Seasonal Sewing Plan

Eucalyptus tree bark

Am I the only one feeling "Seasonal Transition Disorder"?
 ( Don't google that I just made it up)  Maybe it's just my ADD working overtime but I can't settle down to my sewing.  July went so well...and then August just fell apart, and here we are its Sept. 1st....National Sewing Month and I simply must pull it together.

I suppose it is in part due to all of the fall trends being released and a bit of Pinterest overload.  Last week though I decided I had to take control of the situation so I spent a day deciding on my fall & winter sewing line up.  Once I had a plan I was able to settle down and I am now looking forward to my sewing once again.

My fall plan is inspired by this Eucalyptus bark.  I have fond memories of eucalyptus..I can smell it in the air and hear the distinctive rustle of its leaves every time I say the word.  It reminds me of dry September days, dusty toes, playground fun and ponies....it's all good:)

I thought about joining the Fall Wardrobe Challenge at PR but I don't really need a wardrobe, mine got a fine start last year....Remember.......


My needs are:
          Ministry clothes -  Skirts, Dresses and Blouses, dressy
                                       layers - vests, sweaters,blazers
   
           Studio clothes - Jeans, cords, Henleys, T's and sweaters

I made this skirt last fall along with several other items and I simply need to add a few items to the mix.  I have enough of the skirt fabric left over to make a vest from.....

This is a Folk Wear vest made last year and I will probably use the same pattern for my vest for this year or the double breasted version is another option.

These are some stash fabrics I pulled and I found a use for the burnt orange (2nd from left) which will mix in nicely with my other dressy separates.

This is a tried and true pattern which I will make up in the burnt orange silk adding a flutter sleeve to it.

I also have some brass sequins which I will add to the hem of the sleeve and possible the hem of the blouse, or possibly scattered over the silk....


The brass sequins came from a jacket I made for my mom.  The silk dupion yardage she chose had a fairly dense covering of these lovely sequins on it.  They had to be removed from the seam allowance which produced a fine stash of them for future projects:)

This piece of linen on the far left was planned for the blouse on the right as part of last years fall sewing plan....Ah well the best laid plains will be just as suitable a year later.....right?

 



My Jalie jeans have worked out well and I think I will modify the pattern to create some straight leg corduroys.  I have some green medium wale corduroy in my stash that will be suitable for studio days.

In the evenings I can knit on this vest, which will be suitable for both the studio and the ministry:)






This is a knitting class being offered thru Craftsy which I signed up for because.... I like to knit, have not done any Fair Isle and have found knitted vests to be very useful here in WI.

I have had a love affair with this pattern for a few years, could this be the year it gets made up?........

I don't have fabric in my stash for this one and I have been trying to use all the glorious fabrics I already have but.....could I break my "no fabric buying" streak with.....
   


....this plaid from fabric.com?  



So this is the Fall plan and we will talk about winter once I have a few of these babies made up.  I do not expect to accomplish them all but if I don't have a lot to do I procrastinate and then nothing gets done...Anyone else have this issue?  

I will stop sewing fall items on Nov 30th  and sew winter items from Dec. 1st thru Feb 30th.

Do you like to plan your sewing seasonally? or just as you're inspired?

Jasmine Blouse Review

The Jasmine blouse felt like a long journey, but I am pleased with the changes I made and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the project.
 It is my final Fall Palette Challenge piece, outside of a sweater I am still knitting.
 It's a good thing I am bringing my fall sewing to a close seeing as how we received our first snowfall this week....6" or more!  Most Alarming!

Jasmine blouse by Lynne Williams with revisions

 The fabric had a border pattern running across the grain about every 30" which required some planning. 

 I drew up a few sketches placing the border at various locations and ended up with this plan. 

 Placing it along the top of the pattern framed the neckline in front, and reminded me of a midi blouse.

Jasmine blouse by Lynne Williams with revisions

On the back you can see I placed the border just over the hem which I think accentuates the curves in my figure.

As mentioned in a prior post, the pattern is accurately made and the instructions are very easy to follow.  I can certainly recommend this pattern especially if you want to learn how to sew a bias cut garment.  

