4.23.2017

Hemp time: Summer in the city.

oonaballoona | by marcy harriell | sewing | hemp negroni

Ain't he handsome? That's my Dad, all decked out in a Hemp Linen Negroni, with mother of pearl buttons. (I know, I know, you can't really see that sharp mug. He's keeping it incognito. Because of The Man.)


This rare sighting is many layered. Dad is wearing not only a solid color, but NON color. I inherited my sense of technicolorality from my parents, dontcha know. Come summer, Jams are his jam. So the request for this neutral shirt was a bit of a shock.


Not a shock: the desire for hemp. For years now, Dad has had a 100% hemp shirt on his wishlist, despite my protestations. Because LISTEN. I searched here, there, and everywhere for hemp fabric, and all I found were cardboard rolls of scratchiness, in the most unsatisfying color palette imaginable. Holidays would roll in, and I would hand over psychedelic Negronis in barkcloth...linen...rayon...cotton...his Charlie Brown closet was starting to fill up nicely, but there was a large hemp shaped hole. (I'll let you imagine what that might look like.)

oonaballoona | by marcy harriell | sewing | hemp negroni

Then Organic Cotton Plus contacted me, and the heavens opened up and sang. Well, I mean, they didn't sing for me, the color palette is obviously very much out of the oonasphere, but OH SO MANY CHOICES for my Dad! I'm delighted when I can collaborate to sew something up for my people! (And although solids are not my style, I assume the range of color choices is excellent for about 99% of the population. I should perhaps dip my toes into the realm of "solids." I hear they are good for "coordinating.") 

This is exactly the classic, lightweight summer shirt my Dad wanted, hue and all. He went for this hemp linen (which is far less yellow than pictured, at least on my screen). 

oonaballoona | by marcy harriell | sewing | hemp negroni

And although I hollered over the lack of color, it was seriously sweet to work with. It had such a crisp, lofty drape upon arrival, I decided to go the RTW route and sewed it up before washing the yardage. SHOCK AND HORROR! My reasoning was twofold: the hand was so beautiful, and it pressed so cleanly, I thought leaving it alone would make the sewing of it a delight. (I was correct). Reason number two: Dad prefers a slouchy Negroni, and although I've told him many times that we could go down a size and still get the slouch factor, he will have none of it. 

KIDS. THEY NEVER LISTEN. 

So, I thought, if I lose a little ease in the post-wash, no biggie. And since this is a cold wash, lay flat to dry fabric, going the post-wash route wasn't a problem at all.


LOOKIT THAT POSE! Where did you think I get my skillz from?

I can already hear what my Dad will say: You shoulda posted this on 4/20. Yep. Missed opportunity, that. Luckily I've found my hemp source for future themed posts. Stay tuned for 4/20/2018: The Return Of The Hemp. 

But don't expect to see his mug. That's top secret stuff.

Organic Cotton Plus supplied the fabric for this post. Thanks OCP, for making my Dad's hemp dreams a reality!

16 comments:

  1. Awww! Papa! This looks like exactly the kind of thing my dad would wear. I love it. Also, I accidentally typed in MarcyHarriell instead of Oona into my search bar and died laughing at your gmail address for a press kit.

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    1. Can I suggest some hemp for your pops?

      Also good god, please tell me what that link is. Who KNOWS what pops up. Rob & I had, basically, a soft porn photo up for ages. (Just in our PJs with our black cat, but apparently somewhat shocking.)

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    2. She's talking about marcyharriell.com and marcysface@gmail.com! Love the cute baby pictures.

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  2. LOLOLOL...Vancouver is no stranger to 4/20. Your Dad does indeed look handsome in his neutral hued hemp Negroni.

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  3. Ha! My parents also love the 4/20 jokes. Your dad looks great!

    I see that Organic Cotton Plus has some other hemp options (like jersey and silk): https://organiccottonplus.com/collections/hemp-all Have you tried any other hemp fabrics? You're right that the color choices aren't all that colorful, though.

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    1. I'm itching to try more hemp now (silk!) although yes, the color options are limited... I guess the narrow range has to do with all of the great qualities (organic, environmentally friendly) so I think need to broaden (diminish?) my thoughts on color!

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  4. It's a great shirt and I'm glad your Dad is happy! I can see many more in his future. Though you know you could dye or draw doodles on the hemp with fabric markers!

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  5. O what a gorgeous classic shirt! I bet he's going to wear that FOREVER! I've never seen a Negroni I like more, it's like that pattern was made for hemp

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  6. What is this "coordinating" you speak of?

    That fabric texture looks scrumptious. I would not be able to resist touching it! Isn't it weird that hemp fiber is so difficult to get? It used to be a hugely important industrial fiber in America, and now it has disappeared. I would like it back now, please.

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  7. Oh! Perfect summer shirt.

    hemptraders.com has a good selection of hemp fabrics. I loooove the knits - very soft and drapey and it comes in lots of colors. I've been wanting to get some more but I'm always wanting fabric from 6 different stores at once and something has to wait. (and I can't decide what color I want next) I made my oldest son a shirt out of the 55% hemp. (light green)

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i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!