Sew Distracted

New Vogues

New patterns are up on the Vogue Patterns website!

 

As usual, there are quite a few things in my cart, which may, or may not end up coming home with me at the next sale.  There is nothing that I need right away, that can't wait until a sale rolls along.

 

I've selected two dresses, 

one jacket,

 

and one cardigan. I am particularly hopeful for the belted version of this cardigan following my recent success with the turquoise cozy.  And of course this one is long enough in the back as well.

I've also tossed in three tops although it is possible that at least one of them will not make the final cut.

 

New Patterns II

Continuing right along.

 Vogue 1202.  It probably does not surprise you that I love this pattern.  It is so seriously "me" that I popped into my cart before I even looked at the line drawings and I have no regrets.  Actually, when it arrived and I noticed that it is two pieces, that was like an added bonus. I love the way the top is all covered up and almost nun-like in front while the back is open.  I am not sure about my opportunities to wear it that way without mesh or something.  I'm thinking about support here but I know G would be thinking that my back scar would show.  Actually the scar doesn't bother me; it is not like I've given up v-necks to hide the open-heart surgery scar on my chest either.  I'm proud of my scars; I probably wouldn't be here today but for the miracles of modern medicine they represent.  Should I want more coverage however, I do think there is room to play with this.  

 Speaking of covered up, I also ordered the Issey Miyake pattern, Vogue 1204. I love the fabulous seaming on this piece with the angled seam in the back and on the sleeves as well.  It is a lovely, long slim line and is something I would definitely wear.    My only pause was concerning the neckline, which looks too high and my first thought was "what jewelry would I wear with that", a question which is very near and dear to my heart.  But the more I think about it, the more I know I can work that out.

I purchased this pattern for the jacket and was not convinced I liked the skinny jeans.  In fact I'm not ready to make jeans at all yet, being perfectly content with some I have purchased, but I have purchased straight or skinny jeans and like the look when paired with the right pieces.  Somehow the ones I own don't feel as skinny  as these look on the model, but when I compared the measurements of the pattern to my own jeans they were the same. So should I make jeans, this pattern may be an option.  Perhaps not in suh a dramatic print however.  I love a dramatic printed skirt; pants are another thing altogether.

 Then I picked up a Marci Tilton pattern from earlier in the spring, Vogue  8637.  This choice was another one inspired by the Elm pieces I picked up in the spring, specifically the cut of the skirt reminds me of the interesting cut of the elm skirt.  But I would wear the pants as well I think.  I am learning (again) how nice straight soft pants that fall directly from the hip are on me, and how long and skinny they make me look and feel.  Although these pants aren't actually straight, I think they would give the same effect with a little bit of added interest.

 Vogue 8666 is a basic dress, a safe dress.  I know it will work style-wise and it is a good basic dress, that can probably play it more or less safe depending on the fabrication.  I may be attracted to more dramatic and unusual cuts and shapes, but I also appreciate the joy of having a few basic staples in the repetoire, and I am hoping this will become such a dress.

 Last, thought certainly not least, is the new Marci Tilton top pattern, Vogue 8671.   I am predominantly attracted to the views with the panels and long vertical seams, but I do also like view A, the one with the aysmmetrical neckline and seam.  That top, the asymmetrical one, would probably end up being the most versatile, and probably the view I would make again and again.  I suppose this is a nice treat for me, and a bit of a lesson in not forgetting what actually works and what is most wearable, versus what attracts the eye.  

New Patterns I

A package arrived from Vogue Patterns over the weekend, and I just got around to opening it and cataloging and filing the patterns.  There was a sale last week, and I took the opportunity to order some of the new patterns and a couple of older ones I hadn't gotten around to previously.  There were quite a few patterns, so being my normal wordy self, I am going to have to break this up into two posts.  

 I'll start with the only non-Vogue in this order, McCalls 6165.  This is a pattern that I probably would not have purchased not that long ago, although it would have intrigued me even then.  I am not sure what my problem would have been as I am pretty sure there is a lot of potential here and it is a good look for me.  I've worn long sweaters and long a-line hand knits for some time.  

I think that wearing that Elm dress that I bought back in the spring has really helped lighten my spirit.  Those two pieces are the most frequently worn items in my closet right now and I think they are helping me to look at garments and how I might wear them with new eyes.  Anyway, I see lots of options for these tunics in all seasons, and I really want at least one NOW.  I might have to start pawing through my fabric collection.

