Make Nine#1 S2311 Planning

Hello everyone!

I am back to share the planning for my first Make Nine Short Coat of 2020!  Meet Simplicity 2311:

This is an out-of-print pattern from the Project Runway series some years back.  I bought it because I liked View A, the short coat to the far left in the Caramel color.  Once I purchased the pattern I stored it away, and it has not been seen since lol!  I am pretty sure I forgot I owned it!  While browsing through my Outerwear patterns, I stumbled upon it and knew I was still excited about putting this one together.

I realize I am starting this coat when the weather here can burst into Spring at any time.  It's a risk for sure, but most times it starts to warm up in March.  The forecast these past weeks have been in the high 60s and low 70s, so I definitely started to worry a little bit.  But, it seems to have dropped to the 30s, so I might be able to wear this coat a few times before packing it away for late Fall.

Now, on to my plans...

I am starting with a beautiful jacketing I ordered from Denver Fabrics (aka Fashion Fabrics Club). It is a cotton and polyester twill weave with a brushed flannel side, and an untextured reverse side, in a butterscotch color. I love the brushed side! It is super soft, and I think it will work well for this pattern.

Already cut out pattern pieces

I planned on a size 14 graded to 16, but made a few adjustments when I created my muslin (more on that later).  For the lining, I mistakenly ordered one yard.  No matter how I tried to wiggle around it, I didn't have enough fabric for all my lining pieces, so this is what I did:

The sleeves are pinned because the shoulder seam attaches in two places due to the shawl collar, but I had to use to a coordinating solid for the sleeve lining.  My thoughts are that you won't even see it with the final garment.  The lining is a black/buff animal print in dobby crepe.  It is so amazing in person, and I just couldn't resist the animal print for a pop of pizazz!

For the muslin, the construction of the shawl collar was new to me.  I found a wonderful video by Diane Deziel and saw that the process is quite simple once you mark your stitching lines.   I am still bad at marking, lol!!  

I am pleased with the overall look of the muslin, and I appreciate the clean lines of the back.  If you are making a coat for the first time, and have some sewing experience, this pattern is a good choice. 

For my adjustments, I added 1" in length as I usually do.  I left out the forward shoulder adjustment only because I wasn't sure how to do it properly since the shoulder seam intersects with two pieces.  On the final version I will make a straight size 14.  That should clean up some of the additional fullness, and still give me enough ease to wear sweaters underneath the jacket.  I imagine the additional layers from the lining, interfaced pieces, and shoulder pads will add structure too.

So there you have it!  My first Make Nine choice is on its way!!!

I have already cut out my pieces and have to swing by Joanns again to try out another type of interfacing, since the Pellon 931TD didn't adhere properly (sigh).  I have heard good things about fusible knit tricot via My Bluprint, and will see if I like that instead.  

This weekend I also plan to meet with a few friends to sew.  I will update you on how that goes, as well as any additional plans for February next week.  

Stay sew filled!  

January Recap

Hello everyone!

Today I am recapping what I sewed last month.  As you know, I have been on this journey to sew a stylish wardrobe this year.  To aid in this journey, I have adopted a sewing template from Alison Lumbatis' Get Your Pretty On "Closet Staples Wardrobe Builder." This is a yearly plan, and it provides a list of clothing, outfit combinations, and store links for shopping.  

Since this is a plan I purchased, I will share the pieces I am sewing, though I don't think it would be right to reveal the outfit combinations and other info without ruining all the work Alison has put into her product.  However, I will continue to share my experience with you, and how sewing all the pieces is working out for me. 

That said, get ready for a "TNT fest" because here are the pieces I sewed for January:

This is the Sewaholic Renfrew pattern done in a navy brushed sweater knit.  I chose the cowl version.  I have sewn the Renfrew many times before, and each view on the envelope has been successful for me.

Here is another Sewaholic Renfrew with the scoop neck option.  I needed a striped shirt, and had a similar one in my closet that had seen better days.  I immediately knew I would recreate it, and ended up with this version.

Once again, another Sewaholic Renfrew in a scoop neck.  This time I chose a gorgeous 1" wide rib knit from Boho Fabrics in Ivory.  Where have I been with Ivory and Cream?  They are not colors I wear often but I really liked the way this one turned out.  I even had the pleasure of wearing it to a Woman's event with one of my friends!

