Simplicity 8383 and Best Laid Plans

Hello everyone!

It's OCTOBER!

Ok, I admit that I have held on long enough.  I am now ready to bring on the pumpkin spice!!!

The weather here has been getting cooler, and that could mean Fall is around the corner!  However, I have been fooled before.  Living in Georgia as long as I have, I have been duped one too many times, lol!  Either way, this post is here to say that I have pushed "play" on pumpkin spice, and sewing for the Fall season.

To recap, I think I made a mess of September!! I created all of these amazing plans, wrote them down in my sewing planner, and never finished a thing I wanted to.  My new part-time job stole some thunder from my plans and made me a tired wreck on quite a few nights.  And then, I started two other projects that I experienced some hang-ups on as well.  It was not at all what I wanted it to be!

Finally, I decided to put everything aside, and pick up a TNT that I had confidence would work. Enter Simplicity 8383.  I made this one before as a sleeveless swing dress during Me Made May, and I wanted to revisit it to explore the cold shoulder sleeve version of View A:

I think I really like it!!  I am going to work on a few more versions because I think this outfit is perfect for work attire.  Because I am mostly on the floor with little ones, leggings seem to work the best.  That means I can easily throw over a nice dressy/casual dress, or a tunic.  It creates an outfit that gives me the ability to move well (bend, sit, spin, etc.) yet doesn't compromise the environment of the school.  For now, I will likely live in these, but I will also be adding other workwear items down the line.  Here is a view of the inside of the garment:

I sewed a straight size 12 with no modifications.  There is PLENTY of ease in this tent dress, so no grading was necessary.  In fact, I could still probably take it in slightly for more of an A line effect.  The tiger/leopard/black and white print is from Fine Fabrics, and is a jersey.  I think it is a blend of some kind too, most likely a poly.  It has beautiful drape, and sewed wonderfully.

When it came to the instructions, I did a classic neckband construction instead of the binding method recommended by the pattern.  To make sure it would lay well, I measured the circumference of the neckline, then subtracted two inches.  I remember reading about this method used by Cennetta.  It works so well for moderate knits!

I don't know if any of you have noticed, but I truly LOVE black and white.  Actually, black and cream is best, and I have gladly filled my closet with this color palette over the years.  In fact, I wear it so much that you would think that all the fabric I buy falls into this same zone.  Well, you would be surprised to find out it doesn't.  I have LOADS of colorful fabrics (and still a fair amount of neutrals) that I have challenged myself to pull out and sew.  So far, I think I have been doing pretty well in sewing color for spring/summer.  Now I will have to figure out how my color scheme will work for Fall.

So, I guess you can tell that I don't have a clear plan for Fall yet.  I'm going to take some time to figure out what my next projects will be once I finish another version of S8383...I'm thinking a brainstorming session with a warm pumpkin spice latte may help things come into alignment. 

Stay sew-filled!