 Next, a Sandra Betzina shirt, not from the newest set, but a pattern which has been drifting in and out of my consciousness since it did come out, Vogue 1165.  Recently I saw a photo of a friend wearing this top, and it reminded me of a shirt from Chico's that another friend had purchased in the spring, a shirt I am constantly admiring.  Somehow the similarity of the purchased shirt to the pattern didn't occur to me before.  The three-quarter sleeve version would be a summer staple.

 Next up is a new pattern, Vogue 1194, a dress by DKNY.  I love almost everything about this dress.  I love the gathers at the shoulders which allow for fullness toward the bust, I love the v-neckline and the empire line in front which is a very flattering look for me, especially with the curved waist seaming leading to a lower curved line at the back waist.  I can see this as a dress, slightly longer for me, or as a tunic at a slightly shorter length to wear with jeans.  In fact, given how much I adore wearing the aforementioned elm dress with leggings, this dress, in the right fabric might be fabulous with leggings as well.

 It seems that every time I order a bunch of patterns they seem to have a common theme except for one that sticks out and apparently has nothing in common with the others.  In this batch it is Vogue 1199 by Rebecca Taylor.  Although I love the skirt in this pattern, I did not buy it for the skirt.  I have lots of pencil skirt patterns and this is nothing new.  The blouse is what I wanted and that is why I say it seems incongruous compared to the rest of the set as this blouse is definitely soft, flirty, feminine, and ruffly, not words I would usually use to describe myself but definitely things I am attracted to at times.  I would wear it tucked in with a pencil skirt as shown on the model, perhaps with ankle boots, perhaps just with pumps.  I have long adored a statement blouse paired with otherwise very simple clothes and when the blouse is soft and romantic like this I like it best paired with a very structured skirt or pants.  Certainly if I were wearing it loose, which I well may, I would go for a contrast in texture and feel, probably pairing it with narrow jeans and a strong shoe.

 The fifth pattern, and my stopping point for today, is  Vogue 1201, a Donna Karan design.  I purchased this for the jacket with its large shawl collar and waistline seam creating a modified peplum effect.   Raglan sleeves are often problematic for me, but they are effectively hidden by the collar in this case so may prove to be no problem at all.

 I also do like the pants.  I love this slouchy style as it has been shown on the runway, and therefore like the pants in theory although I really have no idea how they will look on me since I have found nothing like them on my few forays into local stores.  Truthfully, I have doubts, and if I hadn't wanted the jacket I probably would not have bought the pattern just for the pants. But now that I have it, I may just have to play with creating a pair just for the fun of it.  The worst that can happen is I get a shock, a laugh, and a wadder.

And the Winner is

Thank you all for your comments and interest in the Marfy pattern.  

I entered you all into the drawing this morning and the winner is Aud!

Today, I must get out in the yard and start doing something to reclaim this piece of property after a few years of neglect.  And I do mean must, not just as an obligation because I live here and have a certain amount of pride, but because the warm sunshine of the last few days has me dreaming of plants and flowers and gardens and yes, vegetables too.  It is only March.  Our last frost date is still a couple of months away.  But garden I must.  I am looking forward to pulling things out of the ground and stamping around in the slushy mud that remains.  I am sure there must be some deeper meaning there, but I prefer not to contemplate it.

But first I must go hem a pair of jeans.  I will not go out digging and uprooting things in nice wool pants and heels.  More about that later.

New Vogue Patterns have arrived

My head has been filling with ideas that I cannot seem to manage to get written down, blogged, or organized.  It is not that life has been busier than usual or more stressful just that it has been full and scattered and there seems to be little time to finish anything much less start new projects although the ideas for new projects are like a torrent right now, a torrent I can't even keep up with.

In time I hope.

In the meantime my new Vogue patterns arrived last week, and I am just now managing to get them off my desk and filed away.

Vogue 1143

Vogue 1151

Vogue 8614

Vogue 8620

Vogue 8623

Vogue 8626

Patterns finally filed, and a new one on the way

Did you see the new Hot Patterns Three Graces Tee?  I have been thinking about something along just these lines as I looked at the things in my closet and contemplated what I need to fill in a few empty corners,  and Voilá, pattern needs fulfilled.

Of course, I ordered it.  I am pretty certain that I have fabric to use making it up, but I am still working on colors/what I actually want -- I've never been one to just make something without some sort of plan.