My next top is Kwik Sew 3766.  This was my first time working with this pattern, and I was extremely pleased.  I purposely chose TNTs or simple top patterns so that I could have a chance at finishing this wardrobe before Spring.  I can't believe this, but I had a really hard time finding basic designs with the Big 4!!! Kwik Sew ended up coming to my rescue with their designs. I even found a turtleneck pattern to try too.  

Once I fill in the holes for my best Basic patterns, I plan on using them year-round.  Then, after each season's capsule is complete, I will turn my attention to the "fun" items that I have been eyeing.

For my day dress option, I chose to go with the Colette Moneta in a black cotton/lycra knit.  I only have one little black dress in my closet, but it is dressier than I like to be in real life.  This version fits much better for casual wear, and I just love it!  I will probably do another version for warmer weather since it is such a versatile piece. 

Simplicity 8393 is my go to cardigan pattern.  I love this the pattern pieces so much that they have started to wear out. I really need to copy it on tag board soon.  You know what that means-- I WILL be using it to create LOADS of cardigans this year!  This one is already a fave! I made it in a charcoal ponte knit and the structure of this style is just what I need.

Last but not least, I made these! Yes, another pair of beloved Ginger jeans.  I will warn you now...there will be more pairs in the future so I hope you don't get tired of seeing them.  These pants in particular gave me fits though because I made them out of a STRETCHY Dark Moss Twill Bengaline from Hobby Lobby. I have always wanted to use Bengaline, and was extra curious about this fabric when I saw VivMom Sews make a pair of pants from this.

While I do think it was a good choice for pants, I could have easily gone down a size in order to compensate for all the stretch.  I was definitely careful to interface everywhere I needed to, and I even had to switch out the interfacing I used because my midweight interfacing kept pulling away from the fabric. 

Overall, I love how these turned out! They are my first pair of olive pants, and I can't believe I haven't ventured into other colors before!  

Here is a view on the inside:

Doesn't that just make you smile?  There's nothing like cute little pineapples on the inside of your pants!  

So that wraps up my sewing month for January!  1 pair of pants, 1 dress, 1 topper and 4 tops, for a total of 7 items.  In order to complete my winter sewing, I will sew 2 more tops, 2 toppers, and 2 pair of pants, at least.  Since some of the pieces will transition to Spring, and the weather will be changing soon, I will transition appropriately.

Thanks for reading!  I will be back by Friday to check-in on the progress of my first Make Nine jacket.  I finished the muslin and lining, and look forward to starting on my final jacket soon.  

Stay sew filled!

Sewing Plans for 2020

Hello everyone!

Who's ready for 2020???

I am! I am!

Though 2019 started off well, I slowly ran out of steam. While I continued to sew in my real life, I have certainly neglected this blogging space.  For 2020 I am looking forward to sewing and blogging again!

Once I made the decision to return to blogging,  I started to brainstorm ideas for the upcoming year. I can definitely say I had SO many ideas!  It took a bit of thoughtful consideration in order to hone the ideas down into something more workable, and that is exactly what I want to share with you today!

To recap some, last year I decided to participate in the Sew Your View challenge on Instagram.  I successfully completed approximately 4 or 5 garments, then never picked it up from there.  It wasn't because I didn't like the challenge.  There were a few garments here or there that weren't my favorite, but a lot of the pattern choices surprised me, and were relatively easy to sew too.  I will definitely sew along again for 2020, but probably NOT every month.  

A sample of my Sew Your View creations

So what have I decided to do?

First, and foremost (and I never thought I would say this), I will be continuing my RTW Fast for the THIRD year in a row!!!!!  I must be crazy, but it only seemed natural to keep going.  I think finishing two pairs of jeans and two pairs of shorts had a lot to do with my decision.  I feel a lot better about fitting pants, and I am still in the stage where I prefer the things I sew on my frame, instead of the things that I purchased years ago.

My staple Ginger Jeans pattern

That said, I really needed a plan for the year.  I mean, a REAL plan!  I didn't want to go another year of trying to figure out my wardrobe.  And I didn't want to waste any more time--I was ready to put the pieces together now! 

