a dozen other women who had traveled from all over the DC region (Tyson’s, Bethesda) to see Lisa and to talk sewing. Our conversation ranged from the fall of good fabric stores to why dressmaking seems more popular in the UK to how do we teach our husbands to be better photographers?! I bought some fabric and a pattern, and returned home feeling a bit euphoric.

Lisa Comfort and one of her patterns, in Stitch Sew Shop in Alexandria, VA

Wonderful new fabric, too!

The evening got me thinking about the different hobbies and interests I have, and the different tribes therein. There is the bicycling world, the sewing world, and now, the bunny world. I’ve been in the bike world for several years know, admittedly on the periphery, and my interactions with the sewing world has been primarily online. And I’ve just dipped a toe in the rabbit world since adopting Gaston a month ago. And I’ve discovered something interesting.

The sewing world seems to be the most supportive and accepting. I think this is because it is the only one of these hobbies where there truly is no wrong way to do things. That’s what makes it so great – everyone’s personality and creativity is celebrated by all of us. Through blogs, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, I have found a group of people who are creative, who constantly strive to try new things, and who cheer on each other, even if the project isn’t their style. No “you shouldn’t put *those* sleeves into *that* bodice,” or “That fabric isn’t suitable for that outfit.” Nope, we are all exploring with what we love, and everyone is okay with that.

Not everyone would make (or wear!) a skirt like this, but my sewing community on Instagram loved it!

In the bicycling world, I still observe a lot of “you are doing it wrong!” attitudes, many “You aren’t doing that *my* way, therefore it’s wrong,” articles and commentary. Okay, there are some things that you shouldn’t do, like biking the wrong way in a one-way bike lane. But I hear stories from new (or not so new) cyclists about how they were treated by others on bikes, and it makes me sad that we can’t support each other’s choices. Why have some of us in the bicycle community still not learned that biking slow/short distances/old bikes/upright bikes/in street clothing/cautiously/casually is still GOOD biking? Yelling at a new rider or buzzing too close to pass them is *not* how to encourage them to keep them biking. Daily I am grateful, though, for the conscientious, supportive bike people I know. Without them, I would have left long ago.

My bicycle is an extension of my style – it expresses who I am.

I’m learning that bunny ownership is probably similar to parenthood – lots of people think they know best and want to make sure you know their way is best. And there are legitimately some things that you can do incorrectly with a rabbit including feeding it the wrong things (not enough hay. never enough hay), bad cages, and so on. Luckily I not only have past experience, I have a trusted source. But I also know enough to keep this group at arm’s length. Too many negative experiences in the bike world to want to get too close to this group.

This is a very relaxed and happy rabbit – we must be doing something right!

As we interact with others who have similar interests and hobbies, I hope we can all remember to take a breath and not jump down their throats for doing whatever it is in a different manner (assuming it’s safe and legal, etc.). Really, it’s okay to be different. It’s what makes us all interesting people.

Not everyone would wear this, either, but everyone loves it! (Can we talk about how adorable the star purse is?!?!)

Comfort Biking: When You Are a Beginner

Today’s Momentum Magazine email header was “Top 10 Tips for First-Time Bicycle Commuters,” and it made me think of a recent conversation at work with some women who are what I might call beginning bicycle riders. One was challenged to bike to work five days in a row, so that she might earn new bike accessories. Monday, I biked home with her; Tuesday, another woman who bikes everyday rode home with her (sadly, she had to bike home alone the last few days – sorry!). I was trying to coach her to get off the saddle at stop lights, rather than trying to balance on tiptoe while perched on her seat. She just felt more comfortable firmly on her saddle. I understand – I did it for ages too, until I met The Mechanic and he teased me about it.

The next day, we were chatting with another woman in our office, trying to get her to bike to work as well. She said she finally felt more confident about biking down the hill into Rosslyn, but she’s still really nervous about biking up the hill. When I asked why, she said, “Because of the buses.” I was confused, until she explained that she doesn’t want to have to stop going uphill (who can blame her?!), but she’s not comfortable going around a stopped bus (there’s a bus stop mid-hill on Wilson Blvd between Rosslyn and Courthouse), because that puts her into a traffic lane. So she’s trying to find a less hilly neighborhood street to take, so she doesn’t have to tangle with the buses.

