I'm calling it! It's over! I'm moving on!

Good bye summer sewing...

I didn't plan this, but it's been the summer of the skirt! After I spent a day (late spring) trudging in sweltering heat and swimming through the humidity, capris and shorts were not working for me! Fabric sticking to skin is not stylish on me, IMO. These skirt were super easy to make, they don't require much fabric, and they can be finished in an hour or two.

In the tops and bottoms category there are 2 items that were not necessarily outfitted the most, they were just great for me!: the Sunset Seagulls Tank & the Impressionist Pencil Skirt. This skirt ranks highest overall, the print is so versatile, casual or dressy. It's not clingy and wades through humidity quite nicely.

Here's the breakdown:

7 Skirts:
Zebra pencil skirt (worn 5 times)
Vintage zebra pencil skirtt (worn 1 time)
Impressionist pencil skirt (worn 3 times)
Turkish delight pencil skirt (worn 1 time)
Navy tropical skirt (worn 3 times)  Thought I did a post but it's the same pattern as the zebra pencil skirt.
Stretch linen pleated skirt (worn 1 time)
Vintage A+ skirt (worn 1 time)

4 Tops
Sunset seagulls tank (worn 3 times)
Vacay Flutter Tank (worn 2 times)
Vacay Tulle Fountain Tank (worn 2 times)
Sweet Ruffle Wrap blouse (worn 1 time)

1 Apron
Zebra, Toile, Batik Oh my! Apron & here.(worn 2 times)

3 Pants (Transition ready!)
Minnie Penny Pant 3
A Little Bit Skinny Penny Pant 2
Skinny Penny Pant 1

2 DIY Upgrade
Liberty Floral Daze Cardigan (worn 2 times)
Black Lattice Belt (worn 1 time)

Well, now that I look back, I didn't reach my goal, so far as the number, of dresses sewn. What really slowed me down, was not having/finding the right fabric for the pattern. I could have squeezed in another solid/cotton brocade. But I'm very happy that I achieved different goal of adding color and prints to my wardrobe. Finally! I think the solid dress and the print neutrals will be most wearable for next year, for sure, we will have to see about the others.

As you can tell there's a certain shape and form that just works for me. The sheath dress is my comfort and staple, my signature if you will.  I want to continue to try out new shapes so that my signature stays fresh, not boring!   After wearing each of these dresses one of them rises above. This dress interrupted my conversations and interrupted conversations in passing. It's the Painted Zebra Wrap dress! I was trying something different and it worked!

2 neutral prints that I will be able to wear next year:
Painted zebra wrap dress (worn 1 time)
Vintage cowl neck dress (worn 1 time)

1 Solids (seasonless, I plan to wear it in the winter too, with tights!)
Vintage Cowl Neck Dress (worn 1 time)

3 Summer print dresses
Impressionist Floral Dress (worn 2 times)
Hot Shoulder Dress (worn 2 times)
Charlotte York Goldblat SATC 2 homage dress (worn 1 time)

1 dress for HLS
The Alumni Dress & here.(at least twice)

Hmm... seems like I'm forgetting something, maybe not.  But I've been productive & practicing! Getting back into it after a winter of here & there projects, has been rewarding! It's not a wardrobe, but I sewed what I wanted, and I like that.

So what's next...
Building a transitional wardrobe on the pants that I've just sewn, then adding in tops, jackets and suits and dresses. But I'm starting with separates. You might see a couple summer items pop up this month, but it's time to plan forward.   And of course there will some surprises in-between.

Thanks for stopping by!

A little bit Minnie, skinny penny pant, sample 2

Vogue 1039. You've seen sample 1, here's more details and my second version!






The pocket process deciphered :















































Up close details!





Ok, so I had 10 more pictures to show you readers but they were so fuzzy I was getting dizzy! Sorry you can't see the front of this outfit.





The tone and texture of these pants is very neutral, so they basically will coordinate with everything, but I like them with a pop of color!





