Bikey T-shirts & More at Dark Cycle Clothing

My Dark Cycle Grizzly tee

If you've ever read anything on this blog, I'm sure you know that I love cycling & kind of have a bike t-shirt problem. I think N+1 applies to bikey tees because I can go for more than a week without having to do laundry & I'll still have clean bike t-shirts to wear. Heh.

However, most of my cycling themed shirts are from HUB Cycling, sort of a suggested work uniform (I use the term very loosely here). It's great to have a job where I can wear comfy clothes & not have to worry about conforming to business casual, or worse, wearing--ack--pantyhose! But, some of my work tshirts are, well, a bit logo-ey, even slightly dorky. So I'm always on the lookout for cycling themed shirts that feature cool art, or something that's just a little weird.

I was introduced to Dark Cycle Clothing by my friend Anny, who started up a group of riders called Team Mama Bear, in Seattle. This shirt that you see me wearing in the image on the right is their unofficial uniform, & she gave me one when we visited her last year. I love the drawing & can relate to this bear so much. DO NOT MESS WITH A MAMA BEAR, amirite, ladies?!?

The kids' Dark Cycles tees: tabby & axolotl, front & back

When I went to take a look at Dark Cycle's website, I was blown away by the huge variety of animals on bikes that you can get on a t-shirt or sticker. & not just your run-of-the-mill ordinary common animals, like cats & dogs & bears. They've got OVER 75 different creatures on t-shirts, including such things as pangolins, pelicans, & platypus.

Not too long ago, I entered an Instagram contest & won a sticker from Dark Cycles, so when I went to their site to claim my prize, I also bought shirts for the kids. I chose a tabby on a bike for Bronte & an axolotl on a bike for Linnaeus.

The shirts arrived soon after, & they fit my skinny kids well. 5.5-year-old B is in a size 6, 8.5-year-old L is in a youth medium. The fabric is a cotton blend, super soft & the print is made with a lightweight ink, which means it's also nice & soft, not plasticky. Once the kids got them on, I noticed a little bonus: Dark Cycle prints their logo on the upper back of the t-shirt in reflective ink. Makes the kids just a wee bit more visible on warm summer nights. :)

Unicorn on a bike sticker!

Fast forward to this summer & I heard Dark Cycle was starting an affiliate program, so of course I signed up! So, if you're thinking about picking up a bikey t-shirt for back to school season or a gift or just for you, because you need to have a unicorn on a bike on your chest... if you use my affiliate link, I'll get a wee commission & you'll be helping to support my blog. Thanks!

If you don't need a t-shirt or a sticker, Dark Cycle also makes housewares like hats, mugs, pillows, & trivets. So you could geek out your entire home with weird animals on bikes on stuff!

If you really do need t-shirts, you could also consider their t-shirt subscription--the more months you sign up for with Shirt of the Month Club, the more you save.



Disclaimer: As an affiliate for Dark Cycle Clothing, I receive a small commission if you make a purchase via my affiliate links in the above post. Thanks for supporting Spokesmama!

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What I've been sewing lately

I went for one or two things...

If you've been following me on Instagram, you might have noticed I've been sewing a bit lately. I've loved sewing since I tried it at age five, but I haven't really been sewing that much in the past few years. That all changed recently after a friend introduced me to Made for Mermaids & Patterns for Pirates PDF patterns & I finally made it to two Our Social Fabric sales.

If you'd like to do some more sewing, M4M & P4P have so many fun, simple patterns to try. They're mostly for use with knit fabrics--leggings, t-shirts, sweatpants, sweaters, hoodies, simple dresses--but there are some designs for wovens if you prefer. Each pattern generally has several variations & a wide range of sizes. The children's patterns I've used start at six months & go all the way up to size 14, & the women's generally go from XXS to XXL.

