Text Bite: “Dated” Fashion

In my mind, there are two primary reasons for sewing my own clothes:

1. I can make things that actually fit my 4’10” self.

2. I can make whatever styles I feel like wearing, whenever I feel like wearing them.

Now, I can understand that there are plenty of seamstresses that would like to be “fashionable” and “on-trend” (I HATE that phrase), so it makes sense that there are plenty of patterns being released by both the big 3-4-5 and indie companies. But that shouldn’t and doesn’t mean that patterns that were released longer than 5 minutes ago are somehow out of fashion.

It has been stated by both industry insiders and fashion pundits that, for the last 20 years, there has not been a defining style as there was in previous decades. They generally cite the instant information age and the rapid production speeds associated with fast fashion as major contributors to this high-turnover fashion phenomenon. But the direct result is that just about every style and design feature has been in fashion at some point during the past 20 years.

Think about it – Low, Mid, and now High rise have all been popular in the last 20 years. Skinny seemed to dominate, but boot cut has always had its place; and flares made a comeback a couple of years ago, with cropped wide-leg being the trendy pants silhouette right now. Skirts have gone from mini to midi to maxi and back. Ruffles come and go. Statement sleeves are in, along with high rise acid washed “mom” jeans that everyone thought would stay in the 80s and early 90s. “Everything old is new again.”

And thus, I get simultaneously amused, annoyed, and frustrated when I see home seamstresses labeling any pattern as “dated.” Have they not realized that there is no such thing as a “dated” style anymore? And even if there were, I cite my second reason for sewing my own clothes: we – as seamstresses – have the power to make whatever we want to wear, whenever we want to wear it.

According to most fashion stylists (both professional and self-appointed online “influencers”), the main things to consider when choosing styles and silhouettes is that they suit your figure and make you feel confident and beautiful. Just because leggings-as-pants somehow became a trend, that does not mean that everyone of every shape and size would look good in them AND feel pretty in them. Options are always a good thing.

So, a year or two ago, when I was looking up patterns for wide-legged pants and tiered skirts (two of my favorite styles) on Pattern Review, I came across comments that declared those styles to be “dated.” I snorted. Saying that something is “dated” dates the speaker as someone who has lived longer during the times when decade trends dominated than in the digital information age. I expect those same people to try and enforce the “match your purse and shoes” and “no white after labor day” rules. Aren’t we past that crap yet?

To summarize – just because we aren’t seeing X style or Y silhouette on the catwalks does not make it dated. If something is directly tied to a particular decade (e.g., Poodle Skirts – 1950s, Leg-o-Mutton sleeved wedding dresses – 1980s), it is not “dated;” it is “period fashion,” and there are plenty of pattern companies and seamstresses who style themselves according to the fashion tenets of those periods, especially the 1950s.

So people shouldn’t go claiming that something is “dated” just because it was popular a year or two ago and we don’t see it in stores now. One of the main points of sewing for ourselves is so we are not held hostage by the high street. If you don’t like a silhouette because it’s not your style or doesn’t suit your body type, fine. But if you don’t like a style because the high street says you shouldn’t like it anymore, that’s a pretty sad-sack reason for a preference.

Julia

Doing God’s Work (Because God Likes Ice Cream)

During my brief 2-week break between the summer and fall semesters, I drove over to my parents’ house to see my family and celebrate my dad’s birthday. As I was getting ready to leave to come back home, my dad asked if I wanted to have his Cuisinart ice cream maker because it was “too small for what he wants to do” – everything he makes has to be in mass quantity, so a 1.5qt capacity ice cream maker is just a damn tease.

This cute bucket-style model is no longer being made, but they have another model that functions in the same way – it just looks more like a food processor than “ye olde wooden ice bukket.” The one I acquired has 2 freezer bowl insert thingies, so you can make two batches in a row if you get on a major ice cream making kick.

I already had a little Hamilton Beach Half Pint single-serve ice cream maker that I used quite a bit during the summer when I lived in Japan, and I remember keeping a jug of my own pre-made ice cream base in the fridge at all times. Back then, I used a mix of 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (full fat) and 2 cups of half-and-half. And for some reason, I never tried any of the other cream types.

