The Queue:

Friends, I have made the choice to start a new leaf.

It's a new year, which is giving me motivation to re-write the sewing queue I have kept for years... But I think I am going to take the old queue and place it here for posterity's sake... When's a better time than throwback Thursday??

Looking back has me thinking... And the new queue, with a post to explain, will go live on Monday.

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Gwen over at After the Dress inspired me with her queue posts, which are added each Wednesday.  This is the place I'll keep a running list of upcoming projects, and the blog entries they will(I hope, one day) link to upon completion.
Not everything will come to life, and definately not in the season the idea is posted, but I figure this is a way to begin to keep track of what I'm doing.  And let my imagination come up with all the things I could be doing.  Strikethroughs are the things that don't quite make the list anymore, what with all the new inspiration coming my way.  I'm not completely erasing them because they're part of the journey though, you know?

Winter 2013-2014
Corduroy blazer
Quilt for J.
Bag for Mama
Jewelry roll for KDB
Purple plaid kindle cover for my baby brother
Big brother backpack for a little cousin
Fancy dress for a feisty fancy girl(and her baby doll will need one too, of course.)
Slippers for dad


Fall 2013
Colette Juniper wearable muslin
Sewaholic Thurlow wearable muslin
Pleated yoke shirt in floral print
Colette Laurel? Eucalypt tank dress? Something.

Spring/Summer 2013
Red TNT skirt for baseball season
Red stole completed 2016
Knit tees. With cute details.
Navy stripe mystery fabric skirt
Crazy floral pleated skirt
Border print pleated skirt
Bag for my BFF

Winter 2012-2013

Blue cord skirt

Green knit shirt

White knit shirt(Spring 2012)
Red patterned woven top

NICE black or navy pencil skirt
Pink patterned woven top

Fall 2012

Red cord skirt 

Brown woven skirt:  Kickpleat, pencil-ish, pockets

Stripy dress… Maybe just a top? Wide band at the bottom and sleeves in the shot cotton? Just to get it done without more fabric…

Green linen-blend skirt:  Big pockets! Not much trim, A Line.  (Completed 1.12.13)

Refashions/Alterations:  

Nana’s dress tried on again, none needed

McCall 5801 Dress… Or just make it a (lined) skirt, but make it wearable! With pockets!  Maybe divert from the princess seams till I have a block? Work them out with a fitting buddy?
Deep red dress... Hemmed and belted- Completed 2012

Spring 2012
breezy white woven top
another woven top: moda half-moon paisley in grey in an OOP Simplicity pattern
grey pleated skirt from Winter that was not Completed Aug 2012
White topper- half-sleeve in white twill
white tee with fun neckline
lavender tee
Spring Refashions/alterations galore:
Restore Mom's white eyelet dress to former awesomeness Completed July 2012
red skirt Completed 4.3.2012

Summer 2012…

Brown bike-able skirt… maybe knit, maybe a bubble.

Scraps of the purple-white floral dress to a bike-able skirt

Rie dress- eyelet and dotted swiss

Shirtdress- blue Oxford cloth
sky blue knit top
royal blue gauze skirt

Spring/Summer Refashions/alterations galore:

Re-work Easter 2011’s dress for better insides and fit

Finishing touches on the Easter Dress of yore- M5801

…Pinstripe dress of yore needs bindings and a cowl.  Do it to it!

See 2011 list… Do those

Winter that Was Not 2011-12:

Coat liner

Pop-of-color dance skirt- Completed 2.10.12

Refashion purple plaid skirt

Winter schoolbag

3-season grey twill bikeable skirt…pleats? Pockets for sure…- Completed Aug 2012

Grey button-back man’s shirt refashion- half-sleeves

Winter Alterations galore:

Cobalt dress- take it in (gave it away instead, it's three sizes too big now)

Purple/grey tweed dress- take it in

2 pairs of pants… take in

Cardigan refresher

Fall "6PAC" 2011
      filled out with the sweater from Feb. 2011, and the red dress from April 2011.
brown multi-gore swish skirt
brown herringbone pieces:
     pencil Skirt (February's suit skirt)
     vest (instead of February's suit jacket)

Summer2011:
Alterations galore:
Rose dancing dress
White vintage eyelet dress
Easter Dress
red pencil skirt
Vintage green shirtwaist dress