Most of the patterns are $8-10, with discounts for buying multiples (check out the Facebook groups for P4P & M4M for details on this), though there are also quite a few free ones. After you buy the pattern, you download it, then you can print it out. I generally use my phone or laptop to look through the instructions & sizing guide, then just print the pieces that include the pattern parts that I'll need. You can generally find a chart that tells you which pages you'll need to print for which size & view of pattern. After printing, you can tape or glue the pieces together, which I actually like doing. It's like a big floor puzzle!

Besides discount codes in the P4P & M4M Facebook groups, you'll find a lot of inspiration for pattern mash ups & hacks, tips on where to order fabrics online & a lot of support if you're struggling to sew one of the patterns.

Here's what I've made so far:

The project that got me started was making a couple of raglan long sleeve t-shirts, with the free Nap Time Creations pattern on Life Sew Savory. These were made of a wonderfully soft & stretchy fleece that I got two metres of at Our Social Fabric a while ago. Bronte had had a very similar (but pink) stripey fleece shirt from MEC that we really loved (thanks Auntie Sarah!). She wore it for at least two years, but finally couldn't squeeze into it anymore, so she needed a cozy new fleece top. Once I'd made hers, I made Linny one as well, in the same size, but with longer sleeves & body. They're actually very close to the same size around, he's just a head taller.

As usual, I had a hard time getting a clear picture of Bronte, since she literally never stops moving unless she's sleeping. She had also gotten into my makeup while I was sewing, & given herself a rather raccoon-like "smokey eye". But you get the idea--the shirt is just your basic raglan, no cuffs, & the neckband is made of the same fabric. I love how they turned out & the kids have been wearing them a lot too.

P4P Jolly Roger Raglan & M4M Bonny Leggings

At some point in the past few weeks I tried making Bronte some leggings as well, since she's growing out of or ripping holes in so many of her old ones. (Can't find a photo) I used a chunk of mauve cotton Lycra that I've had sitting around for years. This pattern is amazingly simple to put together--three pieces in total. It fits a little looser than most leggings--more like slim fit pants. When I made the leggings I was still working out which stitches worked best for stretch fabrics, so the thread is showing a bit at the seams & the stitching at the ankles has already broken.

Once I realized how easy these little raglans & leggings are to whip up, I decided to make a set for my nephew's first birthday present in February. I made both pieces in a size two, but realized after making the leggings that they are much smaller fitting--especially for a child in a diaper--than the shirt, so it's not likely he'll fit them at the same time. This time I thought I'd try the Patterns for Pirates Jolly Roger Raglan with a curved hem.

This is such a fun thing to sew as a gift--it doesn't take long & you end up with a really soft, fuzzy fleece shirt that would cost quite a bit if you bought it at a store. Even if the budget weren't so tight around here, I'd much rather spend time making something than money & time in a store.

Reversible Merino knit toque!

The first item of clothing that I actually made for myself this year was a simple toque. It's reversible, made out of two different colours of technical merino knit that I got at Our Social Fabric. This one wasn't actually a M4M or P4P pattern, but an Appletree Slouchy Beanie. You can sign up for their newsletter to get it free, by the way.

Though it's two layers, this toque actually fits better under my bike helmet than the MEC synthetic knit one that I was using before. The slouchiness of the Appletree one also looks a bit more stylish than the cycling gear head skullcap MEC one & it covers my ears better on the chilly morning commutes. I'm also really pleased with how soft & not itchy the merino is. I got small lengths (0.5-1.5m each) in several colours of this fabric, so I can't wait to make more clothes out of it.

Hard to capture the black on black
details of this P4P SFR

Last week I made myself a hoodie I've been mulling over for quite a while. I have been wanting to make myself a Patterns for Pirates Slim Fit Raglan with some black French terry that I found at Our Social Fabric. I decided somewhere during the mulling process that I wanted to do the elbow patches in black stretch lace, using a scrap that I have had around for literally a decade.

But I couldn't find the damn scrap for some reason. I know I had it in my hands a few days before I decided to use it, but after basically tossing the house, I gave up. A few days later, after resisting going to Dressew to just buy another length of stretch lace, I realized that I still have the arm warmer thingies I made with the lace in the first place.