Well, thanks to Alison Lumbatis at Get Your Pretty On, I have found a "cheat" sheet!  Alison is a personal stylist who posts style challenges with each season.  These usually occur in real time and are loads of fun.  I have done one in the past, but never considered sewing the items of clothing she recommends because the turnaround time once you receive the shopping list is very short (three weeks).  However, Alison also has some challenges that are not time sensitive, particularly her "Closet Staples Capsule Wardrobe Builder."  

This is a yearly challenge, so all four seasons are included, as well as a Master shopping list with photos and outfit combinations.  Do I need to tell you that this was music to my ears?!! I purchased this package a week or so ago and have started sewing through the recommended Winter pieces that I do not already have.  I can't wait to finish and start putting everything together!!  

So, my first goal is to continue sewing all my own clothing (except bras, underwear, socks, and accessories) with the yearly wardrobe plan from Alison Lumbatis as my guide.  

My second goal is my own personal challenge.  I have chosen to do the "Make Nine" challenge, except spun in a different way.  Usually this challenge is done to inspire yourself to sew nine items.  Well, I have exceeded that number of garments for the last couple of years so I never took part in this before.  However, I noticed a few sewists (Sew Natural Dane?) that used this challenge in a brand new way to choose "goal" items that they always wanted to sew for the year.  You know, things outside of their normal comfort zone of sewing that they might not otherwise do.

So, I would like to show you my Make Nine Outerwear plan...

If you have followed along with me over the years, then you know I have sewn a jacket or two here and there.  I am still proud of my Kelly Anorak, and my corduroy Mimi G Moto jacket is one I get excited about wearing.  While outerwear takes time, I love that all that time you put in translates into a garment you can wear over and over!  So, why not create nine Outerwear pieces for the year???  It is certainly something I have never done, and once finished, I would easily have a jacket or coat for every season!

My Kelly Anorak always gets love

Still a fan of Moto jackets

For my Make Nine, I have excluded cardigans.  I am not sure if cardigans (by definition) fit into the Outerwear category, but I just wanted to be clear since I sew a lot of them.  I also wanted something that would push me a bit, and cause me to organize my time, because fitting nine items into twelve months only leaves a month and a few weeks per item (yes, Math nerd here, lol).  For the patterned blocks pictured above, I still have two additional choices to make.  I am considering a beautiful trench style jacket from a La Maison Victor magazine I bought a few months ago.  I am also torn on a nice utility jacket. Perhaps Simplicity 8700, or another Kelly Anorak in the View with the collar, since I already have the pattern.  Who knows, I may be open to the idea of throwing a vest in, since I only have one of those in my closet right now. We shall see!

So my second goal is to participate in the Make Nine challenge by sewing nine outerwear pieces, not counting cardigans.

Overall, I am so pumped to enter a new decade!!!  Thank you all for hanging in there with me, and coming along on my sewing journey.  This blog is not only about me and all the things I make or don't make.  It is about learning from each other.  I hope that each post you find something that you can take with you on your own journey, or maybe share with someone else.

Here's to 2020!

Stay sew-filled!

Summer wardrobe all wrapped up

Hello everyone!

Well, it was bound to happen!  It is now October, the summer has effectively flown by, and the first peeks of Fall are coming through without even one post from me.  As you can imagine, I have been entrenched in caring for my husband and kids; however,  a big portion of my hiatus was dealing with a terrible bout of tendinitis in my left arm.  I was in so much pain I didn't even want to sew!  This issue has been a chronic one since I had my son three years ago, but this last time was almost unbearable. I laid around A LOT, and activities of daily living were extremely difficult. 

Thankfully, after a few MD appointments, a prescription for steroids, and a natural joint supplement, I began to do SO MUCH better!  I still have some days of dull aches, but every day I feel better and better.  Since I am back working with toddlers I have to be careful not to re-injure my arm, but every "good day" has been filled with sewing in small increments.

Today I am going to talk a little bit about my summer wardrobe pieces, and how my wardrobe plans turned out. Remember this?

