Decisions, Decisions

Here it is September once again, and I am packing up projects for sewing week.  Truthfully I am having a lot of trouble focusing my sewing thoughts and narrowing down the list of projects I want to make.  And even though fall is just around the corner, and I am staring wistfully at fall fashions, my sewing projects are not quite settling into a fall pattern yet.

Here is what has survived the first cut, although they aren't all in my suitcase yet:

Cotton eyelet from Kashi at Metro Textiles.  This fabric has moved on and off of my cutting table all summer and I really do want to make it.  The neutral color means I can wear it well into fall as there will be plenty of warm days ahead.

I meant to sew it up this week, but since I am still struggling with packing -- I have grown totally out of touch with my closet and it is a strange and foreign land -- it does not appear that the skirt will be finished before take-off on Saturday morning.  More likely I will have to stitch this garment up if I intend to wear it.  Luckily it is a TNT pattern I have made several times before, although I will have to make a Britex run first thing as I seem to be experiencing a severe shortage in the zipper supply.  Only today, as I was trying to gather supplies did I remember that I had not yet placed my semi-annual zipperstop order before life intervened in my plans last spring.

Aside from the blue eyelet, there are several other fabrics that have recently joined the skirt queue and it looks like my sewing week will primarily be skirt week.

I posted this fabric back in June when I met some sewing friends for a shopping spree and gabfest at Metro Textiles.  Although the fabric really screams summer, the deep oranges strike me as a possible transition for fall.  Although the fabric is quite light, making it perfect for the full circle skirt (I hope) the lining is heavier, and might make this a more transitional garment. 

When I started gathering together potential projects for this trip, this fabric also reminded me of some tangerine chenille that has been sitting in my yarn stash for some time.  I was about to add it to the E-bay pile, but now I am thinking of designing a sweater to wear with the skirt, perhaps extending its seasonal usefulness even further.

Then, in early August I picked up two beautiful polyester prints at JoAnn fabrics.  Since they are poly I can't imagine blouses or even dresses from them, but think they would make interesting and fun skirts:

I know that once again, they are prints that are more reminiscent of summer than fall, but I think they can be mixed in with many trans-seasonal pieces, and can also travel to more southern climes year-round.  Besides, what can I say, I am hemming white pants and knitting a white sweater as well.  Seasonality and the creative spirit have never quite meshed in my mind.

I also have fabric and plans for two jackets, although I might not get to either one of them.  If I get started I might only get as far as the muslins, but I am still considering these two pieces. They may  go in lieu of the skirts or in addition to the skirts.

  This is an interesting silk and polyamide (nylon) chenille-like fabric on a silk gauze backing.  It actually looks like individual strands of yarn that have been stitched and partially fused to the backing.  I think it would make a very interesting jacket but it has to be simple, as the fabric is the statement here.

I have had the Textile Studio Capri jacket pattern for some time but have never made it.  I am not sure if this fabric is appropriate but the style looks like the kind of thing I am looking for.  I will have to do a muslin first anyway.

Then an off-white and black wool with a coordinating piece of lace for a jacket inspired by something from Valentino Spring 2007.  Since it is wool, it is probably seasonless in this world of air-conditioning, heating, and automobiles.  More information whenever I get to this particular project. Again, I will have to make a muslin for this as it requires a bit of morphing between two patterns I haven't really used before.

So do I go for the quick thrills or the more complicated and interesting projects, or dabble in a little of both.  Fewer than 60 hours remain before some semblance of a decision must be made.

Comments

[Vicki]

Have fun and enjoy your week, whatever you decide!

[Nedra]

Wow, what fun decisions! This is JMHO, of course, but I would take the more complicated projects (mainly jackets) in order to make full use of the expert fitting help available. You can probably fit skirts well on your on, but jackets, to me, are another whole story. Whatever you take, enjoy your week. I'm green with envy here :)

[cidell]

I have some of the blue eyelet left over from my dress and it also moves on and off my cutting table. For me, I like it so much I want to make sure I do something I love. I also love your black and white wool. So classy!