Helen Kang

Look at this little one! It’s a crocus I planted in the fall. I decided to plant some bulbs to get early blooms during the grey months ahead. Today was a beautiful day and while outside I discovered some signs of life already in the garden. Life goes on. The planet is doing its thing. It’s been here before and it’s memory is longer than we can possibly imagine. That is both comforting and humbling. [First image: a green and white crocus bud peaking through brown leaves. Second image: four thin green allium sprouts merging out of mulch. Third image: an assortment of wildflowers still green. No flowers yet. End.] #Gardening #SpringBulbs #AmazingNature #Garden #Hope #GreenThumb

Some framed quilt blocks inspired by @noodlehead531 . I used a beautiful birds and landscape fabric I got at @SpoolofThread during before times and complementing green fabric (with brown undertones) from @fabricationsott some years ago while visiting my best friend. The blocks remind me of decorations on traditional Korean furniture: geometric with ornate designs of nature. The frames are from IKEA. They no longer have the 19” square frames Noodlehead used for their blocks, so I made do with these 16x20 frames. I kept the edges raw and I like the unfinished look. I used double sided tape on Bristol boards cut to size. #diydecor #memadeeveryday #isewlation #quilting #sewmystash #fabricscraps #sewincolour #pocwhosews #sewcialists #sewistsofinstagram

Birthday card for my friend Cat. She likes to remove most of the rice from her California rolls. I once asked her why she just doesn’t ask for less rice but she didn’t answer. I think she enjoys the ritual of slowly removing the rice with her chopsticks. This was a birthday card I made for her. I miss eating sushi with her. 🍙🍣🍘🍱 #greetingcards #handmadewithlove #memade #sushi #handmade #

Ever create something that takes your breath away? This little cushion came out much more beautiful than anticipated. The fabric is the Magnolia Wonderland from @SpoolOfThread . It is absolutely stunning and also has good drape (I think it could make a nice skirt or dress).                         #memade #memadeveryday #sewing #sewcialist #isewlation #diyhomedecor #pillows

#MonarchJacket by @AllieOlson.Patterns . The front panel used to be a RTW pencil skirt (swipe to last photo). The rest is made of ponte de roma from @dressew I went with gunmetal snaps for more 90s feel. BTW I hate installing snaps. [photos of woman wearing handmade raglan sleeve jacket, slightly bomber style in black and white] #handmade #sewcialists #upcycledclothing #isewmyownclothes #sewistsofinstagram #indiepatterns #diywardrobe #memadewardrobe

I don’t always find sewing relaxing.                  More often than I’d care to admit, I’ve thrown works in progress across the room (in fact, I did this just the other day). The pressure of finishing a make (for an event, to wear before a season ends) can lead to mistakes… then frustration, anger, and disappointment.                  Back in spring, when the initial shock of the pandemic started to wear off, I made my first @closetcorepatterns #cielotop. I used a beautiful drapy mustard viscose linen blend from my stash. I took my time piecing together the PDF pattern, cutting the fabric, and sewing it up. I didn’t rush. I had nowhere to wear it to so I was under no pressure for time.                      I relished the coming together of fabric and thread. I can still remember the “sh sh” sound of my sewing machine as I slowly put in the top stitching.                         I hadn’t felt that much joy and relaxation while sewing in a long time.                        There is something to be said about letting go of the final product and enjoying each step of the creative process.                       Now… if only I can hold onto that feeling for the rest of my makes…!                        #creativity #perfectionism #perfectionist #creativeprocess #trusttheprocess #slowfashion #sewcialist #imakemyclothes #sewing #memade #memadewardrobe #diywardrobe

Back in spring, I planted some grocery-bought potatoes that started to sprout. They became three little potato plants that looked puny and sad. I let them be, covering them with more soil as they slowly grew. Last week, I saw that the plants were in a sorry shape. They barely any leaves left on them. I dug them up a couple of days ago, and to my surprise I found 2-4 potatoes under each plant! And they were delicious in the Japanese curry I made last night. What a surprising gift! I had zero expectations, virtually no hope… but I let them grow anyway. And then, there were potatoes. #gardening #vegetablegarden #westcoastgardening #creativity #perfectionism #perfectionist #creativeprocess #trusttheprocess

Last week, I decided to sow some wildflowers. It’s a bit late to be sowing seeds, but I decided to give it a try to see if I can get some autumn blooms. I struggle with perfectionism. Sometimes, it can be so bad that I give up on my ideas even before they have a chance to take root. This year, I’ve been working to embrace curiosity and experimentation in my creative process, whether it’s sewing, writing, or gardening. Much of gardening is “let’s plant it and see what happens” because you never know how plants will interact with its surroundings. For the past few days I’ve been watching my wildflower seeds sprout into tiny specs of delicate green. I don’t know what the future holds for them, but for now these babies are giving me so much joy, reminding me that there is pleasure to be found in the experimentation process. Wildflowers Pacific Northwest Blend (non-GMO): @westcoastseeds #gardening #wildflowers #westcoastseeds #westcoastgardening #creativity #perfectionism #perfectionist #creativeprocess

Not “all lives matter.” Not “so long as there’s no looting.” BLACK LIVES MATTER, period because there can’t be a condition on right to life, enfranchisement, and dignity. No justice, no peace. . White folks and other people of colour in Canada, we know anti-black racism and police violence is rampant in this country, too. Support local BLM chapters. Blacklivesmatter.ca

My second pair of #hudsonpants by @truebias . I pieced together grey fleece lined sweatshirt knit scraps I found at @fabcyclevan (from their free shelf). I used the peacock French terry from my own scrap stash as accents. So basically these pants were made from “garbage” and cost next to nothing! They are now my favourite pair of pants to wear around the house. You can see where I Frankensteined the fabric scraps (knee and thigh). In the last photo you can see how I managed to squeeze in the pattern to the fabric. It was close! By the way, my #minimalistwallet matches my joggers 😜 . . . . #memade #memadewardrobe #memadeeveryday #handmade #sewistsofinstagram #indiepatterns #sewcialists #sustainablefashion #sewing

When I saw the #dogwoodapron by @helens__closet I knew 1. I wanted one and 2. it would make the perfect gift for my friend KS (maker, artist, activist). I also knew exactly which fabric to use from my stash: this unbearably cute 🍊fabric I bought at @nunoyabcn a few years ago. I had so much fun making this apron! I didn’t quite achieve the level of pattern matching I’d hoped for the long flap, but that itty bitty pocket (last photo)...!! 😱😍 I hope my friend enjoys wearing the apron as much as I enjoyed making it! . . . . . #handmadegifts #memade #makeyourstash #indiepatterns #sewistsofinstagram #sewcialists #memadegifts #handmade #craftapron #makersapron #makersgonnamake

This #fultonsweaterblazer is probably my most complicated make to date. I had a vision of a black and grey tuxedo style blazer with all the comforts of a knit fabric. I give myself 7/10! The collar was tricky and kind of miraculous. You think, “Where is this going?”, and suddenly there it is! I also made my first welt pocket using the helpful tutorial by @msjennmakes and @msrebeccamakes (at ). I wish I had used black interfacing for the welt pockets because now I might have to put in a lining to hide the white interfacing when I open the jacket. The instructions are clear, the pattern has notches to align everything, and @alinadesignco provides a helpful video on their YouTube channel. Fabric is grey and black ponte knit from @dressew using gift card from @vonkent and Mo - thank you!! . . . . #isewmyownclothes #handmadewardrobe #memadewardrobe #memade #sewistsofinstagram #sewcialists