You will  learn  about working on the bias while keeping the project simple and not get yourself  overwhelmed.

I changed the length of the sleeve to fall below my elbow.  

A simple change - lengthen the sleeve pattern by the desired amount. 

Then I ran a gathering stitch around the hem edge and created a narrow 1/2" band to finish it.  

I used a strip from the border print to set it off.

My hem band was cut 2" x 9" and of course I cut 2.

I also brought the neckline in 1-1/2" towards my neck on each side.  I love the width of the original pattern, but it just was not flattering for my narrow little skull-lol, or maybe it is my lack of jaw....probably the combination.  If you can wear it wide by all means do so...its so lovely like that.

I also changed how the collar was made and assembled.  

The collar pattern has 2 parts a collar back and the collar front which lengthens into the tie. 

 You are instructed to cut 4 front collars and 2 back collars, like a standard collar.  Additionally it has a interfaced facing...front and back. 

 I am not a huge fan of facings, they tend to be difficult to control, additionally I did not think the collar laid particularly well, it wants to ripple along the outside edge.

Instead I chose to make the collar a sash cut on the bias and folded in half lengthwise. 

This causes the gentle roll, which lifts it upwards from the neckline and the outer edge lays nice with no rippling.

I then replaced the facing with a strip of self bias like you see on many knit necklines.

I plan on making another one of these blouses from one of my silks.  I just hope I have enough of this lovely periwinkle charmeuse I have had in my stash for about 20 years!!  It is one of those fabrics you love so much, you are afraid of doing the wrong thing with it. 

Do you have fabrics in your stash like that?.

My apologies for not having pictures of me wearing the blouse, its so much easier to slip it on my form and snap a picture and get blogging then setting up for a photo shoot.  I understand this is breaking a cardinal rule of good blogging...but it's so time consuming....plus it leaves me room for improvement-lol

Maybe one day I will have my act together enough to take wonderful fashion /location pictures like some of my favorite blogs....girls I think you know who you are.  I do so appreciate their efforts....one day.....one day.

The Jasmine blouse by Colette patterns

This pattern appealed to me because of its sweet femininity, and I guess I like to think of myself like that-LOL

I have also been anxious to try one of the Colette patterns for a few reasons.

1. they seem to be quite popular.

2. I like supporting independent designers.

3. I wanted to test the pattern and instructions, to see if I would recommend them to my students.

Bengal spice tea in vintage cup with Lemon cookies

Upon it's arrival, I of course like everyone else was impressed with it's cuteness.  The graphics are adorable and inviting.  It says "let's put the kettle on, bake some tea cookies and plan our wardrobe" At least that is what it said to me....your results may vary:)

Jasmine blouse photo courtesy of Colette patterns.com

I knew from looking at the illustration as well as the photos of the finished blouse that I wanted to lengthen the sleeves to mid-forearm.  This is a personal issue.....Elbows to me are like knee's, not attractive.  If you don't cover them, then you need to find the correct height above them, to draw your eye away from the wrinkled knob of flesh.  This, like everything else gets worse as you age...

I also felt there was something not quite right about the collar, but I could not put my finger on it.  It just didn't seem to lay properly, or was it a touch to narrow? 

 It looks so sweet in the photo what exactly is my issue?

I loved the shape of the neckline, the tie, the slight gathering on the sleeve at the shoulder, and that is was cut on a figure flattering bias, as well as the fact that it had no closures.  

Hooray, a simple and lovely blouse to "whip out"

Jasmine blouse mocked up in Tencel by Lynne Williams

I finished my tea and cut out my "muslin" or "mock frock" as one of my clients/ students calls them.

I found a piece of Tencel in my stash that replicated the weight and drape of my finished fabric choice.

The pattern is delightfully accurate.  My bust currently measures 37" and I traced the size 8.

The fit is very nice, straight off the pattern.  The bias drapes in a predictable figure flattering way.  My husband quite liked it:) 

 The neckline though made me feel suddenly quite old:(

Was it just the color of the blouse....?