Yeah, black stretch lace arm warmers. I'll let that sink in a moment. Black stretch lace arm warmers. That go from my knuckles all the way up to my mid bicep. The last time I wore them was probably when I was performing somewhere on stilts, but I actually didn't make them as a costume. Anyway... yeah, so I found one of the damned things & happily chopped two elbow patches out of it.

While I was trying to figure out where the hell that scrap of lace was, I decided on the details of the rest of the hoodie. I made the tunic length, with a wrap-around hood, kangaroo pocket & cuffed sleeves. Once I got most of it made, I decided I wanted to make a loose band at the hem as well. I graded the pattern to be a size small in the sleeves & bust, to a large at the waist & hips. It fits great in the bust, but I probably could have sized down one at the waist & hips. I made the arms longer to better fit my six-foot wingspan, with a bit extra length to accommodate reaching forward on a bike as well. Hate having chilly wrists from sleeves riding up!

Modelling her cousin's birthday gift

This pattern came together really quickly too--I think I finished it all in a day as well. The French terry is super soft & comfy & I love how the wrap around hood looks when it's down. I'll definitely be making myself more variations on this P4P raglan.

Last week I decided to sew up a Made for Mermaids Lea dolman dress for a cousin's birthday present. I used a soft navy cotton Lycra & included the side seam pockets, of course. It's something I love about this pattern--three pockets in a dress!

B's cousin is six, so that's the size I made her--I find these patterns fit a bit big, so hopefully it will fit her a while. It's not a bad fit for Bronte either, but it's a little longer than I'd like & quite loose in the bodice. I decided to make a size down when I got around to making B one too.

That day came sooner than I expected because on our way home from another birthday party (two in one day!) we stopped by Spool of Thread & I found a lovely remnant of double gauze cotton with a cute constellations print on it. Bronte thought it was pretty neat too, so I brought it home & prewashed it that night.

BYOB: build your own bag!

Monday morning, I realized we seem to have lost several of our good shopping bags, so I pulled out another remnant I bought at Our Social Fabric. It's a navy synthetic fabric--what you'd make an umbrella with, I think--with a tiny hounds tooth print. I traced the one remaining grocery bag that we could find & made a quick pattern, then cut it out of the fabric. I originally intended to do a lining layer behind the handles to avoid doing a bias binding, but I decided to try to save as much fabric as I could & just used a packet of bias binding from Dressew that I had sitting around. My notions hoarding habits are pretty handy in situations like this--ha!

The bag I was copying has a couple of straps that snap together to hold the bag when it's all folded up, but I find them a bit loose & an overly complicated solution, so I replaced that with an elastic loop on my bag, made from a scrap of elastic that my Our Social Fabric bundles come bound with--yay, recycling! The white really stands out, & will likely get fairly dirty quickly, so when I make another of these, I'll try to use black elastic, I think.

Bronte's stellar dress

Once I finished the shopping bag, I was on a roll, so I launched into working on B's dress. I got it cut out & started putting it together before she was even home from preschool. I finished most of the dress while she watched (also: nearly knocked the iron off the ironing board, played with my shears, hid under the table with my snips, & I can't even remember how many other bits of mischief she got up to while I tried to work around her). I attached the skirt & hemmed it when I got back from picking Linny up from school. Bronte was all over me to try it on immediately, so we did a quick photo shoot on the deck (check out Instagram for the full set of B hamming it up). I think she likes it!

It fits well, mostly because I made it a size down, but also because I added elastic to the neckline so it won't stretch out when she pulls it over her head. That's part of the reason it's such a quick dress to sew up--the entire bodice is just two pieces, not including the little chest pocket, then there are two skirt pieces & the optional side seam pockets. No buttons or zippers to put in, just an elastic casing at the waist.

