Friday, September 3, 2010

End of the Summer: Sewing Goals and Projects

I did far less sewing this summer than I had hoped. In fairness, travel, visiting family and work kept me out of the Craft Lounge more than I anticipated. So, with Labor Day now upon us, I feel like Autumn is coming and it is time to pack up the summer fabrics and set some goals for my autumn and early winter sewing. My sewing time is pretty limited, so I've decided to focus on three key projects. Here they are:



Lady Grey Coat in winter white
The Must Sew List:
First, pants will remain a priority, and my nearly finished pants will get finished this weekend. All they need is a hook and bar on the waistband, plus hemming. Then I will proceed to make several copies, with style and fabric variations. Three cheers for pants that fit!

Next, my "Unmentionable" Project - Now that I've amassed lingerie patterns, a good guide, some trim from my mystery box and a healthy dose of inspiration, I am ready to buy fabric and get going. I plan on starting with camis, slips and panties before I try a more difficult undertaking, like a bra.

KwikSew cami's and slips - my first planned lingerie project

Finally - and this is what I am most excited about at the moment and haven't told you about yet - every time I look at the Lady Grey coat by Colette Patterns (and I do visit it regularly on line) I find myself wondering if I am up to the challenge. I just love this pattern and think that the style is perfect for me. But it is rated "Advanced", which I am certainly not. So, I was thrilled to visit Gertie's blog recently and learn that she is organizing a Lady Grey Coat Sew-Along! So, there will be plenty of other sewistas, not to mention the fabulous Gertie herself, to fall back on for guidance, help and moral support. I ordered the pattern yesterday, and Gertie says that sewing should commence in mid-September. This will be a big project, starting with a muslin and hopefully ending with a gorgeous coat.


The "Maybe" Sew List:
There are a few other side projects that I hope to work on in between or when I need a break from the "Must Sew" projects. I would still love to make the Simplicity Amazing Fit sheath dress which I had planned on doing last fall, and in fact would love to have it as a TNT dress pattern. So, again, muslin required.


Also, I plan to make this New Look top out of one or more of the gorgeous silk fabrics I bought during my last hookie day.


What I will NOT be Sewing:

Knit tops. I've decided to put all the knit tops I was planning to sew on hold, at least in the short term. I've had a number of less than good experiences, starting with the Hot Patterns hot mess top. So, I just really need a break. Plus RTW tops fit me pretty well and are inexpensive. So, it's just not the best use of my time.

Anyway, I hope that with a bit more focus to my sewing, I will end up with a few key pieces for my wardrobe and a few new skills.

3 comments:

Reethi said...

I should think about my fall sewing this way. My problem - I want instant gratification. Which is evidently knit tops. The only good thing about this is that I really need tops.

Clio said...

Well, fingers crossed that I stick to my plan without getting distracted! I have a bad habit of getting sidetracked.

AA said...

oh, i wish i could sew! :)

check mine? www.listenthenspeak.blogspot.com