And speaking of planning that pretty much covers what I've been up to.  I had a stack of muslins that I have worked on in the last couple of years, a bunch of UFOs, and tons of plans that I have written about here or just jotted down in various notebooks.  It really is well past time I had some kind of coherent way to keep track of things.  But then, I really let a lot of stuff slide for a long time, and I just can't let it continue on in that chaotic state.  So I am gathering together and making right; working mostly in bits and pieces.  I have time to indulge in my various interests and creative endeavors, but it is more scattered time than before, and I am rather enjoying the slow togetherness right now, still working out balancing time together versus alone,  especially since G's initiative and ability to find ways to occupy himself will probably never be quite what it was.  

I did get time to file the patterns I ordered from Vogue.  It was a large order and it took me quite a while.  I hate to think that there previous orders stacked up on the side of my sewing room floor, waiting for me to file them.  

On Friday, the first day I had to work on it following a whirlwind visit from step-son Adam, I printed out all the catalog pages so I could put them in my pattern notebooks.  Even though this is so much easier now that I can just copy the pictures directly from Vogue's website, faster than scanning in patterns, and far faster than my pre-computerized days when I traced or sketched all the pattern drawings on onionskin paper that I kept in my planner, I was sick of it by the time I was done and the pages were filed in the notebooks.

So I really didn't make the pattern files until Saturday.  I had lots of help from Sam and Moisés, who were practicing an uneasy detente so that they could both be on my cutting table, sitting on the patterns and chasing bits of paper hither and thither while I tried to work.  You see the trimmings from the laminating sheets above right after Moises learned that he could slide on them.  I hoped he would be in the picture but unfortunately he slid right off the table just before I snapped the picture.  

The beginnings of Fall

That lovely stack of fabrics is still sitting on my cutting table waiting to be made, well except for the four fabrics that still need to be pressed.  I have been occupied with other things, like visiting with an old friend, and wiling away the hours in idle pursuits with my sweetie.  

The August Vogue and Bazaar magazines came on Friday, and of course, Vogue patterns went on sale as well, so I have also been occupying myself dreaming of fall. I know perfectly well that I haven't even started my summer sewing:  not the things I have thought about sewing this summer, plus the many collections of things that I have posted here and planned for previous summers.  Those things are all in my dreams, and plans. 

But this weekend I have been thinking about fall.  It has struck me that just as I am settling into this retired life, and beginning to really come to terms with my more casual wardrobe needs, the patterns I am lusting after are anything but casual.  But sew (and wear) what you love has always been my motto.

I haven't really thought about inspirations from the magazines yet, I am still just perusing them and thinking about possibilities.  This photo however really captured my attention, not because I particularly want to copy the coat (I don't) but because the shape and lines of the blanket portion of the coat caught my eye.  It reminded me of a piece of plaid mohair I have had in my stash for years.  I still adore the fabric, but my original plans seem so dated to me now, and I have not quite been able to figure out what to do with the fabric.  This photo reminded me to look at different shapes and cuts, and try to think about the fabric in a different way.  It may just be the kind of inspiration I need.

Somehow while thoughts of plaids were running around in the back of my head, my eyes fell on another piece of fabric which was sitting on the shelf.   I pulled it out last winter, wanting to make it up, but again, my original thoughts no longer seem right.  And then it occurred to me that instead of a suit jacket it could be a coat.  

The more I thought about it the more the idea of a coat really appealed.  I can see this fabric over several pieces of fabric I have in my stash, as well as with several pieces that are in my closet.

Of course the first idea that popped into my head  was that I could use it for this fabulous Donna Karan coat pattern.  Of course it is not quite the same kind of fabric as the original.  As I think about it further I am thinking the fabric might be a little too heavy, or the pattern might be unsuitable.  I really have to think about it further, but I am thinking a coat or coat-like jacket might be the way to go.  The pattern is on its way to me anyway and I am sure I will eventually make it up, even if this doesn't work.  I had ordered the pattern before I thought of this particular fabric anyway. And its not like I don't have other coats in the works (oh please don't remind me). 

Anyway, here are the other patterns I bought:

Reflections on the new patterns at Vogue.

The new Vogue Patterns have been up on the website a few days now and you know I am just not that thrilled.  Maybe it was just that I was awaiting their debut so eagerly.  After all, I got my magazine last year and usually it is only a week to 10 days before the patterns appear on the website..... Or am I deceiving myself?

I do really like the jacket in pattern 1098, and there are a couple of other things I like,  but I am still wavering.  I put a few patterns in my cart.  But I haven't bought anything yet and I have a feeling that the cart will get smaller and smaller before I get to checkout.

