TEST DRIVING MY COAT...

...38 degrees and rainy in Georgia this morning and a perfect day for a coat test drive.  So I did just that

The coat fit well and kept me warm even as temperatures continued to drop on this misty Monday. I also wore my black knit Vogue 8939 dress made Fall of 2013 - still love this dress.  Mmmmm, I'm contemplating declaring this The Week of the Dress, we'll see...

WORK WEAR: VOGUE 8939 #3...

...I made this dress twice last year (one for myself and one for my Mom) both in classic black.  Back in the summer when I found this maroon sweatery knit Vogue 8939 immediately came to mine.  This dress has been ready for a couple of months (posted here) and today seemed just the right time to give it a test drive.   I don't mind having two of these dress in my closet one little bit, and might even give it one more go should I come across just the right fabric when ever I have time to shop through my stash.

I love this pattern - just four pattern pieces, made for knits and what attracted to me most is that it has no bust darts.  I HATE bust darts in a knit garment.  The dress wore wonderfully and just my style.  I can dress it up or down, it just really fits my lifestyle.

We've had some drastic weather the last couple of days.  Temperatures have dropped tremendously here as they have all over the country.  Yesterday a tornado even touched down in an adjacent county.  Thank God it only took out a barn and a storage unit - they said it was only on the ground for one minute.  The word C-H-I-L-L-Y was not enough to describe today making me decide that I need a new black coat...

HAPPINESS RETURNED...

...yes my sewing motivation returned this weekend.  Yep, out of the blue it just showed up.  And if she could talk I think the conversation would have gone something like this...

ME:  Oh sweetie there you are!  Where in the world have you been?
HER:  Oh, just out and about.
ME:  Well I really did miss you, and this time I couldn't even force you to come back.  And you stayed away soooo long.   I'm really glad you're here though, things are just not the same without you.  Come here, give me a little hug!
HER:  Enough of the mushy stuff, let's get to work.
ME:  Alrighty then, but next time don't you dare stay away so long. Mama really missed you!

I bought a slightly ribbed knit off Hancock's bargain flat-fold table earlier this summer at a scrumptious price.  And although the weather was hot as all get out at the time, I knew just what I'd use it for.  I love a great garnet colored fabric for fall, and when I saw it I instantly thought of the black knit dress I made from Vogue 8939 last fall (Reference this post).

So since (you know who came back) we were able to whip up another one this past weekend.

I underlined the back and front pieces of the dress with black tricot.  Had I taken the time to look at the black dress I would have just added a free hanging lining and saved myself a whole lot of time.  I also altered the pattern just a little at the neckline and decreased the width of the collar by 2 1/4" and it feels much more comfortable. 

Found just enough 1/4" twill tape to stabilize the shoulder seams - its just the right width for shoulder seams.  It's so hard to find 1/4" twill tape in our stores here.  I really need to track some down via the internet.  Maybe I could buy it in a big roll.

So I had a really nice sewing weekend.  I'm so glad happiness has returned, and hope she stays for a very long time...

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE...

... I've been caught right in the middle of indecisiveness as to exactly what my next project will be - seriously not a good place to be.   I did manage to get a whiff of inspiration from Pinterest yesterday when this simple color combination caught my eye.

I immediately knew I could pull something similar off.

I teamed my black knit version of Vogue 8939's turtleneck dress made in late August with a blazer I've had in my closet for a very long time.  I haven't worn it in years because it's such a bright color, but the Pinterest picture inspired me to make use of it today.  The blazer is 100% wool crepe by JH Collectables that I purchased way back when my daughter was still in high school.  It was actually an investment piece when I bought it, and I could never bring myself to part with it.  It's just hung in my closet in a plastic covering for many years.  Everyone at school thought it was a brand new piece, and were surprised when I told them that it's actually older than my grand-children.

I did manage to make another black knit pencil skirt from McCall's 6654.   I already have a black knit pencil, but it's a real form fitted longer length that I think looks better all dressed up - heels, jewelery and the like.  I needed a black knit pencil skirt made for my simplier life - a little roomyier, and a little more casual that would look good with even flat boots - you know, a throw on and go comfy type. McCall's 6654 to the rescue because I've made it at least 5 times before.  I like it and it works well for me. I didn't bother taking a picture - it's so simple - but will go with so many things that I already have in the closet.

Well it's almost the weekend and just maybe I'll be able to break through my indecisiveness and get my next project started.  Keep your fingers crossed for me...

BABY IT WAS COLD OUTSIDE...

...with temperatures at a chilly 32 degrees this morning (although Jack Frost didn't make an appearance),  I was happy to have a warm new dress to wear to work.  It made my Monday morning just a little bit more palatable.  I choose my Vogue 8939 black turtle neck knit dress.

Not too bad for a camera photo

The dress garnered several remarks like:   "Did you make that one too?  Oh my goodness you are so good."  My response  - it was only four pieces!  If they only knew just how easy making this dress was, minus removing the original turtle neck and replacing it with a larger one, they'd try their hand at dressmaking too - maybe.

