a new bike

On Friday something very exciting happened to me: I got a new bike! For years now I have been using an old Raleigh bike, as seen here, as well as here—incidentally, the plastic ring on the cupholder split after a while, so sad. That bike, which I hope to restore one day, is precious to me because it was given to me by my sweet friend Sarah after another bike I had was stolen. Unfortunately, it isn’t the best ride, which is one of the reasons why it came to be in my possession in the first place. It is so heavy! I live only 3 kilometres from where I work, and biking is the quickest, most economical, and most pleasant way to get there in the spring, summer, and fall. My new/old three speed is a dream! It rides like a happy cloud, and it was so much more affordable than a brand new bike would have been. I had been complaining about my Raleigh for months and Geoff decided to monitor Craigslist for me, an activity I consider to be a huge drag. He knew that, after rejecting so many of the bikes he showed me (I sound so lovely right now!), I would go for the bike that had the word “beautiful” in the description.

I am a very timid and careful cyclist, mostly because I have witnessed a few horrifying bike accidents, but I do ride my bike at night quite often. Chelsea posted about these nautical-inspired reflective vests in 2009, and I have never forgotten about them. I don’t remember if they were actually available for purchase or if they were made for the lookbook (which is no longer online). I haven’t used my sewing machine in ages, and with my new bike excitement propelling me, I decided to make myself a reflective collar.

It was really easy to make. I used the collar from this dress that I made a few years ago, which I made with a vintage sewing pattern. I have since misplaced the pattern, so I had to trace the collar, making it a little longer so that my hair wouldn’t cover the reflective tape at the bottom. I couldn’t wrap my brain around how to draft and sew the front bib part of the Bobbin vest, and decided to keep it simple. I used black twill fabric, black twill tape, and sew-in reflective tape; the iron-on kind is a little trickier to use on a curve.

I have a few more bicycle-related posts filed away in my brain, and they may make an appearance here over the week. An informal Bike Week, maybe.