For the first time ever I’m planning out my sewing projects for the next season in advance so that they will complement each other.  It’s fun in a sewing/fashion-nerd sort of way.  I’ve reorganized my fabric stash into fall/winter and spring/summer instead of fabric-type to make it easier to pick out things that work together.  As usual I’ve gotten pretty ambitious with what I’d like to make up but at least I’m getting a head start.  (I’ve already finished one quick project this weekend and have started another.)

I’m showing you two palettes.  There are a lot of browns; no surprise there.  The first one consists of pale muted blues and greens and ivory.  Toile and houndstooth and dots and cotton velvet.

The second palette is warmer although there is some black in there too.  Rust and mauve and mustard yellow brighten up this set.  Faux fur and florals here.  All of it, naturally, very vintage-inspired.  Pretty, faded, old-fashioned prints and textures.  I’ve got some ’30s patterns picked out, some from the ’60s (for basic shapes) as well as modern ones too.

Have you started planning or even working on projects for next season yet?  Do you like to plan in advance and to what degree?

This skirt must be shy because I had a heck of a time trying to photograph it!

I think it has to do with the color or perhaps the fabric (err, or both).  Overall I’m happy with the quality of the construction but the camera picked up wobbliness in the fabric that I cannot see with my own eyes.  Is my stitching too tight or is that just the way the camera captured the light reflecting on the fabric?  Eep, oh well.

I’ve made this skirt a couple of times before, you can see my first version here.  It’s a great vintage pattern, Simplicity 8418, c. 1969:

This pattern works really well in lightweight denim.  I made another denim skirt after the first one that is a bit longer and with rounded pockets (and navy sailor buttons) that I wear ALL the time.  I don’t have many work-appropriate skirts (2 to be exact) and thought I should make one myself as the ones I’ve been seeing in the stores lately are boring ol’ pencil skirts that are overpriced and do nothing for me anyway.  (I need the slight flare of the a-line skirt to give me shape.)  I wanted something bright and happy!

Like the others I’ve made from this pattern I omitted the waistband.  And in this version I took out some of the flare (just a little).  Also, I lined it as this fabric is a little sheer and perhaps the tiniest bit scratchy (since it’s wool).  The spring-summery colors inspired me to draft some tulip-like pockets:

This photo has been lightened so you can see the details better.

I actually have another skirt cut out, ha!  It’s Kelly green corduroy with baby blue and white gingham-lined pockets.  (Notice a theme here?)  Perhaps I’ll get to it this weekend.

Speaking of this weekend, all of L.A. (OK, the media that I know of) is talking about Carmageddon; this is where part of the 405 freeway is shutting down tonight through Monday.  Shut down a freeway in Los Angeles and it’s the end of the world.  Good thing I don’t drive much.  I’ll be sewing or drawing (and very likely, cleaning!) anyway.  Do you have any fun plans?

Happy Tuesday!  How was your weekend?  I spent the better part of mine sewing…I haven’t felt this productive sewing-wise in a long, long time.  I’m pleased as punch with my new summer clothes; for many years (and even now) I’ll sew something that I never end up wearing either because of fit, comfort or that my homemade creation really looks “home sewn”–and not in a good way.

Most of the blouses I have I think of as work clothes and I rarely wear them on other occasions besides going to the office.  So I thought it was high time I made some casual blouses that I could wear to work but would also want to throw one on with jeans or a skirt in lieu of a t-shirt.  I used voile for all three which is perfect for warm weather.

Two of the tops use the above pattern, McCall’s M5977.  I chose this pattern because it has no closure and I liked the ruffles around the neck (reminded me of 1920s and ’30s styles).  I made the first view minus the armhole ruffles (which I think look weird dropping down like that).

I made this one as fitted as I could and still get it over my head.  I reduced the ruffle by almost 40% and edged it with black to mimic the design in the fabric.

The other one I made has a slightly looser fit and fuller ruff.  I also added a ribbon belt and gather under the bust just a little to give it shape.  (Because of the eyelet border this blouse would be worn untucked unlike the one above).