The depth of the neckline is very nice.  Often times I have to raise necklines, as I am not keen on showing cleavage...supposing I had some...but the depth of this neckline was just right.  My husband agreed something was amiss, and I don't mean with the pattern, but just that the style lines were not flattering to my face.  I am rather stumped by this because I like it just fine on my dress form.

After much pondering I have decided to make it narrower at the shoulder line.  Lengthen my sleeves even more and change the way the collar is sewn, making it less of a collar and more of a sash tie like this blouse from Banana Republic.

I would eventually like to make this blouse up in a silk, but for this 1st run will use this piece of poly voile I have in my stash and picked up for a song at JoAnn's

Please comment about your observations and impressions.  

Am I trying to make 1 style into another completely?

Will the pattern in my poly voile confuse the issue or make for a sublime blouse?

Fall Fabric Lovelies

My beautiful yarn was not my only splurge this past week.

It all really started at The Cutting Edge Sale, where some very committed women were waiting out in the cold to enter the building....so not going to do that.  I cannot even imagine what incredible fibers she would have to have on sale that would cause me to stand out in the wind for....I am trying...but....

Peg and I then bravely headed over to Jo-Anns where we found a very nice piece of linen.  Yes 100% linen, yarn dyed in this marvelous cafe au lait color.  We purchased enough for 2 shirts, one for her and one for me and we have plans on cutting them out and sewing them up together.

(It looks a little dark in this picture, but what's a girl to do, trying to photograph in the studio..it's touchy.)

That will be great fun, don't you think?

Do you sew much with others? 

Lynne Williams for Williams Studio 2 - linen blouse sketch

This is the shirt I designed and sketched for my linen fabric.  I will replace the darts at the front with tucks.  Use pin tucks on the front insert and trim it with some vintage lace from my stash.  A 3/4 length sleeve with a narrow cuff, and lots of little mother of pearl buttons for the front placket. 

Yummy!...if I do say so myself, and since this is my blog I guess I can do that....

Currently I do not know what Peg's plans are for her half of the linen, but I will be sure to keep you posted.

The chocolate colored stuff alongside the linen is a medium wale corduroy and I have plans to make some straight leg jeans to work in.  I am always a touch on the cold side so cozy pants will do just the trick this winter while I am in the studio sewing.  

We did return to The Cutting Edge later in the day where we stocked up on small rotary cutting blades and I purchased some fine cotton batiste for another blouse.  It is in white and I have plans to dye it using some Shibori technique.

Have you tried Shibori ?

Now did I need fabric?....certainly not, and I have been doing a fine job of attacking my stash this past year, but linen at JoAnns, a superfine cotton batiste, and some gorgeous yarn..simply irresistible.

Let's just hope I can get to these projects this year so that these gorgeous finds don't end up in my stash.

Knitting Smartie, or Knit off the pounds.

Black Purl 1102 3rd st, Wausau WI. 

On my recent shopping trip into Wausau I managed to stop by my favorite yarn shop The Black Purl.  

My intention was to pick up a few hanks of Cascade 220 to knit myself another sweater vest for the FESA challenge. 

This I figured was an affordable alternative for my next knitting project.

  Knitting is not for the economically challenged.  

If you have not been to The Black Purl I highly recommend it.  The owner Beth is quite honestly brilliant.  Her shop is an oasis of cozy color, rich textures, and a soothing ambiance.  As usual several ladies were sitting around an old oak table in front of a sunny window knitting away while chatting with one another.

With good intentions I headed straight to where the Cascade was the last time I was in, and searched for a color that would fit in with my palette and ...well speak to me.  

The Cascade was shockingly quiet and subdued...hmmm, well while I am here lets at least look and see what new gorgeous samples Beth has been knitting up...this, I can recognize now, was my first mis-step.  Her samples are all on sale, I started trying them on(the 2nd mis-step), and then it happened, while shaking my arm out of a beautiful deep purple sweater I caught sight of this yarn by Louisa Harding

It was just the color I was looking for to fit in with my fall palette

Merletto yarn by Louisa Harding color #17 True

but not suitable for my fitted sweater vest.

