Me Made May Maker Feature: Jenna aka @theladywholunches
Welcome to our first Me Made May Maker Feature! This week's conversation is with the wonderfully skilled Jenna, also known on Instagram as @theladywholunches! We adore Jenna's colorful makes, personalized detailing, passion for sharing her knowledge about how to make your garments fit your body, and especially her contagious joy!
DuckaDilly: How did your sewing journey begin?
Jenna: I learned how to sew as a child, but it was really when I was in graduate school working on a PhD that my sewing really took off. It was a great stress reliever to make something more quickly than a dissertation. And then I found the amazing online sewing community and never looked back.
DuckaDilly: What is one thing in your sewing kit that you cannot live without?
Jenna: My measuring tape! I think everyone looks great in clothes that fit and accurate measurements are the foundation.
DD: Can you tell us about your process of finding inspiration in the wild and how you turn that into a garment?
Jenna: There are a few ready to wear brands (Horror Vacui and Unlogical Poem come to mind) that I really love for their use of detail, neither makes clothing in my size. I regularly check out their collections and find lots of inspiration. Similarly, I find inspiration from clothes I see in my day to day life and love to make them for my body.
DD: We love how you take a pattern and make it your own. What is your favorite embellishment to add to a garment?
Jenna: This is a surprisingly tough question! I think it’s between lace insertion and smocking. Both add such amazing texture and detail to garment that really make it special.
Check out the stunning smocking on Jenna's Ciara dress!
DD: Is there a specific tool, technique, or mindset shift that elevated your sewing?
Jenna: Really focusing on construction and styles lines has elevated my sewing. Most techniques in ready to wear are achievable by a home sewist, and when you understand garment construction and how to read style lines, you can easily modify existing patterns to achieve your vision. I’m not interested in drafting my own patterns, but I love to take an existing one and modify it to match my inspiration.
DD: We love your "get ready with me" videos! What is something that you frequently find yourself reaching for in your closet?
Jenna: These are so fun to make. I think I am always drawn toward color pops and repeatedly find that yellow shoes are my most worn. Who knew yellow shoes go with everything?
DD: What is your favorite way to spend an afternoon not sewing?
Jenna: I love to be in my garden. I have a small urban garden, but I pack a lot in it between my cottage style front garden and many many containers. I love to be out amongst the flowers, see the pollinators at work and get my hands deep into the soil.
DD: And finally, what is your favorite piece that you've made with Tana Lawn?
Jenna: I think my favorite piece with Tana lawn is my smocked dress using Ciara (E) (featured in this post!) It was modeled on a dress from Horror Vacui (that didn’t come in my size!) and I learned so many new techniques to make it and make it suit my taste. Smocking, piping, pintucks, it really is an extravaganza and every time I wear it, I’m immensely proud of what I accomplished. And for all the fabric and manipulation, it’s very comfortable to wear because Tana lawn is so lightweight. Love!
Thank you Jenna for your thoughtful contributions to the online sewing community! You can admire more of Jenna's sewing and her beautiful garden on Instagram @theladywholunches.
We will be back next week with another conversation with another fabulous maker!
xo, DuckaDilly
