Spring is here and my mind turns to summer dresses despite my best intentions to make anything but. During the recent sales I splurged on a few new Vogue patterns and during a bout of spring cleaning in the pattern file unearthed a few from last year that never made it to my sewing table. Here are the patterns I am considering.
V1353 has made it into the definite category and I have done my pattern alterations. I have a batik print fabric in navy/white with a vertical stripe that I have never figured out what to do with but this might do the trick. So I plan to cut this one out soon and then sew up as time permits. V1329 I ordered as it seems like a cool way to do color blocking however I think this will wait until winter. Don't you think it would look equally good with long sleeves? Last year I started making V1241 by the same designer and could not get the fit right so I had no intention of trying anything by her again. Oh yeah, every once in a while there is a real stinker that does not make it onto the blog. Not often - but it does happen. It better not happen with my lovely batik from Hawaii.
More possibilities are these two. As long as I have been sewing Vogue designer patterns I have been making Anne Klein patterns, particularly for business wear. I wanted to try that dress on the left, V1327 and I have some dark rose pink wool crepe which might be the right fabric for that dress ($ 2 estate sale purchase). It also has possibilities as a top and would not be too difficult to adapt. The jacket is what caught my eye on the V1293 on the right, however I have taken it out of the envelope several times but never got to the cutting out stage. Something about the fit of the jacket in the shoulders keeps putting me off. Just me or does it look really tight on this very slim model? This one may go back in the pattern box.
Ok, here is one that would be pure indulgence, do I really need V1281 shown on the left? Not at all but it is so pretty and I am crazy for these Donna Karan drapy styles. I like the dark/light combo they are showing. At the Pattern Review SF Weekend this was the one and only item I took at the free pattern giveaway. Perhaps this will be my birthday dress which gives me a few months to get it done. As for V1250, I am making this tomorrow as a present for a friend.
Last up in the dresses category is a Burda envelope pattern (oh I am branching out aren't I?) I saw this pattern in the little booklet which was on the counter in the notions department at Britex. I skimmed through while on the Bart train on my my way home and my eye kept returning to this one. I have two different fabrics that could work with this, one is a stripe which I rarely sew. I like stripes so why is that? Seems I have talked myself into it. hmmmm.
So that is the dress plan for summer, those will be the fun and/or challenging personal projects I have in mind. I would like to make another short sleeve button front shirt, and some t-shirts are waiting to be cut out. Plus another pair of Short-lows (Sewaholic Thurlow shorts) and maybe some Thin-lows (slim pants version).
Bay Area Meetup:
My friend Amy of the SewWell blog is moving to Seattle and she has scheduled a meetup next week in San Francisco. Here is the link to her blog post in case you haven't seen it and are able to join in. She will be missed by her SF bay area friends but of course we will read about her sewing adventures in a new city and next time I am up to Seattle I will pester her for all the inside scoop on fabric shopping in the great northwest.
Sewing Instruction:
One technique I forgot to add to the list of options - reproducing a favorite garment. If you have something that fits well or you just love the shape but would like to have another version we can create a paper pattern from the existing garment (without taking it apart). I did a two blog post on this technique, links here and here.
This is just about the best time of year in the garden, everything is planted and just blooming like crazy. Well most everything is planted... except for the 5 new plants which I should not have bought at recent sale. Best of all, the tomatoes are doing their thing and we should have some in July :) I hope.
Today's SunnyGal garden photo, where I decided this year to incorporate the tomato plants in with all the pretty flowers. So far they seem to like it. This is a Lemon Boy yellow tomato, not ripe but getting there. Yummmm.
Happy spring sewing with patterns new and old,
Beth
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