I definitely need to keep making time to sew--it feels really good to make things myself & I feel so much better in clothing that fits me properly, since I can customize that. I'm also looking forward to making more colourful & creative stuff for both kids, particularly Linnaeus. I find boys' clothes generally so boring & dull--so much of it is navy, grey, black, with a limited range of graphics & prints that I find so annoyingly stereotypical. Girls' clothing isn't much better, but at least it's colourful.

I'm going to sign off now--this post grew into a bit of a mammoth, didn't it? But before I go, I'm curious, what have you made recently, sewing or otherwise? Let me know in the comments!

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#Moms30for30 Wardrobe Challenge

A few years ago, I joined in on a fashion challenge called Moms 30 for 30, to try out living with a small wardrobe. The idea is to pick out 30 items of your clothing that you will wear during the 30 day challenge. Not counted in the 30 items are: "specialized" clothing like workout gear or pyjamas, outerwear, underwear, socks. I didn't count shoes or other accessories like scarves, jewellery, or belts either.

I found it easier in some ways to have fewer clothes to pick from. Accessories were more important when the basics were limited, which was fun. I sort of wanted to have a do over with my choices part way through the month though--if you want to read the full story, click here.

I swear I have NO recent indoor selfies

When I got a message in Instagram that Raj of Pink Chai Living was doing the challenge again this May, I decided to try again. I think it might be more fun to do this one in the spring, as the weather warms up--the last challenge was in November, so lots of layers & long sleeves.

I'm still mulling over what my 30 pieces will be, but I'm thinking about sticking to mainly white & black this time around. When I do decide, I'll post a shot of the entire set of clothes like I did last year.

I'll be posting daily selfies of my outfits (instead of just me in my coat, like nearly every one is for the past six months!) on Instagram, hashtagged #Moms30for30, & probably a weekly update here on the blog.

Anyone else want to play along? You don't need a blog or Instagram to do it, nor do you need to be a mom--however you want to join in is fun--but if you do post your outfits on social media, use the #Moms30for30 hashtag. I have to say, doing this challenge helped me realize which clothes I don't wear & what I like to wear better, so it has been easier to purge my closet since then. I also find I get a bit of a confidence boost from creating outfits rather than just putting on clothes.

But don't just take my word for it--head over to Raj's site, Pink Chai Living, to read her seven reasons to join the #Moms30for30 Wardrobe Challenge.

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Review: Slimsation Shorts

I find it hard to get shorts that fit me well these days. I prefer a longer walking short style, not too wide. I recently tried out Slimsation shorts. I ordered them online & they arrived in the mail quite promptly.

The basic preppy walking shorts are comfy enough, made of stretch synthetic fabric, actually great for riding my bike & some of the crouching & climbing after the kids on the playground. I was a little skeptical of the fabric--I much prefer natural fibres whenever possible--but they haven't been too hot in the warm weather we've been having here in Vancouver.

I like the slit hem detail but the back pockets are a little small, which isn't all that flattering. I like to actually use my pockets for things occasionally & having smaller than the usual pockets means my phone falls out more easily & sometimes things don't fit at all.

The Slimsation part of the shorts is an inner mesh material that's intended to slim the belly. The hips of the shorts fit well, but the waist is a little large. I measured carefully & ordered according to the sizing chart, but the shorts fit larger than the measurements online so I don't really get a slimming effect. There are no belt loops, so I find they slide down my hips a bit too low. If you decide to order some of these, I'd go a size smaller if you want the snug slimming effect.

Disclaimer: I received a free pair of these shorts to facilitate this review, but was not otherwise compensated for this post.

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#EcoClutterBuster Update: I Found Clothing Recycling!

When I set out to downsize the clutter in my house, I already knew about programs to recycle batteries, old electric appliances, light bulbs, & many of the other things we've got kicking around. But for clothing--especially if children have ripped, stained, & worn through it--it's hard to find a sustainable alternative to the landfill. I know there are textile recyclers, but I haven't been able to find any that are anywhere near where I live--the one in Surrey is a 65km round trip for us--way too far to go with a big load of textiles & two little kids on my bike or on transit.