The Half Pint (which also comes in pink and blue) isn’t being manufactured by Hamilton Beach anymore, but you can still get them for about $20 on Ebay, which is how much they sold for when they were still being made. I would never buy one for the ridiculous prices that people are trying to sell them for on Amazon, but hey – maybe cute is worth it. I’m just glad I already own it.

So, since I brought the larger (for me) Cuisinart ice cream maker home, I have been experimenting to see what the differences are between ice cream made with heavy whipping cream, whipping cream, and half-and-half, besides just calories. My first batch of ice cream used heavy cream because it’s what I had on hand. My second used whipping cream, and the batch I literally just made used half-and-half. All products were the Kroger store brand, so there wasn’t a variance between brands, just the amount of milkfat per cup.

The ice cream base I used for all three batches was:
– 1 (14oz) can of sweetened condensed milk (full fat), Kroger brand
– 2c cream
– Flavoring(s) of choice

So, approximately three ingredients total per batch. I would whisk the condensed milk into the cream along with the flavoring, then get the freezer bowl out of the fridge and pour the ice cream base into it, set up the ice cream maker, and start it up. I ran the first batch (heavy cream) for 20 minutes, and the second and third (whipping cream and half-and-half) for 25 minutes.

First batch (heavy cream) was plain chocolate flavor (added 1/2c of Hershey’s cocoa powder) and because it was made from heavy cream, it was the consistency and texture of gelato. It was soft-serve consistency at 20min, but after being in the freezer it became a lot firmer. This ice cream really tasted like cream, and although I hate using the word “rich” to describe food, that’s how most people would characterize this type of ice cream. Definitely the real deal.

Second batch (whipping cream) was chocolate peanut butter swirl (added 1/3c Hershey’s cocoa powder to the base, then added layers of 1/2c melted peanut butter as I scooped the finished ice cream into the container to put in the freezer), and it was just as good – if not better – than the Haagen Dazs and Turkey Hill chocolate peanut butter swirl ice creams I usually get at the grocery store. It reminded me of the ice cream my dad and I used to get at the little old-fashioned ice cream shop in Rehoboth beach. This ice cream was lighter and less creamy in taste and texture than the heavy cream batch. This was in line with what I expect regular ice cream to taste like.

Third batch (half-and-half) was mint chocolate chip (1.5 tsp peppermint extract and 1/2c mini semisweet chips) and it was still not truly frozen after 25min; it was too runny to be considered soft-serve, so I put it into another container and stuck it in the freezer. After a bit, I took it out and it was then at soft-serve consistency. The taste is a lot more milky and less creamy than the other two batches – definitely more “ice” than “cream.” The texture is also grainy, which was not present in the previous two batches. I certainly won’t have a problem eating this, because it does taste good (enough), but it’s gone a bit past ice cream and into “frozen dairy dessert” territory.

CONCLUSIONS – Ice cream made with heavy whipping cream is ridiculously good, but should be reserved for special occasions because it’s fatty-fat-fat and pretty intensely creamy. Ice cream made with plain whipping cream is a good “everyday” ice cream, lower on the fat scale, but still definitely ice cream. Ice cream made with half-and-half is when you want something that is an approximation of ice cream, but isn’t going to blow up your calories for the day.

After I finish using up the half-and-half that I bought, I’m going to probably stick with whipping cream for my weekly ice cream making sessions. But I’ll pick up some heavy cream if I’m feelin’ fancy and fatty.

NOTES ON FLAVORING –  1/2c cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Cocoa Powder, the regular kind, NOT the special dark) was VERY intensely chocolate. It was good as a plain chocolate ice cream, but I wanted it a bit more mellow when combined with peanut butter swirl, which is why I reduced the amount to 1/3c for the second batch.

In my third batch, I wish I had put it a bit more (maybe 2tsp instead of 1.5) peppermint extract and a bit fewer (maybe 1/3c  instead of 1/2c) mini chips. The chips, which are Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chips, are outstanding; I just want a bit fewer chips per bite of mint ice cream. Of note, I’m also the type to reduce the amount of chocolate chips called for in a chocolate chip cookie recipe, so there’s that. I like my chocolate, but if I’m going to eat it in something else, I want to be able to taste that something else, too. 😉

Julia