Staycation and Fall Planning!

My husband and I have decided to start a tradition of taking a staycation around Labor Day each year. We plan to take a week off from work and have absolutely no plans. I'm sure he'll take the opportunity to go to the casino a couple of times, giving me some time in my sewing room!

I plan to start my fall wardrobe and have acquired my new fabrics from Gorgeous Fabrics and Emma One Sock. What wonderful fabrics as you can see from the picture above! I purchased a brown knit and orange knit from Gorgeous fabrics. They feel wonderful and are the perfect weight for Alabama winters. The brown will become a cardigan, probably Loes Hinse Sweater Set, and the orange will be a vest from the draped cardigan from Pamela's Patterns.

The brown, black, and camel RPL is from EmmaOneSock. I highly recommend it. It's excellent quality, just enough stretch, beautiful drape, and only $12 a yard. They will become pants from Sure Fit Designs and pencil skirts from Pamela's Patterns.

The brown linen is going to be pants self drafted, but based on Katherine's pants from Style Arc. This fabric matches beautifully with the jacquard stripe from EOC that will be a Trio Top from TSW along with the green knit for a Trio Top. I love these three fabrics together. It's my favorite combo in a long time.

I hope to get my patterns ready and much of my fabric cut out before the week off. I think I'm going to like this new tradition of ours.

Black and White

I have been sewing up a storm with my new Bernina this past week. Here are some of my new creations. First, I bought some wonderful fabric from Marcy Tilton recently. Some fabrics are just worth the price, and I loved a french print. It happened to match a lavender cardigan I made several years ago. The fabric became a Tango Skirt - a pattern I have made millions of times. I was very pleased how this one turned out. I used a decorative stitch for the hem, which matched the design of the print perfectly.

Now for the topic at hand: black and white.

I have been trying to make more unusual pieces. It's been a challenge experimenting with new designs and challenging myself with new techniques.

I purchased black and white fabrics from Fabric.com - one is polka dot while the other is a stripe. I intended to use them together and was able to make two tops. It was fun making two totally different things. The first shirt is a Marcy Tilton pattern from Vogue, while the second is the Urban T from The Sewing Workshop. That's the joy of sewing.

One More Sure Fit Designs

I just love this system! Everything turns out great and fits so well. I opened the Shirt Kit and made my husband two shirts. This one is even easier to draft than the dress pattern - less measurements and no darts. It took no time to crank out the shirts. My husband loves them and says they are so comfortable.

James has narrow, sloping shoulders that don't fit well with the rest of his body. Shirts usually fall off of him at the shoulders. Not so with these shirts. I see more of these in his future, especially dress shirts. The shirts I made are 100% cotton, which should be nice and cool for summer.

Sure Fit Designs

I became interested in Sure Fit Designs when Glenda Sparling did a Chat on Pattern Review. Sure Fit has several kits - Dress (consists of a fitted blouse and and skirt), Shirt, Pants, and Children. You take your measurements and then find a matching dot to your measurement on a chart that includes a drawing of a bodice, pant or skirt. You then draft your sloper to your measurements. There are not very many measurements. For instance, there are 11 for the dress kit.

After you draft your sloper, you sew up a muslin. Tweak it if necessary. Here is my muslin, which I thought turned out great. The only tweaks were for sloping shoulder, taking it out a little at the high hip, and narrowing the shoulder. I'm sure the last two alterations were user error when taking my measurements. I always have to alter for a sloping shoulder.

Here is the back and front of my muslin.

After you get your muslin the way you want it, you can draft your own patterns or use your sloper to alter existing patterns. My first effort was this shirt dress pictured below. I included a mandarin collar and front and back yoke. I moved the must dart to the top and gathered it to the yoke. I also made gathers at the back yoke. Then, I made it a drawstring. Taking an idea from Hot Patterns, I elasticized the drawstrings for 2/3's length and added fabric ties for the rest.

Here's a back view with the gathers at the back yoke.

And another front view.

I received Sure Fit Designs as a Birthday present and love it! I currently have plans for another shirt dress, but changing the design elements, and three sheath dresses.

V Neck Top

Here is my latest creation from the wonderful fabrics I received from Fabric Mart Fabrics. It is a rayon jersey that was very soft, did not curl at all, and is very soft against the skin. I will really enjoy wearing this. It goes well with the white draped cardigan and the taupe/grey Marrakesh pants I made.

This was a very quick pattern to sew up. I cut it out one evening, and sewed it up tonight. This is the second V Neck Top from Christine Johnson that I have made and I plan to make many more. Her patterns are so well drafted and come together beautifully.

Weekender Summer in the City Top

I have serious sewing mojo going on right now. Here is my latest shirt - the Hot Patterns Weekender Summer in the City top. It is gathered at the front and back yokes. The fabric is a rayon challis from Fabric Mart and had the perfect drape for this. I plan to make two more - one another blouse with ruched sleeves, and the other a shirt dress that I will wear belted. The shirt was very easy to fit. I did the usual adjustments for sloping shoulders and a high rounded back. Then took it in at the sides 1 inch and shortened it by

2 1/2 inches. I have only seen this made up once by someone else, but I recommend the pattern.

The Great Not So White Classic Shirt

I am really enjoying the Hot Patterns projects I have completed lately. They come together well and fit great. I needed a new basic shirt pattern and decided to try the Classic Nouveaux Great White Shirt - except in color. I first made a muslin making my usual alterations - sloping shoulder and high rounded back. I did not make a full bust adjustment, and found I didn't need it. I am a D - Cup and have never needed a FBA with Hot Patterns. The size is true to measurements suggested, and that is great as well.

For the "good" fabric, I used a beautiful light, floral cotton from Gorgeous Fabrics. I loved this fabric, as well as my muslin quite frankly. I have been working with knits and wovens with lycra so much lately, I forgot how enjoyable it is to work with a nice cotton. The muslin fabric I bought several years ago on sale, but was never excited about it. Once I made it up, I loved this shirt, too.

The only changes I made to the floral shirt was to raise the armhole at the bottom 1/2 inch, and narrow the shoulders by 1/2 inch. It turned out perfect. Until it gets very hot, as it certainly can, I'll wear it with the green cardigan in the second picture. The shirt and cardigan will look great with my new, white Marrakesh pants or a white pencil skirt.

Now on to my next Hot Patterns project - a shirt dress from a different pattern.