April 2011:
Red dancing dress completed 1.4.12
Re-work print dancing dress
Add gores to black dancing skirt
Easter dress- completed 4.24.11
Petticoat
March 2011:
Print dancing dress - completed 3.18.11
Elastic belt-completed 3.18.11
Black dancing skirt- completed 3.14.11
refashioned men's shirt to sailor shirt-completed 4.6.11
February 2011:
Suit jacket
suit skirt
refashioned sweater
January 2011:
-A dress w/  Burda turtleneck- completed 1.21.11
-a half-circle skirt with bias strips- completed 1.24.11
-a makeup bag
-elastic belt- completed 1.23.11
December 2010:
-Burda Turtleneck- a long-sleeve version
-Burda Turtleneck- a half-sleeve version wadded 1.19.11

Fall and Projects

When real life hits, escaping to the land of ribbon and lace and fabric, glorious fabric, will often make everything better.

Well, I'm counting on it.  Reality bites every so often, and now is one of those times.  So, to keep my sanity and update my fall wardrobe, I'll be sewing along with a 6-piece wardrobe!

They have top and bottom suggestions, but I see some dresses happening in addition to some staples.

I've updated the queue.

The projects, in order of "appearance":

swirly 10-gore (maybe partial circle or kickpleats instead) skirt in brown floaty rayon from stash... possibly with the bow from the Lunch Date skirt I want to make.  

herringbone vest from stash

herringbone pencil skirt from stash

denim half-sleeve jacket from stash that I started last year and apparently didn't blog about

red swishy dress from stash

green knit top from stash

Notice a common thread? 

Yup.  I'm on a fabric diet.  It's time to use what I have and finish up old things too... It's all this crazy organizing.  I want to be a good steward of what I have, and that means using it, not it sitting on a shelf.  Plans from old SWAPS are turning into this cluster of things I will wear.  Yay!

It was a busy month, okay?

But March is over! And my sewing mojo has returned with force.

March saw me make...

-a fairy costume

-Simplicity 2444

-a "bastardized: jacket based on Simplicity 2444

-a vest/shorts costume

The green dress in the middle is a piece in my SWAP, as is the white little coverup jacket! The dress was really a breeze to make, and I enjoyed it. Mightily. So much so, I made it again for a formal. That was a lot of fun too.

More fabric acquisitions happened, and the refashions will be starting up shortly!

Pictures and a kind of explanation of what the concept of the show was can follow, if y'all want to hear about it...

time...

I don't have much. I feel really terrible about neglecting the blog, even though most of my readership probably thinks I am gone forever. I don't know. I'm trying... That's about all I've got because you guys deserve more than excuses.

I've made some exciting progress... Helen, my dressform, got the shoulderpads from 2 of those dresses being reconstructed, and I found out removing pockets won't destroy the linen for the lighter of the two dresses. So there is hope.

Now if there were only light at the end of the schoolwork tunnel...

SWAP pictures: Refashion edition

First, the refashioning dresses...

This is the darlingest vintage eyelet I think I have seen recently, and I say that because it's unusual. It was once white and belonging to my mother, and now you see the skirt of what will be a really great dress... I have pleated the skirt from its full original width down to my waist measurement, and it'll have a side zip and decorative buttons at the top. No matching pattern, not enough fabric.

The first cafe-au-lait brown will be in the running for a dress to wear to my boyfriend's commissioning in May. I like the idea, in theory- we shall see. It's thought to be a silk-linen

blend- all I really know is it drapes really beautifully

and I like it for a 40s-style knockout dress with somewhat military detailing.

I'm really excited about it- It should be a joy to sew with because it's really nice. I know it's dry clean only though, which will be a bit of a bother, but really, I just need to suck it up and find a good dry cleaner. Something with good lines in a good fabric

deserves the attention, and I'm a big girl now. It's one of those things that just need to happen.

The second, lighter cafe-au-lait brown is a linen shirt dress with a button front. It'll be something cute with an empire waist and strappy straps if I think there is enough to do it that way with a little over-jacket. If not, I think it'll be strapless but classy- or a halter cut. Just a good summer linen with an awesome twirling skirt. Because every girl, no matter her age, deserves a skirt that is twirly. And a swing-dancing boyfriend is plenty of incentive if there wasn't already. And another bonus? It has pockets. SCORE!

Those are my 3 refashions, and this lovely (okay, I was using my bed for all of these in less than ideal lighting. Insanely short on space in my itty bitty dorm room...) shot is of all of my current fabrics for SWAP.

A package wins and changes it again... maybe.