I did just happen to have the directions for the Smartie sweater by Kim Hargreaves with me ( maybe this was my first mis-step...) the gauge would work, although with the texture of yarn I would forgo the window pane texture as knit in the pattern...simple enough to eliminate.

Smartie sweater by Kim Hargreaves / pattern in Rowan #19

I drove home full of recriminations...it's over an hour on a cold and blustery day.  Upon entering the house with my purchases, my wonderful husbands says " Did you find something lovely for yourself?"  

and I responded " Why...yes, yes I did....a few things"

Knitting up Smartie for Lynne Williams

I have been knitting ever since.  Here is my left front, which I started with instead of the back so I could confirm the shaping and lengths.  Chuck likes the texture that the moss stitch creates at the hem. and I love the vent detail at the princess seam and the luster of this yarn.  

Have you been distracted by the title of my post..." Knit off the pounds" ? 

 I do not mean to suggest that this sweater will make me look thinner, but I have noted a huge benefit to knitting in the evenings...I snack less, in fact not at all.  Evenings are typically my downfall where my diet is concerned, the longer I watch television the more I want to snack, but when I am knitting I am not thinking about snacking, so I now figure that my yarn is a very cost effective diet aid.  Less expensive then a trainer or diet foods, and therapy. 

 After all for the cost of 12 skeins of yarns I am lowering my stress and calorie intake. 

 That's a win, win in my book:D

To see some of Black Purls patterns go here

For my fans of vintage clothing, check out the patterns using this yarn

Have you knit anything with  Merletto?

Do you use knitting, crocheting or hand work as a diet aid?

Have you been to the Black Purl?

Do tell:)

Fall Pantaloons

Williams Studio 2 Fall Pajama Pantaloon's

The most comfortable pajama pants I have ever worn:)

  Last week Peg sewed these up for me so we could check my computer pattern skills....learning the ropes, you know?

I have had this homespun cotton flannel for years....literally.  

I made this pair a little longer for the the cooler weather, but they still have that super comfortable smocking at the waist, and I like how the ruffles help the hem keep their shape.  

Peg is now making a pair for herself, can't wait to find out if she likes them as much as I.

If you would like to make yourself a pair, There is a tutorial so you can do that.

With the new format you can just do a picture search to find the posts.. or type Pajama Pantaloon in the search box at the upper right hand side of your screen.

They are a great beginner project. 

 They would make a great gift as well....don't you think?

Today in the studio I altered a pattern for a client who is in need of a dress coat....fur and taffeta...yummy

Answered inquiry's about the Wonder Woman costume.

Thought a lot about the Jasmine blouse muslin....I will post more about that later.

Graded a pattern and prepared some patterns to offer as downloads.

Do you download patterns?  It's so convenient right?

Fall Challenge - Pumpkin vest

Lynne Williams Pumpkin Plaid Vest from Folkwear 222

My apologies for this picture being out of focus....I was a little to excited about it to wait for better pictures.  Chuck and I have a photo shoot planned for later today, but he has a tight deadline on a sculpt....so I thought what the heck.

The Folkwear pattern this vest started with has 3 versions and I plan on making the double breasted version as well.  Although this vest is on  the bias I added the darts to get a closer fit, you might not need to do this in a lighter weight wool, but this lightly felted wool needed the additional shaping. 

The buttons are vintage plastic made to look like a traditional leather button.  Pretty cute I thought and the right accent for this vest.

Lynne Williams for Williams Studio 2

Looking forward to wearing this baby as it is really cooling down here and I think vests will make a great layer for me in and out of the studio.  

I have always had a passion for menswear as well so its a win, win.

The Lining is a rayon Ambiance from my stash.

The back belt is a beautiful piece of brown leather, left over from some outrageous show chaps I made several years ago. 

Looking forward to my next item for the challenge which will be the Jasmine blouse by Colette Patterns.

Need to muslin that and I am planning on lengthening the sleeve. 

 I just don't think that above the elbow look is good for my age group.  