I'm glad I changed a few things! I love the belt loops and the garment quality pockets (idea from the Making Trousers book by David Coffin) I also lowered the waistband by 1/2 inch as compared to sample 1. Serged the inseams & side seams together after it was machine stitched, like jeans. Slightly cropped (2 inches shorter than sample 1) but will work with heels or flats. The fit is...whoa! But the fabric is cotton stretch twill so they are very comfortable!

So I'm off to finish my final pair! Scream! The fit will be somewhere between sample 1 & 2 with a couple different features! It's all good though, my final pair should be a breeze, right?! The fabric from the first 2 pair was just in my stash, so it was great to use fabric that vie had for years. BTW, DH really likes these!







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The Mad Men effect

It's true, sometimes I watch TV just for the fashion!

Mad Men costume designer, Janie Bryant has done a great job creating great styles that are classic and what we want to wear for fall. The timing is perfect! And now is a great time to hunt for those vintage patterns circa 1964! Here's my pattern pics:

Just drop the sleeves!








Sans collar!








Add a petticoat! Bottom of V8020 &top of V857.








Choose either one!








Do you plan pull your style from the networks for fall? Maybe just one thing?!








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Skinny Penny Pocket pant, V1039 sample 1

Well almost skinny...







Tissue fitting first ...

What I learned:
Wow, leg length is great! For 5"2', it's spot on!
Oh no, the waistband hits my sternum. Will adjust for that.

The pattern info:

MISSES’ TUNIC AND PANTS: Loose-fitting tunic with extended shoulders, front and back pleats, side gathered bands and shaped hem band, topstitched trim. Pants have side front slant pockets, upper inside pocket (that there is no picture of, but I'll show you later), contour yoke with back tab, invisible zipper closing and topstitched trim, above ankle length.

Side note: This is almost exactly what I want in a pant pattern! Initially I planned for this pair to be my muslin. I used fashion fabric that I purchased many years ago, but the weight and stretch is similar to the fashion fabric that I planned to use on my final sample.

NOTIONS: Pants: 7"/9" Invisible Zipper, Hooks and Eyes.

FABRICS: Tunic: Charmeuse and Crepe de Chine. Pants: Stretch Linen and Stretch Crepe. The stretch is very important in the comfort & fit!

Combinations: BB(8-10-12-14), FF(16-18-20-22)












Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes! But I was really worried about it, especially after I finished the penny pocket!

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes they were! And believe me, I read them 2x before cutting, and then again during the process. While making the pockets, I was challenged to visualize how it would fit together, but if you follow the instructions, step-by-step they will turn out nicely!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?. I loved the skinniness and the side zip! Front fly trousers send me into a sewing sabbatical faster than.... But I'm working on that.

Fabric Used: Brown black poly stretch with a slate blue pinstripe, with a hint of midnight. It's really nice, probably from Fabric Warehouse before they moved.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: The only alteration was to shorten the rise by 1.75 inches! I know! That's a lot, it was risky, but I wanted a modern/trendy waistline. Glad I did! Fortunately, that matched up well. I didn't do much topstitching, wanted to keep the look clean.












Oh yea, after thinking about the unique midnight pinstripe I decided to add a design element to complement the color. I switched the back facing piece to a dark blue linen.












The back tab thingie is a disaster if you already have issues with the back waistband sticking out. On my next muslin I will delete that!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, I'm working on a purely test muslin to correct some fitting issues and then I'll do it again on my fashion fabric. On my next muslin sample I'll show more step-by-step details.












Conclusion: Almost love. Will wear with Spanx! LOL!!!!

Changes on the next pair: delete the back tab, slim the legs down a bit, crop the leg a bit, add cool pocket lining, adjust for the FFT (full front thigh, how embarrassing!).

Oh, the top? I made it a couple years ago! It's an RTW copy/modification.

Thanks for reading, really!

Storyboard planning

While this is what my creative space story board looks like:



You can see my digital version on Twitter (click on the Twitter button, top left) and discuss it here or there!
Watch think?

Oh, and the Vogues are out! Tracy Reese & Anne Klein did it fabulous for me!

And I was right!!!


It was Rebecca Taylor & Anne Klein!