See where the crosswalk is? That’s about where the troublesome bus stop is located.

This got me thinking again about the things we tell beginning bike riders. I admit to being a chicken bicyclist, but I am less fearful about traffic than I was when I started. I’m not sure what made me more confident. Most likely, the bike lanes between Ballston and Rosslyn – even though there are cars in them on a daily basis (sigh – when will planners realize that parallel parking on the right side of the bike lane is a bad idea?), having my own space but still being around moving vehicles gave me the opportunity to work up the courage to mix with them. And although I want the most direct route, rather than the lovely yet out-of-my-way bike trail, I do pick routes that either have a bike lane or go through a neighborhood. As I mentioned in a blog post I wrote for The Discerning Cyclist, the biggest barrier to overcome is in our heads – we will always be our own worst enemies. It’s the gritting the teeth and saying, “I got this!” and then keep doing it, and sometimes that isn’t easy. Often it isn’t easy.

Biking between cars, even in a bike lane, isn’t comfortable for some people. Cars trying to parallel park through the bike lane makes it scarier and more dangerous.

So I think that one of the best things to tell first-time bicycle commuters, in addition to practice cycling, plan ahead and go with a friend, is to remember to be brave. Be strong – act like you own it. And not to be ashamed if one day, you don’t own it. There will be other days. It’s just like dieting, or exercising, or starting any new habit: some days you won’t be your best, but that’s okay. The more you do it, the stronger you become. Repeat along with me: “I CAN do this.”

My lovely new iridescent Old Navy kids’ backpack is the carrot I’m following these days – of course, I can’t stop staring at its lovely shimmer. Maybe I need more shine in my life to get me through the tough times.

And I totally need to take my own advice sometimes though….

 

 

Biking Buys Me Happiness Too

Today was one of those days where I was just happy to be on a bike. Three things happened to make today’s riding happier than it’s been in a while – the weather, the bike trail, and a new cassette. Although, technically, since I bought the cassette, you could argue that again, money has bought me happiness. But let’s focus on the non-monetary aspects of this post tonight.

It poured rain in the wee hours, and I was glad I worked from home today. But the sun came out by the afternoon, so when I left to run errands, it was cool, breezy, just a bit humid, and just glorious – Spring! I had left in just jeans and a tee shirt and initially feared I’d be too cold, but that was not a problem. It just felt so FUN to be out biking around, arms bared to the sun (albeit smothered in sunscreen), the lightness that comes with not wearing layers of winter weather clothing.

Post-storm blossom “snow”

My errands took me on the W&OD Trail towards Falls Church, a route I haven’t taken in a while. Everything was in bloom, and covered with a haze of fresh green, giving me that happy-it’s-Spring feeling again. There were some people out on the trail, but it was a trail, not surface streets, so I was able to stretch my legs and get some speed going. The new cassette made shifting so much smoother, and I felt like I was flying along – well, I did hit 21 mph and regularly saw 14, 16, and 18 mph as well (yes, on my commuter bike!). I love the high gears. : )

Grass full of tiny yellow flowers of some sort, near a water filtration pond of some sort…

So although money can buy me happiness, being out on my bike on a Spring evening with favorable conditions probably made me happier. Exercise produces endorphins, after all, and as Elle Woods once said in Legally Blonde, “Endorphins make you happy.”

(Image from Sam Schuerman)

NYC Bike Observations

I’m in New York for a few days, staying in Brooklyn Heights with friends (and their adorable dog). I haven’t had the chance to do any biking, and frankly, I don’t know that I want to!

Yes, there are bike lanes. Yes, there are a ton of people biking. Yes, half the delivery bikes are e-bikes, which is really cool.

But there are also taxis and tourists and bikes in every lane, going every direction. There seems to be no attempt at all to cycle safe! Only half the people I see on bicycles are wearing helmets. Then there are the taxi drivers who pull out in front of and cut off anyone – pedestrians, trucks, buses, other taxis, and bicyclists. Yikes!

I know there are tons of people who happily bike around town, and maybe I would eventually be brave enough to do it. Until then, I think I’ll check out WABA’s Confident City Cycling class.