The last top is from New Look pattern 6022:

I really liked the top part of the dress (particularly View B) and while I had my misgivings about the boxiness of it I went ahead and started to make it, thinking it would look better with some adjustments.  Nope.  Once I sewed up the side seams and tried it on it became clear this it was going to hang off of my like an insubstantial rectangle and even a belt around the waist wouldn’t be enough to make this wearable in public.

So I cut my losses and chopped off the bottom and kept going with the neckline and sleeves.  Thankfully I really love it as a blouse (and wore it yesterday!).

I may try to make this again as a dress but would combine the top with a different dress pattern that I’ve had success with like BBW’s 3835.

Good afternoon, all!  I’ve been sewing up a storm.  My creative spark has returned, at least to help liven up my summer wardrobe.  Just when I think I’ve got the sewing bug out of my system, I’m onto another project.  Today I’m just going to share this latest one, a super easy wrap skirt, because it’s on theme for our 4th of July weekend that’s just around the corner.

The pattern I used is the Audrey Wrap Skirt by Fig Tree & Co.:

Like I said before, this was super easy to make.  But as always I made some modifications to suit me better.

Instead of commenting about how much I need a tan, and that I’m 2 minutes away from getting up from my chair to drive to the nearest Rite Aid to buy some self-tanner, let’s just get into the skirt details, OK?

This skirt pattern needs to be traced which my lazy self usually does not like to do but since modifications were imminent it worked out for the best.

Fabric: The main fabric is a lightweight dark denim that I used, inside out.  I think the wrong side has a nice, summery linen-like look to it.  The homemade bias tape is red, white and blue feedsack-inspired fabric from DS Quilts (available at Joann’s) that I got on sale.  This skirt is intended to be reversible but since I was using denim, albeit a thin one, I didn’t want the skirt to be too heavy or stick out too much.  (This is where the idea of using bias tape on the edges came in.)

Size: the pattern is one size fits all, sizes 8-14.  As a petite person I knew this didn’t apply to me even though I usually wear an 8 (or maybe even a 6) in modern patterns.  With mods of course.  I had to take out a few inches in order for me to wrap this skirt around my waist without too much overlap (a wrap skirt that is too big would not allow me to wrap the waist snugly enough).  In addition to that, I decreased the flare of the skirt panels (quite a bit actually) so that the finished piece would be in proportion to my petite frame. (Since petite-ifying patterns is not just about making them smaller!)

Length: The knee-length version was way long, more like mid-calf on me.  And according to this calculator (via Extra Petite), the ideal skirt length for me is 2″ above the knee.  So there you go.

Bias tape: I trimmed the 1/2″  seam allowances I added from the waist, 2 outer skirt edges and the hem.  I also rounded the edges of the lower corners to avoid mitering the bias tape (which so happens to look cute as well).  I didn’t calculate how much bias tape I needed even though this calculator is very handy…so I have a bunch leftover!  The tape starts off 2″ wide and is double-folded resulting in 1/2″ wide bias tape-y goodness.

When sewing on the bias tape I pinned like crazy.  Maybe not everyone needs to do this but I’d prefer to avoid missing the underside of the bias tape edge and having to re-sew it.  This is one of those times where I’ll pin parallel to–or with–the sewing direction rather than perpendicularly.  This ensures both edges of the bias tape (the outside and inside) will be sewn together.

I took this out for a test drive and even when the wind blew I was well-covered, yay!  So far I have 3 such wrap skirts and am in the process of making another.  I know, crazy!  I’ve also made a blouse and a summer blanket (the latter consisted primarily of sewing 2 large pieces of white quilted fabric together and edging it with some homemade bias tape).

OK, off to buy self-tanner!  Heehee, OK, not really.  (OK, yes but not now–later.)

If you live in the States (or are patriotic ex-pats), do you have fun plans for this holiday weekend?  Either way, I hope you all have a ball!