I got a package from my mom with 2 more dresses and a few other fabric things... and I am most definitely doing the 5 dresses. Here's what we have now.... and will narrow down. The stars are in for sure. But please. Chime in. You can help me solidify!

Dresses:

vintage/refashion:

*Brown/retro eggplant sleeveless shirtdress: McCall 5801 view A

*dyed eyelet- peekaboo top, pleated skirt refashion

(I think) silk/linen blend refashion into something with a 40s feel- no pleats

natural linen shirtwaist dress refashion

from stash:

herringbone print wiggle dress: possibly Vogue 8280 view D

brown knit dress

champagne silk for Dining-Out- closure with corset back

tops:

chocolate knit tee

embellished plum or coral tee

?

?(purchased vintage or refashion)

bottom:

a pencil skirt in chocolate

embroidered cotton skirt

choice:

purchased trench a la Old Navy... 2 seasons ago?

SWAP and a new twist

Well, I think I am in it for five dresses... if my closet will tolerate the presence of five more dresses.

And if I do it, which I fully intend to, I'm going to make another commitment with this thing. It will be from things I have or that I am given from other people's stashes. My mom has some really awesome clothes from the 80s, when they used way more fabric and longer hemlines in everything. Much of it is still very usable and very very pretty. I have a pile of green eyelet, dyed twice, that was once a beautiful white dress she wore in the summers when I was very small. It means a lot to her that I am using it, and it means a lot to me to have it.

So my swap, Coffee and chocolate, will be retro-inspired. With Stash. I think that's fair. I know it's me.

SWAPping...

I think I have the stuff to do it to it this time... I am spurred onward and inspired by newest acquisitions in the stash- and some old ones. So at the moment, I have things I would like to make. It's honestly a matter of getting to them, and of making a cohesive wardrobe come of getting to them. Things I'd like to make... Stars mean I have fabric.

2 dresses:

*brown/eggplant retro print matched print?

*brown jersey knit

*brown herringbone wiggle dress

6 tops:

*purple sweater knit tunic-type thing unusual closure

some fun shirt featuring entre-deux- maybe dotted Swiss?

long/half-sleeve tshirt

embellished tee

purchase/purchased

purchase/purchased

2 bottoms:

*embroidered cotton circle skirt fill in w/color along top opening edge to feature embroidery

*charcoal/navy twill kickpleat skirt

plus one:

*wiggle dress

Financially, stash, and planning-wise I am in better shape this year.But first, finals...

To SWAP or not to SWAP?

I am really torn. The format is SUPER attractive this year... I could see myself wearing a grouping like this, and it would fill out the wardrobe of a Seminarian nicely...

From SG's page on SWAP 2010:

This year, to accomodate the many different clothing needs of our members, we have three SWAP formats to choose from. Certainly you may make more than one if you have time, but if you do each finished SWAP must fit one of the three formats.

Option #1:
6 tops - t-shirts, shirts, blouses, or camisoles
4 bottoms - jeans, pants, shorts, skirts or kilts.
1 your choice (not an accesory)

Option #2:
2 dresses -single pieces consisting of top and bottom that can be worn alone.
6 tops - t-shirts, shirts, blouses, or camisoles
2 bottoms - jeans, pants, shorts, skirts or kilts.
1 your choice (not an accesory)

Option #3:
5 dresses -single pieces consisting of top and bottom that can be worn alone.
4 tops - t-shirts, shirts, blouses, or camisoles
1 bottom - jeans, pants, shorts, skirt or kilt.
1 your choice (not an accesory)

2 garments may be purchased or previously sewn.
1 may be knitted or crocheted.
1 will be a matched print or stripe.
1 will feature embroidery, beads or sashiko
1 will have buttons as the star feature OR use unusual or alternative closure(s).
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This year's emphasis is going to be on making a wardrobe that fits your needs, and showcasing your sewing and embellishing skills.

Sewing will begin December 26th, and all garments must be finished by April 30th, 2010. Because this is a shorter time frame, pattern fitting and cutting may be done whenever you're ready.

I really like option 2, and I think I could do it. Especially since 2 items can be pre-existing, and it contains dresses. I am not penalized for not finishing, and I will be sewing for my Senior Seminar in costume design... these little challenges of embellishment and matching could be practice for real things in Senior Sem! The six tops could be difficult, but at the same time, they could be my 2 pre-existing items, AND a chance for me to get over whatever "thing" I have about making tops. I have some coordinating things I bought and never even touched for SWAP and Istanbul, and need more things I make on my body... I just don't know if this is the way to do it.

I'd love some input.