Am I growing wiser with age?

Or is it just that I have been sorting through and organizing my pattern collections and I am much more aware of all the fabulous patterns I have, and all the fabulous patterns I want to make. Certainly as I look at the patterns I want to make each and every one of them, and that is a good sign.  I am storing up all that sewing spirit, just waiting until the weather is right for it to burst into bloom.

In the meantime, I have time now, and I even have desire to sew, but I know that I will just hit a wall unless I deal with a few more of these piles, like the pattern piles I have been working on.  There is also the pile of UFOs and some refashions too that are taking a big toll on my psychic sewing energy.  I might be happy with a couple of knitting projects at a time, although there are too many of those too, but I am not happy with all of the UFOs in my space now and I can't bear the thought of adding more.  

So I liken the time I am spending in my sewing room now to putting down roots.  Pretty soon the roots will have stored up enough energy and then there will be no holding back.  

The other two patterns are Vogue 1087 and Vogue 1090 respectively.  I like them both, but they both fit into the "maybe-yes, maybe-no" category.  I don't have plans to make either one right away, but the Michael Kors is the most likely.  The Donna Karan pattern is just so interesting though, and I have no problems with buying a pattern for pure inspiration and "how did she do that" value.

And yet, I may not.  I think I still have to just wait and see what sprouts.

Restart

I knew things were bad when I finished the back of Granite and was not eager to cast on for the front.  I did anyway and reluctantly started knitting.

I was not at all happy with how the back had progressed.  It seemed that my scattered brain waves had affected my knitting and the stockinette looked like the growth rings of a tree alternating years of drought with extremely flush years of excess rains.  The fact that the total gauge was ok judging by the size of the sweater was merely a remarkable coincidence judging by the variations of the size of stitches evident with even the most cursory glance.  I truly feared that blocking would make not one whit of difference so I avoided the blocking board.

In fact I lost the blocking board.  Now it is not a small thing.  So I truly believe that the only way it could disappear is if I willfully lost it.   It was eventually found, but by then it was too late.  I had already made the decision to rip; a decision only confirmed yesterday when I discovered that I had made a major error in the font, an error that could be only explained by the general malaise and lack of enthusiasm with which I was approaching this project.

So I ripped.  I washed.  I rewound.  And I began again.

Now I am very happy although there is nothing really to show.  I trust this time there will be visible progress, progress that I will be proud to share.

In the meantime, during this ripping and washing, this gnashing of teeth and period of decision making, I have been lusting after other projects.  The heart is so fickle.  In times of distress I yearn for every pretty pattern, every soft and cuddly yarn, any thing to distract me from the rough patch with my current project.

My current distraction has been with the new Debbie Bliss magazine.   Of course I started lusting after the magazine when I saw the ad for it in the Vogue Knitting, the add which featured this wonderful cabled vest.

I love this vest. It is so very much the kind of thing I love to wear.  Doesn't it just make you yearn for cool weather?

And on the opposite page there was this fabulous bulky cabled cardigan with short sleeves:

This one is even more enticing than the vest.  I must make it.  I want to wear it tomorrow. 

Well, I know that is not possible.  I don't even have the yarn.  But I do have an idea of what yarn I want and maybe I will be able to buy it tomorrow.

So here I was thinking that I had my knitting plans worked out for the next few months.  I have pulled out projects.  I have set up a queue which I will eventually update on Ravelry, and I thought I had my plans worked out. 

Then some pretty little sweater which is a bit rustic and a bit flirty (love that collar) all at once comes along and steals my heart and throws all my plans up in the air.

The good news is that  the Debbie Bliss magazine also has the perfect sweater for some yarn that was sitting in my stash abandoned after I decided that the pattern for which it had been purchased was a no go, one of those things that looks so lovely, but once knit just sits on the shelf mocking the knitter.  Thank goodness I figured it out before I knit the sweater.

This pattern is completely different in attitude from the two above, so much more classically elegant, words I really don't apply to myself.  And yet it is just so perfect.  I know exactly how I will wear it and what I will wear it with; it is just as much completely me as the cardigan above. 

But first there is Granite.  Suddenly, freed of the weight of that unsatisfactory first start, I am whipping along again. I am sure there will be delays and interruptions again, but I think this time the knitting will be more constant and the results worth the effort of the redo.