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IRL room pics & not so haute, haute

Chair: Done
Artwork: Still hunting
Vertical storage: Found

Well, that's it for this week on the cleaning and organizing front. Next week my storage arrives which will bring some relief for the pattern & fabric overflow situation. Can't wait for that!

Readers it was a bit lackluster today in the couture world today. 3 collections (Saab, JPG, & Valentino). Sounds great, right? After scrolling through hundreds of pics...Valentino usually makes me swoon, but it wasn't until the last photo that I was reminded of his retirement.






On a note of trends: shop your stash, sew red! I know I need to!

My McCall's Fall 2010 picks are...

M6170 is a jacket I think we've seen before. It's really one of those that could be really great, or go very wrong, IMO, like the denim! The animal print is looking sleek but too trendy trendy for me.



M6173 is quite interesting, especially depending on the fabric choice! For very hot legs only! That's all!



M6172 is a great boyfriend blazer that is on trend but can be just as classic as well. Slouchy and tailored styles are great, but the cropped version is drenched in the 80s. I'm guessing the tailoring is more involved because it's Palmer/Pletsch



M6177 is kinda cute if you are into aprons. The scoop neckline is a little different.



M6162 is a lot like the popular black halo dress and my number one pick. Every other pattern in this rollout fades! I like the waistline piece and the option to go with out the shoulder flaps. Not so great with people with really broad shoulders! But I want to try this one!


This black halo dress retails for $345.00




Over all with one or 2 exceptions this is a sad fall rollout. A lot of sloppiness, boxy jackets and blankets that you wear... which is not my personal style so, and I can only take so much of this. Overall, there is a lot of shoulder emphasis, of them,only 1 that I really like. Here to hoping that other previews are not as uninspired. BTW, Hobby Lobby McCall's patterns are only .99 cents this week! If they are not in the cabinets today, hopefully they will be by the end of the week. You can find all of the McCall's Fall 2010 new sewing patterns on their website. Happy sewing!

ROY G. BIV - Do you Know your Colors?

Red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo, violet. We may not all remember when are where we learned the rainbow acronym, but it comes in handy organizing your closet or thinking of possible color combinations. Now it's time to introduce the grown up version of Roy G. Biv: Pantone, the world-renowned authority on color.

The Pantone Fashion Color Report highlights the top 10 colors of the upcoming season featuring top designers use of those colors in their fall lines. The report also features commentary about the selections and inspirations for the color schemes in that season. By and large, having the Pantone Fashion Color Report helps you to be a saavy shopper pre-season and a fabulously styled woman once the season begins.

For example, the top ten colors for Fall 2010 are as shown below:Looking forward to the Fall 2010 Season, these colors are very present in many different fashion lines, from Ann Taylor LOFT to Banana Republic.

Now as you prepare for the fall season, with your
Pantone Fashion Color Report in hand you can select fabrics, dresses, pants, shoes, and jewelry that will have you looking very fashion forward and in style.

Get your Pantone Fashion Color Report for Fall 2010 at Pantone.com.

Ruffling my Feathers-B4 the Door Thursday

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.

I don't think Charlotte Bronte and I are talking about the same thing but lately, ruffles have been keeping me up at night. They are all over the place; virtually every store has some type of ruffled inspired piece gloating in their storefront. And they are gorgeous. Effortless cascading of tissue-thin fabric can make one feel like a pretty pretty princess. So I cannot blame the throngs of women trying to figure out how to master the style, however I am unfortunately seeing some mishaps or sometimes the same interpretation over and over. So how do you take ruffles from day to night to weekend? Here's my take on the ruffle movement.

Ruffles at Work

Ruffle-y Wedding

Ruffles Night OutCheck out the details at Polyvore!

I so need color in my life!!!!! You?

Finally, the J. Crew summer rollout came out last week! Yea! Fresh pool, golden beach & blossoms support much of the vibrant pieces. $817.99 for some retail therapy or retail binge! DIY is the plan. Stay tuned for these projects. First up, a dress inspired by the En plein air scarf, a bit of eye candy all over. ~HLT

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