Sew Distracted

Personal Day

Some things are just meant to be.

For some time I had planned that today would be a personal day, a day to sew or knit or do whatever caught my fancy.  I was truly looking forward to it as life has been fairly hectic lately, the weekends have been quite full, and sewing or knitting time were hard to come by.  I was going to have the house to myself for a full day; no workmen, no family, no schedule.  A little piece of Heaven.

But plans change.  G had a family event in Flushing:  a memorial service for an old family friend, a friend of his mother's, involving people I had never met, and indeed whom G thought he barely remembered.  Still he thought he should go, although he thought I should not.  Plans were made, everything was prepared. 

But nothing is that simple.  There was much agitation and the whole thing was getting blown way out of proportion.  One obvious solution to several tense discussions seemed to be that I should go, and drive and that way I could take some people home at night, and no one would fret (except of course for the driver).  So I volunteered.  Bye Bye sewing day.

But for once, Mother Nature was on my side.  Heavy rain and high winds were forecast for today.  And indeed we did have heavy rain, and now the winds have come.  G took the train and I got to stay home. 

And so I had a personal day after all, although so far I haven't actually sewed much, it has still been a time of creativity and renewal.  I went to the gym and took a long tough workout.  I came home and the power was fading in and out during one particularly vicious thunderstorm so I curled up with some knitting  and happily whiled away a few hours. 

And I cleaned up the sewing room, put away the remnants of the nursery set, sorted out my NYS Sheep & Wool purchases, and generally got my space ready for the next project.  And I looked at my next and future projects.

I got out the Simplicity Jacket I cut out in San Francisco (finally!):

I think I made a mistake when I cut this out.  I recall that the sleeves on the muslin were a little short, but I thought to myself that I could fix that as there was another sleeve piece.  I was thinking that piece was an extension, when in actually it is a cuff lining so that the sleeves can be turned up.  I think I can work around this by just turning that piece into a sleeve extension, in which case it will become a design detail rather than a  mistake, but I will see what happens.

Therefore I have decided not to cut the lining yet, but to begin constructing the jacket and see what I have to do about the sleeves.  I do have extra fabric, but I am not convinced I have enough to recut the sleeves.

I also started thinking about a sewing plan.  I know I wrote about needing a few garments in my closet and finding things that went together.  Well, the situation is not as dire as I originally feared.  I have three nice suits, all black, and a beautiful black dress that can be dressed up or down so I am set for dinners out, concerts, and just about any more social event that I would need to go to.  I also have a cocktail dress that fits nicely.

For everyday I have several pairs of chinos in black, gray, and chocolate brown, and corduroy's as well in the same colors. so I am set.  Casual jackets are in short supply, but this will get me through my wardrobe needs.  In short, I am not pressed for something to wear, but I don't want to be confined to those items, and I do need to plan what I make, producing garments that go with things in my wardrobe or planning outfits or wardrobes around what I sew..

The selection of fabrics shown above is a grouping of black and gray fabrics, with some colors, that I pulled out last spring and never got to.  It was for a little collection I called "Steel Magnolias" based on steel grays and blacks, and the idea that I wanted to combine some high tech fabrics and styles with some soft floaty skirts and more romantic looks as well, using an industrial black and gray base.  I guess I was thinking something along the lines of "small town Southern girl goes high tech" but I never developed it.   

Admittedly part of the inspiration came from a sweater I had just knitted out of a stainless steel and cotton yarn called Tesla .  Now I wore that sweater last week at the Sheep & Wool Festival and although it was loose when I knitted it; now it is much too loose and kept falling off my shoulders.  I will have to do something with ti before next spring rolls around.  I am not sure if that sweater will fit into this collection anymore and I probably need to brace myself for the idea that future wear will require undoing and re-knitting it.

But I have been obsessed with black lately, even before I knew that the  only clothes that still fit were black (strange enough considering that black was not the largest part of my wardrobe) and so it seems worthwhile to stick with the black theme for a while. 

I haven't planned actual garments, except for a couple of pieces, and I don't know if I will actually work out a plan on paper or just kind of "sew as I go" but I will keep you informed.

But that is not all I will be sewing.  I know you remember that I started a Marfy blouse muslin back in August which I still want to finish.  I have some nice lavender fabric set aside for that.  And there are several other projects in the works as well as three rather bulky coatings I want to get out of the stash and onto my back this season.  So there is no shortage of options.

I am also adding this selection of fabrics into the mix:

   
They are all seasonally appropriate.  They will also blend into my black and gray foundation pieces nicely

But now, I have to move on from thinking about sewing to actually working on something.

Widows and Orphans Need Not Apply

My closet is filled with widows and orphans.  There is actually no real shortage of clothes that fit, except perhaps for blouses, but each piece is isolated into itself, adrift and alone, with few if any companion pieces that will elevate it into that most desireable of units -- an ensemble or outfit.

This is new and unfamiliar territory for me.  I like clothes.  I like to shop.  I like to sew.  And I have been pretty consistent in my taste and style for some years now.  I can't describe that style, but it all seems to go together.

Things got a little dicey as I gained weight, but it didn's slow me down that much.  Loosing weight however has been different. It happened faster.  And the weight did not go off in the same order it went on.

Suits that once fit don't.  Things that used to go together don't, or look so totally dumpy and dowdy I would be depressed to walk out of the bedroom in them, in fact lookng at myself wearing some of these outfits makes me want to crawl back into bed.    If the pants or skirt fit, the jacket is way too large.  If the jacket fits, the pants are probably a little snug, but there are exceptions.  It's more than the pounds.  The weight has redistributed itself in new ways, like my fat cells are playing twister and finding new ways to configure themselves on my body.

Well, it is not all that bad.  I have black pants, casual narrow black pants in several lengths to wear with heels or flats.  I have dressier black knit pants of the St. John variety to wear with several tops.  But no jacket that fits looks good with any bottom that fits, except for a few tried and true casual options.  These are fine for running around town and going to Wal-Mart, but not for everything.  I have one nice suit -- a little on the dressy side, not a business suit and it served me well for going to the symphony and dinner last night, but I shall quickly grow sick of it if ite mains the only think I can wear for dressier occasions.

The green skit I made goes with one sweater well; the jackets I thought would look good are too big or too dumpy. There are no blouses.  The second option, which has been in my photo album looks dowdy even though the same sweater set looks lovely with a longer skirt.  I do have fabric for a jacket that will lovely with that skirt.  It is a wine and green tweed, predominantly wine (oh no, will the green shoes go?) but it will expand my options considerably.

So. there is sewing to be done.  And for the first time in probably 20 years I can't just make whatever pops into my head, inspires my imagination or just happens to be lying around. 

I must PLAN.

I must make a series of outfits that coordinate.  I must make things that work together, or at least work with items in my wardrobe that I care to save (perhaps both).

And so I am starting on to work on a plan.

to be continued.....