New Patterns, Part 1: Coats

Of course, when my sewing time is reduced to dream-time, I am all the more easily seduced by the lure of a pattern sale.  Actually I had been looking at the Vogue pattern site since my magazine came on the weekend, and have been adding things in and out of the cart depending on the time of day, my mood, and probably the amount of cloud cover in the sky.

So of course the urge to click "buy" when the sale was announced did not go unheeded.

I will start with the coats.

When I first looked through the Vogue site, I noted the new Sandra Betzina coat but thought that it was just not going to work for me.  The one piece body and sleeves, with my small upper chest but wider shoulders and bust just looked like a headache starting to happen, the photo just looked too much like a bathrobe..

But then, when I was reading the magazine there was an article by Sandra Betzina about making this coat out of Patent Leather.  That really caught my eye.

Now I love patent leather, and this coat looks fabulous.  I should have known.  Whenever I have gone to one of Sandra's sewing weeks I fall in love with the clothes she has made from her patterns, even patterns that I initially dismissed from looking at the pattern envelope or the way they were presented in the Vogue magazine.  

If I were in San Francisco this week, as I had hoped to be before further issues arose with DH's health, I would probably be looking at the original of this coat, and adding this pattern to my stack.

But I already have a red patent leather coat.  It is Valentino and fit me about 20 pounds ago.  If anything should encourage me to lose those 20 pounds it should be that coat.

And although I like the tucks at the waist, I have a Marfy pattern somewhere that has tucks, but is otherwise a much more tailored coat.  

I did not buy this pattern.  But I still like that coat. The possibility always exists that someone will sew it and post some fabulous version on the web and I will have to have it.  

But for now, I have at least managed a teeny tine modicum of restraint.

So, what coat patterns did I buy?

I don't actually object to cut-on sleeves, and this Issey Miyake pattern is just lovely.  I see they call it a jacket.  I call it a coat, but it is probably more of a lightweight coat or duster than a seriously heavy duty winter coat. Because of the princess seams and the gussets this will be much easier to fit and probably a lot of fun to sew as well

I would love the long version of this coat in a nice wool crepe.  The short version would be nice in lightweight double knit and I also think I can also seeing it transitioning away in a nice linen crepe I have hidden somewhere in the stash.

Although I think the Koos van den Akker coat made with the slashed fleece is very interesting, I am not at all sure that I would be making this coat as it is shown.  Well I might if I found just the absolutely perfect piece of fleece.

But I am actually attracted to the coat for the basic shape.  When I get back on track with my coat sew along, I am planning on making a coat with a long wrap or shawl collar, much like the one in this pattern.  I was not planning on raglan sleeves, but I think the basic shape of this coat is a classic, and one I am sure to use at some time or another.  I also wondered if the fact that the pattern was designed for fleece might be useful for my fused wool yarn fabric.  I am really not yet certain about the characteristics of this fabric or if it will prove to be difficult to ease.  

So this coat went in my basket and is on its way to me now.    I also have a kind of a muted mulberry/mauve fake fur with a suede like backing which might work for this coat.  Or would that be just too much purple fur?  Perhaps I had better think about that a little further.

Then I succumbed to these two patterns; obviously they are variations on a theme.

I chose the vogue pattern for more than the coat. I like the little top and skirt as well, but primarily I am attracted the the coat.  It has problems, namely that I would look like a shapeless big bubble in it.  I  absolutely do not like the view with the collar buttoned up around the neck.  I think it looks terrible around the shoulders and upper chest.  But I love the view of the collar with the funnel neckline folded down.  I know it is not practical.  The cold winter wind would blow right down the front of that coat. But it does provide an opportunity for wearing a fabulous shawl or scarf, or it can be made in a lighter weight fabric for those fall days when you need a bit of a light coat but don't need to be out battling sub-zero winds.  This pattern actually calls for a lighter fabric and anything too stiff would defeat that nice shape of the folded back collar.

The McCalls pattern is somewhat similar, and looks better through the shoulders and collar than the Vogue.  If I wanted a buttoned up collar, this is the one I would go for.   It doesn't have that "my breasts have become an extension of my chin" look that the Vogue coat seems to promote.  Because the collar is a separate piece, it gives you more opportunity to fit the coat to the body.  I also like the idea that there are front seams in this coat, with inseam pockets.  This gives far more fitting options.    

I could probably just take the Vogue pattern and add the front seams.  But with the sale price it seems so much more interesting and yes, fun, to compare the patterns and play with them.