This pattern due to its being cut on the bias requires 3 yards....yikes, this will limit my fabric choices.  I have some beautiful silks, but I am afraid not enough yardage on any of them....hmmm

Do you like mens wear on women?

What color shirt would you wear with this vest?

Dare I enter it into the Stitched in Color Contest?

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.stitchedincolor.com/p/celebrate-color.html" title="Celebrate Color"><img 

Fall Sew Along - Moss skirt complete

Yepper's 

This looks like fall, at least my outfit does.  Here in Wisconsin it feels like fall and it certainly smells like fall, but we are just beginning to see some color.  I find this encouraging because I still have so much fall sewing to do that it will be fun to see the garments develop as the color does.

It started to rain on us a bit as Chuck was taking these pictures before I headed off to the Kingdom Hall for the Sunday talk.  

A reminder of my fall inspiration.    

I need to find some of the blue in this picture in a blouse weight....I really need some blouses!

The silk blouse I am wearing was from this vintage Vogue pattern, which was not vintage when purchased in the 80's..sigh.

The apricot silk was also purchased in the 80's from International Silks and Woolens a favorite haunt of mine from my days in California.

Both were tenderly packed and brought to Wisconsin.  I did not originally purchase the silk for this pattern specifically, but kept saving it for "just the right thing"   and to think all the time I had them both-lol.   I made the blouse a year of two ago, and I do love it with this skirt.  I have plans to make the short sleeve version on this pattern as well from a black silk jacquard by Ralph Lauren...hope I can accomplish this before the pattern is considered an antique!

This is my husbands favorite shot, so I had to include it.

The belt is leather, another item I have had since the early 80's

The shoes were a "find" on Pinterest, which led to a purchase at 

Nine West

For my next Fall item I have started the pumpkin wool vest and I would like to make another vest from this skirt fabric as well, I have just enough left over...how thrilling.  But blouses..yes blouses.

Are you drawn to certain weights of fabrics over others?  I am thinking I must be, because I have a serious lack of blouse weight fabrics in my stash....hmm, yet I can always find something to make a jacket from:)

What is your favorite item to make? 

• dresses?
• tops?
• pants?
• jackets?
• skirts?
• Home decor?

Fall Wardrobe - Moss Wool Skirt in progress

Today I am grateful for being able to sew on my Fall Challenge skirt. 

 Yesterday our water heater died a horrible death, bleeding out onto my studio floor.  Can you say inconvenient? 

 I had just completed a Wonder Woman Tiara for a client and decided to finish up the day by working on my skirt, when I noticed this dark patch in front of my ironing table...hmm that's odd I thought....which quickly turned into an expensive and frantic afternoon and evening...sigh. 

So yes, I am very grateful for a quiet day of personal sewing:)

Today's sewing went well.

All of the elements are sewn and most of them together....that's my waistband hanging vertically which  needs to be basted to the skirt for another fitting.

The hem sections are cut on the bias faced with Ambiance lining and under stitched. It has two darts on the front of the skirt and four on the back with an invisible zipper placed at the center back seam. The waistband will lap once attached.

In thinking through the process I was a little concerned about the bulk which would be created by all of the hem elements, as well as how and where the lining would end.  Inspiration hit upon sewing the longest layer to the lining and sewing the rest to the skirt.  This adds weight to both sections and will provide a nice clean finish for the edges and some short swing tacks will keep the lining and skirt in proper alignment.

I am quite pleased with the days sewing. 

Now I am trying to adjust to my new progressive lens which I picked up during lunch today.  Peg was kind enough to drive me in...a good thing, because I still feel a bit like a drunken sailor...well maybe not as fun as that, but a kind of moving ship thing....

What did you sew today?

or

What did you dream about sewing today?

Do you have bi-focals or progressive?

 Other Fall Wardrobe posts:

  skirt pattern post

 inspiration and stash

Fall Wardrobe - Moss Wool skirt

Remember this dress from the Mad Men challange?

And remember this moss wool, and skirt inspiration that I want to make for fall?

