Skip to main content

To Plan or Not To Plan...

Hopefully at this stage of the game, you are riding that wave of excitement and feeling like All Things Are Possible. I am. Before this Seasonal Sew Wardrobe is finished, I know I will have plenty of visits from the Tim Gunn Spirit telling me I need to edit and focus, but for now, that voice is cheering me on with a hearty "GO FOR IT!"

Stash fabrics pulled to coordinate with my inspiration fabric

I've decided to build my wardrobe around a "big" inspiration piece. I pulled out some beautiful nylon jacket fabric, purchased years ago from Gorgeous Fabrics. I wanted a pattern without too many fussy details or seams that require complicated pattern matching. I found the Fari Coat by Ralph Pink and decided it would be a perfect match. Aside from some appropriate interfacing, I have everything needed for this coat in my stash already.











In addition to my coat, I know for sure that I am making at least 2 pairs of Itch-To-Stitch Liana Stretch Jeans just like the ones I finished in December 2015. After finishing this last pair, I just can't bear to wear my RTW jeans. I only have enough denim in my stash for 1 pair, so I will have to pick up another couple yards of denim this week. I plan on making both pairs at the same time, since they will use the same pattern, sewing techniques and thread colors.





A pair of casual striped linen lounging pants are also on my make list. I'm going to use Simplicity 2414, a pattern in my stash that I've never used. It might be a bit of a stretch saying the berry in my striped linen coordinates with the berry in my coat above, but in all honesty, the two will never be worn together, and several of the tops I am planning will go with both the jacket and the pants. If these work out nicely, I have some pink/skin tone raw silk suiting that will work for a second pair.


I am going to make 2 basic tees out of the Comino Cap Top. One in black scrunchy textured knit and the other in a cream. 





The last thing I know for sure that I want to make is a Cream Irena Knit Top using this light weight sweater knit.





After getting all this down in writing, I'm noticing that aside from the Fari Coat, my pieces are awfully boring. I don't exactly know what I'm going to do to jazz up this collection, but I have 4 months to figure it out. I know that as time wears on, I will be inspired to make something different than what I've laid out here, so I'm not going to bother making a detailed sewing list. Structure kills my creativity. Instead, I'll leave off with a collage of images that are on my SSW Mood Board:

big tote with leftover coat fabric

Simplicity 1462
McCalls 7094
Vogue 9109
Frankenpattern Blouse
Grainline Tiny Pocket Tank
Look at the sleeves on Vogue 1493!
buckle belt cardi

Grainline Maritime Shorts
Itch-To-Stitch Idyllwild T Shirt
Jalie 2567 bathrobe
12oz Turkish Cotton Terry Velour fabric

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meet My New BFFF: Breaking Ground With Mountain View Pull On Jeans From Itch-To-Stitch

Finding perfect jeans is like finding a unicorn....  Do YOU have unicorn in your back yard?  Yeah. Me either. What I DO have is the newest Itch-To-Stitch Designs pattern release: Mountain View Pull On Jeans , and they are my new BFFF! They MIGHT even be unicorn jeans... Breaking Ground is mostly about trying new-to-you designers,  but you can also twist it to be a new-to-you technique, style or other such personal challenge.  Obviously, Itch-to-Stitch is NOT new to me, but the concept of pull on pants as everyday wear is, and it's a trend I've tried to avoid for a long time! Pull on pants are for yoga and sleeping, right? My personal rule is no lounge pants outside the house, unless I'm ACTUALLY going somewhere to exercise. (SNORT)  Wearing pull on pants or leggings as real pants (that look terrific) is how I'm Breaking Ground for myself! Pattern Details Mountain View Pull On Jeans gives you just about everything you find in a tr...

My Perfect Vacation Pants, The Itch-To-Stitch Sequoia Cargos

I'm back at it with the pants again! Itch-To-Stitch has a new pattern this week: Sequoia Cargos & Shorts . It's still winter here, so I'm sharing the long pants option today. I'm taking a long weekend trip this March, and I need to start sewing a vacation capsule to pack. For the last 15 years or so, my friend has taken a casino bus trip with a few dozen of her teaching colleages. A few years back, her husband decided he no longer wanted to go, and I've volunteered to be her Plus One for the third year in a row. We will be getting on a bus super early on a Saturday and driving 6 hours or so over the Mackinac Bridge to the U.P. The ride up is filled with chatter and drinking and games, and we all have loads of fun. Then the next two days are filled with more food & drink, card games & slots. I'm not much of a gambler; I'd rather spend my dollars on a Pina Colada than a pull of the slot handle, but I find plenty of ways to enjoy myself. N...

When A Pattern Test Goes Pear Shaped: Saving My ITS Danube Jean Skirt

Every now and then, I have a project where every decision I make is wrong, and I have to battle tooth & nail to get to the end. Itch-To-Stitch recently released the Danube Jean Skirt . I love everything about the design of this skirt: slim fitting, DENIM, wind friendly, go-with-everything casual, sits at the natural waist, side slits for something fun and less formal. I was very excited to jump into the testing phase. I had a couple heavier non stretch twill fabrics in my stash suitable for muslins... and exactly 1 piece of non stretch denim which I earmarked for my final skirt. In The Beginning The first muslin revealed the need for some fine tuning, something that should be expected during the testing phase. V2 for the pattern was distributed and my second muslin came together quickly. I got exactly what I expected. A pretty well-fitting skirt except for my prominent full seat which was pulling all my fabric out of whack. No big deal, right? I've had this issue for...