The Sunday Steep #10: An autumn grab bag
The Sunday Steep #10: An autumn grab bag
"Laundry Love" and slow fashion, the most adorable teapots, and a goat meat update
Hello, friends;
Happy “the trees are finally turning color!” day from southwest Michigan.
Today I’ll be packing for a trip to the Upper Peninsula where I’ll surely see more brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows - it should be peak color up there, or close. We’ll be leaving tomorrow to run the store for a few days, and then visiting Owen at college. The best news: my second-oldest, Isaac, will be coming along for the ride! He’s been working in another state for months, so I haven’t seen him since summer. I’m so excited to spend some good time together, mom and son and son.
On my mind…
Packing for a trip is interesting because it always forces me to consider the clothes I actually wear, versus the clothes I keep in my closet in the hopes that I may one day wear them.
Truth be told, I could probably get by year-round in the clothing I pack for a typical week-long trip. It’s the special occasion outfits that trip me up, those “But maybe I’ll need some business casual wear for a conference soon” acquisitions (even though it’s been nearly five years since I last attended a conference and there are no business-casual events on my horizon.)
Living in a place with seasons gets into my head even more. It’s easy to convince myself I “need” a lot of clothes to ride out the transitions from fall to winter, winter to spring, and so on. But in reality, 95% of the days my wardrobe is made up of the same basic staples, just with more or less layers; and I need a lot fewer of those “just in case” pieces than my good-consumer-brain tells me I do.
So while my typical solution to an autumn fall refresh would be to run out and buy a bunch of new pieces, this year, I’m challenging myself to think first about stewarding the clothing I already have.
What would it look like if I carefully followed the laundering instructions on my clothing, rather than blithely tossing everything in the same load of laundry since, after all, I can always replace it if it shrinks/pills/fades?
And what if, when it does come time to purchase some new items, I purposely chose clothing made from high-quality natural fibers - even if that meant they also required more attentive care?
How might that change my connection to my clothing?
Like I do most autumns, I got lured in a few weeks ago by email advertising and Instagram ads reminding me that I need new clothes for a new season. I didn’t fully resist, but I did restrain myself, buying a couple new sweaters, new leggings, and a jacket - most of which were made from high-quality wool. While the wool is softer than you might think, the price tags initially made me itch - until I realized that these quality pieces could be in my closet forever if I care for them right - and if I do, I’ll actually be spending a lot less overall than I would on a “bargain” splurge.
If I’m thoughtful about putting together outfits (and maybe clean out some of the dead weight obstructing my view), I can easily put together a season’s worth of outfits from those few new pieces plus what I already had (which admittedly includes a dress with chickens printed all over it it, a total splurge from an end-of-summer girl’s trip that I had no practical purpose for.) But every wardrobe should have room for whimsy, right?
I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about how to be a better steward of the things (and people!) entrusted to my care. Of course, that includes clothing, doesn’t it? Just like the food we eat, the choices we make around fashion have environmental and human impacts. I wonder: if buying a sweater feels like an investment and a sacrifice, will I be more likely to care for it in a way that respects the animal and human work that went into producing it?
I think so. So for me, the next step is really learning how to care for wool garments (turns out, dry cleaning isn’t actually a necessity, like, ever - see the book below to be convinced.)
On my book stack:
I read Laundry Love by Patric Richardson a couple of years ago, and it had a huge impact on my thinking about everything from how I care for clothing to whether I should use dryer sheets (I happily have not, for two years now!)
Richardson has a delightful passion for textiles and it comes through strongly in this book, which is loaded with practical tips and myth-busters about laundry and garment care. I strongly recommend!
Order Laundry Love on Amazon, or…
Buy Laundry Love on Bookshop.org and support indie bookstores!
I’d love to hear about your approach to caring for your clothing if you’ve taken a “less but better” approach. Does buying better clothing inspire you to take better care of it - or, does caring for your clothing more thoughtfully encourage you to buy better-made clothing?
In my cup:
I’ve been making a point to use my favorite fall-inspired “tea for one” mug for my afternoon tea the last few weeks.
Have you seen these? I sell a variety of them at Bevy, my tea shop, and get so much delight from them. Basically it’s a little teapot that nestles into a cup. You brew the tea (about a serving and a half) in the pot, them pour it into the cup. Here, I made you a GIF so you can see how it works!
These are perfect for my afternoon tea, when I usually want to consume less since I’m just looking for a little treat (my morning tea is about both pleasure AND volume.) I’m writing this Saturday afternoon, and my cute little cup is full of Harney & Sons decaf darjeeling - a light-bodied, refreshing black tea that acts as a nice 2 PM pick-me-up without keeping me up all night.
In my kitchen:
Remember the 80 pounds of goat meat (chevon) in my freezer? Well, I’m happy to report that we are down to maybe 65 pounds at this point, and so far, the dishes have all been successful. So far, I’ve made:
Goat meatballs with lentils
Goat tagine with Moroccan spices, pears and apricots (I improvised this one based loosely on multiple recipes and my existing tagine experience)
Goat chili (basically the same as my usual off-the-top-of-my-head chili recipe, but with ground chevon instead of beef) with sourdough discard corn muffins
And last week, I made a shepherd’s - errr, goatherd’s - pie.
Chevon is tender and sweet, but it is stronger-flavored than what my family is used to. I found that it was best-received when used in a dish with a lot of warm, sweet and spicy flavors to meet it halfway, like the curry and tagine. But the other dishes have all been good in their own way, too, and I’ve easily been able to adapt recipes that usually call for beef or lamb. I’ve got chops thawing in the fridge for Sunday dinner, and that feels a little outside my comfort zone. Wish me luck!
In my hands…
Still stitching! This time I’m working on a French hen embroidery kit from Hook, Line & Tinker (one of the companies whose products I’m including in some of the Sip & Stitch BevyBoxes, along with NNK press, who makes the sweet scissors pictured.)
I have some big goals for handmade holiday gift-giving this year, and am looking at these kits as an easy gift to make for anyone who likes pretty things, as well as a warm-up to a few more challenging projects I probably won’t get into until November. I love stitching kits! They’re a low-stress way to learn something new, practice skills, or just keep practicing.
Taking a break…probably
The Tea’s Made podcast is on hiatus until October 24, and since I’ll be traveling north to visit Owen at college next week (a road trip with my second-oldest son, Isaac!) it’s very likely I won’t get a Sunday Steep out the door, either. So if you don’t hear from me at all next week, just imagine me spending time with two of my boys in one of my favorite places - and this time, I fully intend to stay upright on two feet.
In case you missed it: Introducing the BevyBox!
The BevyBox is a gift box for tea lovers, crafters, and creative souls, curated by yours truly! And I’m now accepting orders for the holiday 2024 season.
Each Just Sips BevyBox will contain a selection of my favorite tea, plus a tea accessory. You can also choose a Sip & Stitch box that will include craft supplies geared toward your fiber art of choice (yarn or thread). And all BevyBoxes will also include a print copy of BEVY, a beautifully-illustrated publication written and edited by me.
These boxes are customized to include your favorite kinds of tea and supplies for your craft of choice, and are created to deliver both value and delight.
I will be accepting orders in three different windows this holiday season. The first round of orders need to be received by 11:59 PM EST on October 20, 2024 and will ship by October 30, 2024. I’ll offer two additional ordering windows before Christmas.
Use the code TEA15 for 15% off. Enjoy, friends!
That’s it for this edition of the Sunday Steep, friends. I’ll see you very soon!
Warmly,
Meagan
Great article. I love the idea of higher quality/less clothes. Would you share some of your favorite retailers?
Love that chicken dress! Enjoy your trip.