The body of the dress is fully lined so thus negated wearing a slip - love that.  It made getting dressed and out the door this morning just a little bit easier.  The dress wore well all day long.  The Fabric:  a slightly ribbed value knit from Hancock Fabrics that was intended to be a muslin, but instead turned out to be the actual dress - because I liked it.


I really love my clothes.  Being able to make my wardrobe is such a wonderful blessing for which I am very thankful...

I LOVE IT WHEN VISIONS BECOME REALIITY...

...unbeknownst to me, and way out of my norm, I'm wanting to FLIP ON OVER INTO FALL right now.  But I don't think I'm  absolutely finished with summer yet!   Thank God I'm a woman!  This constant battle of changing my mind would surly drive a man crazy (lol).  I just couldn't wait to stitch up this classic knit dress from Vogue 8939.  Got to make the vision of my last post a reality...
 

Simple, yes!  But I think "simple" best describes my style.   "Simple" affords me limitless possibilities of mixing and matching, and the opportunity to play with the accessorizing I love so much for the Fall.  So this weekend I traced off the pattern, and picked out an inexpensive light weight ribbed knit from Hancock to play around with the pattern for fit.

• firstly, this turtle neck is no joke!  It's a real deal turtle - Choke city here, might I add; and thick even with using my light weight fabric. Got to figure out a way to eliminate some of that bulk or I'd be pulling at that thing all day long.  Got to definitely remember to apply my make up after I put the dress on or I'd end up with a real smear mess.

• I have several options concerning the collar:  pull a turtle neck pattern piece from an old Kwik Sew pattern that I've used before; or make the collar a cowl.  mmmmm we'll see...

•  secondly, the dress is S-H-O-R-T, as can clearly be seen on the model.  I added 5 inches to my muslin.  I thought that would be more than enough, but since I do plan on wearing it with boots, I'm thinking about adding 2 inches more - the pattern calls for a  1" hem.

• the dress runs large in the side seams.  I cut a 14 through the neck, shoulders and bust area and expanded to size 16 in the side seams.  As always, I'm glad that I made a muslin*.

*Please note that although I constantly talk of muslining, I do realize that it is not for everyone.  There are plenty of experienced sewists out there who just adjust the pattern itself for a perfect fit every time thus eliminating the need for a muslin.  Shucks, if I still had my out of the envelope size 12 body that I  thought was too fat back then, but always thought I'd have, I wouldn't EVER make a muslin!  It's a tremendous use of my limited sewing time.  But time and time again, I am not sorry that I bothered making it up.   It's like my fitting insurance policy.
 

so glad I finally learned to crop pictures.  That way I don't have to show ya'll the entirety of my junky sewing room (lol).  Add the elongated blazer from this same pattern and some boots, and I'll be off to professionally dressed work day!

I can see from my picture that I tapered more on the right below the hips than I did on the left.  Need to correct that.  This turned out to be a pretty good mock up, and could very well be a wearable muslin if I go back in and add a lining to the body of the dress.  That wouldn't be hard or take too long to do with some hand stitching at the sleeve opening and neck.  I'll finish this muslin, and hopefully start working on the actual fashion dress in pontederoma...

FLIPPING ON OVER INTO FALL...

...as far as sewing and blogging have been concerned - school started last Thursday - need I say more.  This past weekend I did get a chance to start a new top muslin for this pattern

BUTTERICK 5890

I was going to make View B, but ran into at least four fit issues:

• the front neckline was too high
• even with cutting a size 14 through the neck and shoulder area, had to take a 1" tuck in the center front at the neckline
• needed to take a 1/2" horizontal tuck above the bust
• had major diagonal drag wrinkles radiating from mid arm toward the bust

I'm trying to decide if I want the top bad enough to work through the pattern alterations.  I'm really glad that I made the muslin rather than going straight for my fashion fabric.  Right now I feel the need to make something absolutely gorgeous but simple (or is that an oxymoron?).

Contrary to my norm, I'm absolutely ready to move on over into Fall sewing even though there's still more than a month of summer left, and temperatures are steaming in the high 90's.  Maybe I feel the need to flip on over into Fall because school starts so very early here.  There are several "must haves" on the top of my Fall list, and since I can't figure out what else to sew for summer - I might as well flip on over, don't you think?

Of all the new Vogue patterns this is the one that I just had to have

VOGUE 8939

I do love the elongated blazer, but the dress in the pattern is what I want most.

A plain and simple, turtle necked, straight knit dress.  No darts (I hate bust darts in knit fabric), no zipper.  What more could I ask for??? I visualize it accessorized with a low slung wide belt and a big bib necklace, or a very colorful scarf, or even a big pashmina shawl in a contrasting color worn with boots.  Do you see how far my mind takes these things?, way on over into the deep end.  I've got a luxurious double knit left over from my first NYC shopping trip that I've been saving for just the right garment, and I think this one is it.  Yes I'll make a muslin, add a back hem vent, and about 5 inches in length.  Got to make sure this thing is right if I'm gonna use my double knit...