Sewing Plans – August into Autumn

New month, lots of exciting sewing plans.

I have slowed down in the garment making lately – when the pandemic first hit and we went into lockdown, I was on fire when it came to sewing projects but I’ve slowed down a lot over the last few weeks, for a couple of reasons:

  1. My social life won’t be taking off any time soon – coming out of shielding means I’ll be wary of everyone and being extra cautious everywhere.
  2. The seasons are changing and so are my sewing plans so I’ve been sitting carefully planning my next makes in anticipation of autumn which just happens to be my favourite season.

When I started sewing in January, I just wanted to learn and become more comfortable creating – there have been a couple of misses (which are also learning curves) but I now have a lovely selection of clothes that have taken priority in my wardrobe – By Hand London Flora and Kim dresses seem to be the most popular.

I do have a couple of summer projects I want to finish – and yes, they are going to be Kim dresses – using this beautiful floral gingham from Til The Sun Goes Down

…and some of this novelty cloud fabric to make a dress to match the collection of Care Bear jewellery I recently bought in the latest Erstwilder release (some of which is worn below with a floral Hinterland made with fabric I got from Jenny Stitches earlier in the summer). Spot the child of the 80s!

With a simple modification to the box pleats, I’ve blended the princess seam bodice of the Kim with the skirt of the Flora to make a beautiful taffeta dress – fabric from New Craft House – and I don’t think it is the last time I will combine the two.

I have also fallen in love with the Sew Liberated Hinterland dress which will become a staple this autumn / winter.

1. Hinterland Dress by Sew Liberated

I have ever intention of making a couple of these in autumnal colours – the two I have made to date have been the shorter versions, both in skirt and sleeve lengths, but for autumn / winter I plan to make longer versions – just need to source the perfect fabrics so I’ll be keeping a lookout for a mustard / rust and winter berry linen-blend colour-way.

2. Adrienne blouse by Friday Pattern Company

I’ve picked up some of this super soft ribbed viscose jersey from Sew Creative Studios in this gorgeous mustard shade to make the Adrienne blouse – it really appealed to the knitter in me. I don’t tend to knit clothing anymore – my next couple of knitting projects will be a rug for the sewing space and a chunky throw for cosy nights in front of the fire with movies and wine!

This blouse will be a perfect addition to the autumn / winter wardrobe – I think I will get a lot of wear out of this.

3. A 40’s Style Wrap Dress

I haven’t found the perfect pattern yet, although the Vogue 8379 and Lliria dress by Pauline Alice are both strong contenders; however, I have this crepe fabric from Lindy Bop (sadly, they’re no longer in business as I loved their prints) which I can’t imagine using for anything else.

4. Colette combo – Brooklyn skirt and Elmira wrap

Having seen the promotional shots of these two together, I just have to make them both and I love the colour-way here and might be tempted to copy it if I can find the right fabrics:

I am a little hesitant with the wrap because I tried the Butterick B6285 and hated everything about it – I thought I would be safe enough with the length because I am 5 ft 1 but it turned out uncomfortably short. You’d also need the lightest of jerseys to make it because the double layer of fabric is a bit much for me, even on a colder day. But I love this pattern so much that I’m willing to give this style another go. I love layering in autumn so I can imagine I would get a lot of wear out of it.

The Brooklyn skirt is just so beautifully feminine that I know it’s a real capsule piece for my wardrobe which is mostly 40s and 50s inspired. I love that detail of the box pleat on what would be a plain half circle skirt without it! It’s vintage and modern all at the same time.

5. Party Dresses – a 50’s inspired prom dress and a 40’s velvet wrap dress

In the hopes that there might be Christmas / New Year parties, I want to use this gorgeous tulle I have in my stash as an overlay to create a 50s style prom dress – and I have a sneaky suspicion the By Hand London Kim pattern will once again come to the rescue.

I also have a paper copy of the Colette Wren dress sitting waiting for the perfect sparkle velvet – whether champagne, gold or something a bit more obviously festive – fabric to make another Christmas dress that would be suitable for celebrations!

6. Advent Calendar

Every time I pop on to Instagram, I keep seeing some of my favourite fabric stores advertising this popular Christmas home project and I couldn’t resist grabbing an advent calendar panel – normally, I am not even prepared to think about Christmas until December but sewing seems to be the exception to the rule. The one I choose is Makower’s House because I can see myself using it every year.

For now, those are my plans – let’s see how I get on.

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