Then I heard about H&M's Long Live Fashion campaign. (Hat tip to Michelle) You can bring bags of clothing in any condition--even full of holes--to an H&M store & they will send them to be reused, or recycled. Perfect--there's an H&M a 20-minute bike ride from our house! Besides being a green way to downsize your clothing collection, you can even get a $5 H&M voucher as incentive.




For more info on my ongoing #EcoClutterBuster project, ideas & information about where you can recycle a lot of household junk, see these posts:

The genesis of #EcoClutterBuster in 2014
Our Social Fabric Donation: a great non-profit to pass on your unused fabric & sewing notions
Goodbye Clothes: four ways to bust the clutter in your closets
A Disappointing Donation: our negative experience with donating household items to the Salvation Army Thrift store
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... Repurpose: What to do with old cloth pocket diaper inserts
An update on the project after a year

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#Moms30for30 #ClosetRemix Day 30

My entire wardrobe for the month

I lived in this sweater

When I decided to join in the 30for30 challenge, I thought it would be a great way to help me prune my wardrobe & make better use of what I have. I wanted to focus a little more than I have been lately on putting together outfits, rather than throwing on clothing each day. I also thought it would help me not to forget my #365FeministSelfie either, as I've been prone to doing lately. I think it helped me think about outfits a bit more, but I still forgot my #365FeministSelfies several times.

Despite my initial excitement about the concept, the first week of the challenge found me, well, foundering. I wasn't really feeling it & then the pressure to post the selfies of my outfit of the day made me more self-critical of my appearance than I've been in a while. I feel like my self-confidence actually took a little bit of a hit, which wasn't exactly my intention, & totally conflicts with the purpose of the feminist selfie project.

Attempting a 40s vibe

It also had me starting a list of clothing I need to replace. Wearing a limited number of pieces has made me very aware that many of my favourites are a bit bedraggled. I'd like to replace them with better quality, better fitting in some cases, newer items in others.

By the second week, I was enjoying the simplicity of a reduced wardrobe. My drawers are all well organized & it's easy to find something to wear. I'm not digging through a pile of things I don't really wear very often to find my favourites. It inspired me to prune my sock collection (I tossed many that I haven't found matches for in ages, as well as donating at least a dozen that don't fit well) & donate some of the clothes that used to just take up space in my drawers.

The white blouse, worn once

Nearing week three I discovered a slight flaw in my tiny wardrobe: laundry colour separation. Nearly everything I picked out to wear is dark colours, so can be washed together. The few bright colours & one single white item don't make up enough for a load of laundry. I can combine my brights with the kids' clothes, but I'm not sure all four of us have a load worth of whites every week.

In the third week I started to miss some of my clothes that hadn't made the cut. I also regretted including three skirts, as I hadn't worn any of them by day 19. I blame the weather, to some extent. November got a little colder than usual toward the end of the month. This was also a serious adjustment for me, as I have A LOT of clothes to choose from & I honestly wear a wide variety of them. There are definitely some that sit around unworn most of the time, but I really do wear a lot of my wardrobe.

It's all about the scarves

Week four saw me just... bored. I had washed all my clothes (except for that pesky white shirt) but I was getting really bored with the few things that were in my drawers. In this cold weather my two sweaters & two turtlenecks were getting a lot of use. My skirts: not so much. I only wore one of the three on one occasion all month. I guess I'm more of a dress & leggings person than a skirt person.

Now that I've completed the closet remix challenge, I'm fairly sure that I'll continue editing my wardrobe & trying to keep it much smaller than it has been. There is definitely something liberating about having less clothing. But I won't be sticking to just 30 pieces anytime soon. I think it would be possible to have a 30 piece capsule wardrobe some day, but I don't have 30 pieces I want to limit myself to at this point.

On the whole, I think this challenge was definitely worth doing & I may do it again another season. What about you? Did you play along? Do you think you could live with just 30 pieces in your wardrobe?

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