SHINY THiNGS!

Well, plans change.  Priorities change. Newer, shinier things come up!  Well, nothing is really shinier than my plans for a gorgeous Bruyere and Gingers.  But LOOK AT THIS FABRIC!

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Owls!  Somehow I see these as Smart Looking Owls.  Smart Owls that obviously need to be made into a shirt to be put on my body.  A shirt with buttons.  And a Peter Pan collar.  See?  This is how my makes materialize.  They just come to me in complete (though sometimes blurry) visions.

Also, Tilly, the genius Tilly, made Cocos out of sweatshirt fabric.  Being that we've had negative bazillion degree weather, obviously I needed to copy this genius idea.  Since I already needed to order the owl fabric, and fabric.com offers free shipping on orders over $35, I went ahead and added some sweatshirt fabric to my order.

One project I hadn't mentioned in my post listing upcoming makes is the Watson bra.  I thought I had purchased a kit from Blackbird Fabrics when they first released Watson bra kits, however I was anxiously awaiting a package in the mail after I knew all the kits had been sent out when I realized that I never received a confirmation email for my order.  Somehow my order didn't process and I failed to notice until that moment.  Wah-wah.  I waited unpatiently while new kits were restocked and have been following the Watson Sew Along posts.  When the new kits came out I quickly snagged one and verified that my order had gone through.  They were sold out, again, within a day of being posted.  Whew!

I have also promised reviews of two blouses (three, actually, but one was already planned) for the Curvy Sewing Collective to be published in March, so those will need to be underway as well.  This is in addition to the two pajama pants promised to Hubs, a copy cat shirt and chaise cover promised to a friend.  I need to get my butt moving!  Did I mention that I will also be reviewing the Watson bra for the CSC?  So, yeah.  Off we go!

A Last Minute Coco

Lately I've been really busy, and when I have had time to sew or craft it is to wrap up projects I have for other people.  Honestly, I needed a quick selfish sewing fix.  I also wanted a new dress.  Because.  Reasons.  My Tilly and the Buttons Coco (unblogged, but briefly mentioned) is now much too big to wear, which makes me sad because I wore the crap out of that adorable top.  It's in my alterations piles, but making is much more fun than altering.  Plus, I hadn't yet made the dress variation!  So, I promptly made my way to Joanns for a quick fabric fix for a quick dress fix!

I picked up this reversible dot/stripe knit from Joanns.  I made my Plantain out of the turquoise colorway so I already knew how this fabric behaves.

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I debated whether to use the striped or dotted version on the outer layer of the dress.  Ultimately I decided on the dots, using the stripes as contrast where I could.  I wanted this dress to be really quick and easy to fit into my limited time, so I decided to make the dress with french seams and flip the inside out for the contrast trim.

Also shown, my new cutting mat!!

I couldn't decide which size to make, or if I should grade between sizes because I was a little bigger in the waist than the size 6.  In the end I went ahead and did a straight 6 with no alterations.  I'm really glad I went with this because it fits really well!

Pardon the bathroom pic.

I'm pretty happy with how the hem and sleeves turned out!  The lines all came out nice and straight.  This fabric is also super soft and comfy with an 82% rayon content.  Mmmmm.  It's like work pajamas!  I wore this out for a girl's night and everyone thought I bought my dress.  Yay!

Shortly after I made this, Tilly posted about sewing winter Cocos from sweatshirt fleece.  What a great idea!!!  I promptly ordered some sweatshirt fleece to make a super cozy version.  I'm happy to know I can whip out a new dress in a few hours.  Can't wait!

Looking Ahead

I feel like I'm becoming a true sewist because I have an ever expanding sewing queue, as well as a small fabric stash, most of which with designated pattern plans.  I keep track of my queue and wish list on my Pinterest boards.  My Sewing Queue board includes patterns I own and have the fabric for.  As soon as I finish a project I move it over to Things I have Sewn.  The third board I refer to often is the Things I Want to Sew board.  Here I can keep track of patterns that I want to buy, or note that I already own it and need to buy fabric for it.  Owning a pattern without having fabric is a new thing for me.  Black Friday/Cyber Monday and other holiday related sales were so irresistible that I bought several for myself to have handy.  I did, however, also buy lots of fabric for patterns I knew I wanted to sew in the future.  Consequently, I now have quite the list of things to make.  Currently I'm still working on two straggler Christmas presents that I need to be finished, and Hubs is waiting for some PJ pants to be made.  He also has asked me to make a sort of roof for his work cubicle to block out light as it gives him headaches.  For this project I plan on practicing a flat felled seam since it would prevent any light from leaking through the seam.

Once all the non-selfish sewing is complete, I plan on diving head first back into glorious selfish, selfish sewing.  Which project should I start first??

One of two top priority projects is my Deer & Doe Bruyere shirt.  I cannot.wait. to make this top.  I've held onto the pattern and my glorious fabric for several months.  First because I was scared to make it.  I've never made a button down top.  I've only made a few button holes.  I've never made a traditional style collar.  I bought the most glorious fabric from Blackbird Fabrics.  It's light grey with white dots stretch cotton shirting and is going to make the most luxurious Bruyere ever.

My next top priority are my Ginger jeans by Closet Case Files.  I need new jeans desperately.  To buy or to sew?  Definitely to sew.  Though I might have to buy a pair just so I don't look like a hobo until I can make my Gingers.  I bought some stretch denim with a Black Friday sale, I think it is from Fabric.com but I'm not sure.  They weren't able to send me continuous yardage I requested so hopefully I can make it work.  I think they sent me two yards and a half yard separately.  Since I'll need to shorten the inseam, I'm hoping I'll be able to make it work with the yardage I have.

Further down on the priority list is another Closet Case Files pattern, the Nettie bodysuit.  I've never worn a bodysuit.  I mean, I wore leotards when I was a kid in ballet/gymnastics classes, but when bodysuits were popular in the 90s I never wore one.  Now it seems quite practical to me.  I want to start wearing high waisted skirts, and a bodysuit would go perfectly!  I bought purple fabric for my Nettie.

Finally, in my immediate queue, I have the Betsy skirt by Bluegingerdoll.  I bought some really nice black and blue pinstripe suiting for this, but I think to go with my above Nettie, I'm going to use a grey pinstripe suiting that I used for my Colette Patterns Dahlia (unblogged, but check it out on Instagram!).  This way I'll have a complete outfit.  Later on I can make another Nettie in grey or black and make another Betsy with the black and blue suiting.  Or I can make a blue Nettie!!

I also bought some nice purple herringbone suiting with lurex threads for subtle sparkle, and I was thinking about making By Hand London's Anna dress (knee length), but Hubs got me Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing for Christmas and I'm thinking about making her Wiggle dress instead.  Any thoughts??