I attempted all of the items (except the second pair of shorts, more on that later), but I have to be honest and say that there was a lot of "meh" items so some of the items are unfinished.  In fact, I wandered so deep into "meh" land, I almost thought I wouldn't get out!  So, some of these items I have taken photos in, while others are on my dressform.

My first piece is the Sewaholic Renfrew done with a short sleeve.  I have made other versions of this top (cowl neckline, V neckline, long-sleeve) and this was the only view I had left to make.  Since my wardrobe has been lacking in solid colors, I decided on this lovely navy poly-rayon knit I purchased from Fine Fabrics this year.  For some reason, it came out a tad snug around my hips, and I will have to adjust that in future versions.

  However, it does pair well with the shorts I ended up making:

As you can tell from my pasty pale legs, I am not a consistent shorts wearer--even during the summer months!  I am not sure why.  My legs are not the feature I like to play up most, so I guess I dress accordingly.  In fact, most of my pants are capri or full length for summer.  

Anyhow, the shorts shown above are not what I originally wanted to make for my summer wardrobe. Let me show you the wearable muslin I created before I decided to go in a different direction: 

I started out with S1167, but ended up having quite a few fit challenges.  Once I sorted out the back rise  (which was too low) and applied the waistband, I had pocket gaping.  Not giving up, I made a full seat adjustment, re-worked the pockets, sewed up a second pair, and STILL had pocket gaping.  Besides the gaping, I really like the shorts!   I could probably wear them with a longer top that covers the pockets, but as you can see, I haven't even bothered to put the button snap on yet.  Yeah, I'm just not that into them...

After the disappointment of S1167, I turned to my beloved Ginger jeans pattern, and the wheels began turning... Why not turn my beloved jeans pattern into shorts??!!! So,  I created a pants block from the Ginger jeans, and reduced the length by about 9 inches in order to get the pair shown here.  I also combined the back yoke to the back pants, and kept the topstitching to a minimal so that it mimicked all of the trouser-like features of S1167.  

It was a good solution to a frustrating problem!!!!  Also, it made sewing these up so much easier, and I now have a solid foundation for making future pairs of shorts next summer.  My only change would be to create a pocket facing that attaches to the lining so that there is no show through. This will also allow me to use all the pretty fat quarters that I stocked up on in the last $1 sale at Joanns!

For the sleeveless tank top, I chose another Fine Fabrics purchase.  This time it was a blue marbled rib knit that looked like it was begging to be a tank!  Since it was a quick sew I figured I wasn't going to muslin it...but ended up regretting that choice.  In short, the armholes were huge on me!  I fixed that by sewing deeper into the side seams, and the end results were actually very nice:

This tank is my husband's favorite!! While I don't think I will revisit this pattern, this item has gotten worn so many times--because when your hubby says he likes something, you just put it into the rotation!!!

I do like the split hem on this one.  There is just enough length without it going overboard.

Here is my total me-made look!  I do like that I have additional choices to wear with my kimono.  For my next wardrobe, I think I will choose fabrics around a print again, but probably not my topper.  I found it hard to integrate the clothing underneath the topper without making EVERYTHING a solid color--still learning!  But I can see the appeal of sewing separates that play well together!

My last top, TC1617, a sleeveless blouse, is actually a great pattern that I just feel "meh" about.  I really liked the pattern instructions for this one.  I love how they had you create the front placket, and although there is LOTS of hand sewing, I didn't mind that either.  I believe this is a well made shirt pattern, and I am convinced I will be trying other versions for Fall--especially the hidden button placket, which I have never done before.

The thing I struggled with is the length of high-low hem for the back.  It just looks ridiculous to me!!  Right now this top has been in timeout until I can decide on the changes that will bring me a love for this item, lol!  It is a rayon crepon from Fine Fabrics (I only know because I saw it online too).

With patterns that have darts, I find that I have to move the bust dart down about 1/2."  That is what I did to this shirt, and it fits well.  Again, I am still learning fit with woven fabrics so I am being kind to myself in this area.  

Overall, I created three wearable items out of the five.  I can live with those numbers and regroup for next year, lol!  You may see other mini-wardrobes on my blog throughout the rest of this year, but I will be moving back to my original monthly plan of making the Sew Your View item, as well as a garment of my choosing.

Stay sew filled!