Now that I have spent the necessesary time and effort to fit the dress, I can create my skirt using the skirt from the dress pattern. 

 The changes I will need to make are: 

Style changes :

1.  Narrow the skirt towards the hemline, so it creates a little more of a pencil skirt, but not to much because this can quickly add up to me looking hippy and drawing attention to the fact that my legs are less then elegantly long.
2. Create the hem detail

Pattern changes:

1. Create a waistband
2. Adjust the ease at the waist appropriate for a skirt.  Did you know that dresses require 1.5" of ease at the waist where a skirt only requires 3/4"?  So I need to lose 3/4" of ease.

I began with the pattern changes.  Trimming a fat 1/8" off of each side seam takes care of the additional ease.  Then tapering that down to 1/2" at the hem, which I am hoping will provide a hint of my pencil look, but the muslin will let me know if I am correct about that or not.

The hem detail is next and for that I cut off 3" from the bottom of the skirt, carefully labeling so I don't get the front and back confused. 

slashing and spreading to add fullness to 1/4 section of skirt hem band

It looks to me like the hem detail has a touch of the flounce to it, and so I make four cuts into each pattern piece, leaving a hinge where it joins the skirt and spreading the hemline.  I spread each one 1/4" is all because I don't want a ruffle, just a bit of a flip.

Time for the muslin, which stitches up quickly.  I grab my shoes and my husband, who is great help with judging proportions for me, slip into the skirt.....and decide....I was correct about the "pencil" amount, as well as the spread on the hem band..."and there was much rejoicing". 

The length however need to come up a bit,  to just below the knee which meant shortening the skirt by 1.5".

Now that, that is decided I can make my additional hem band pieces, as it has 3 layers of unequal width and length.  I trace my hem band twice, layer them and cut them to pleasing shapes. 

 Nothing to it:)

Time to cut some wool.  Surprisingly when I went to cut my fabric I discovered I did not have an appropriate length of lining that would suit.  Although a little frustrated by the delay I will console myself with the thought that it simply means I must be effectively reducing my stash....don't you think? 

 In the meantime I will go paint my daughters bedroom, which will now be called the "Guest room"

Won't this skirt look great with this wonderful jacket I made a few years back(goodness back when my hair was long even) from a Vintage Vogue pattern and an Angora wool blend houndstooth I picked up at Ginnys Fine Fabrics. 

Fall Essentials and Palette challenge Post 1

Additional fabric contenders for Fall Essentials and Palette challenge Post 2

Jeans that fit......me:)

The Jeans that fit class at Nicolet begins on Sept 3rd and so I thought as a teaser I would show you how my sample jeans turned out. 

I am really quite pleased. 

What I like: 

1. The color, this Charcoal is a nice change of pace and will help me move into fall. The fabric is a lighter in weight than standard jeans, which will be dynamite for summer, but I am thinking a bit thin for winter...you all know how cold I always am. 
2. The Fit...this should really be #1 right?  They look great and are comfortable. 
3. The rise is just where I wanted it
4. The top stitching color and width pleases me
5. Construction - they were simple to put together, but I am glad I have a few machines to set up so that I did not have to change my thread and needle constantly....having 2 machines made it more convenient.
6. My husband says they look great
7. My husband says they look great - lol

After a day of wearing, they look just like my favorite BKE jeans but shorter....Hmm, not happy with how short they are, great with flats though. 

I am throwing in some additional construction pictures....why not...right?

The back pocket

The Front pockets and fly.  I added the coin pocket.

This is my waistband which Jalie has you place on the bias.  As you can see I pressed a gentle curve into it prior to sewing to keep it from gaping on along the back.

I used a piece of selvage tape along the top of my waistband to keep it from stretching out on me as I top stitched.  I made the length of the tape the same as my low rise waist circumference to insure it would not become to large or to small.  You know how that bias likes to stretch on you.

Had to add a final shot of the rivets.  I chose this tarnished silver, but the tarnished brass was another tempting option.

These jeans are part of my wardrobe plan for fall of 2011.  To see more check out the links below.
Fall wardrobe plan