Summer Sewing Update

Look at that messy table! Patterns scattered everywhere! I am not naturally a very organized person. You can spot a piece labeled jodhpurs waistband though, so that is exciting! 

Actually, I have already finished my jodhpurs! I'll talk more about those later. I thought I would take a few snaps of the fabrics and projects I have lined up for summer so far. As you may know if you have been around this blog long, I am supposed to be making a late Victorian bustle dress to go with the corset and cage bustle support I made earlier this year/late last year. Well I still plan to do so, I just still have to buy fabric for the underskirt. I'll need some lining fabric and notions as well, but I hope to have the whole thing both started and finished soon. I mentioned in this post that I ordered the fabric for the main portion of the costume from an Etsy shop based out of India. Well I have since placed another order from the same shop, and this time I bought fabric for wardrobe projects, not costume ones!

The reason I like this etsy shop? The fabrics are very inexpensive! Like, $4 a yard inexpensive. I got five yards of each of the above fabrics and I intend to make circle skirted dresses out of both. I'll use different necklines and sleeves for each for some variation. I only have one circle skirted dress in my wardrobe right now, and I love it! Which is why I now want more, oops. The first fabric is white with grey, brown, and black patterning in an abstract sort of print. I  am hoping the resulting dress will match a dark brown straw hat I picked up months ago but haven't been able to wear yet. The second fabric is ivory and taupe with tropical leaves, palm fronds, large coral pink flowers, and tropical birds! I love a good tropical print so I am excited about this dress! I have already pre-washed these fabrics so they are ready to go.

As for a mini review of this fabric supplier, overall I am pleased. Both orders arrived faster than I would have thought from India, this second order took just five days to arrive! The shipping charges aren't outrageous so I think that's pretty amazing! The yardage is generously cut with extra as opposed to being short. The seller doesn't really describe the hand feel or weight of the fabrics in detail in the listings, both of the prints above are a lighter weight, though the third fabric I ordered (which is at the end of this post) was a bit thicker/rougher. I will say that both orders the fabrics smelt vaguely of diesel fuel upon arrival, I mean this in the nicest way possible. It isn't pungent or noticeable unless you are holding the fabric up to your nose, just a bit odd. It disappeared completely after I washed them. (tid bit: When I got my first order, the fabric for my bustle dress, I thought it smelled like the jungle cruise ride at Disneyland. With the second order I realized it was diesel I was smelling! Apparently that is my brain's diesel fuel smell association, which I find awesome)

These four fabrics are all in line to become blouses of one sort or another. The grey/green on the end is a presumed rayon ? fabric from the bargain bolts at my favorite fabric haunt. It was $1.75 a yard! It has a really nice hand and will make a nice flowy safari-ish blouse. The second fabric is a classic khaki colored cotton voile also destined to be a safari blouse, of the more traditional button front, shoulder tabs variety. The light blue fabric with white slubs was originally bought to make a dress, but I have decided to make a blouse with super full bishop sleeves instead! The last fabric is a printed linen blend of some sort, another sale table find. I think it may end up as a cowl neck short sleeve blouse.

These next two will become a 1920's frock and a 1930's day dress respectively. The floral print is really pretty and girly! If only I had a pretty lavender straw cloche to wear with it. The rainbow sorta-polka-dot fabric has been waiting in the stash for over a year to become something. I am hoping I have enough to make a bias cut 30's dress.

This last photo is the third of the fabrics I ordered from India. I only bought two yard of this one and was planning originally to make a blouse, but since this fabric turned out to be a bit rougher/thicker in texture (not a ton but enough to make a blouse sound like a bad plan), I decided to make a skirt. Then I was playing around with my patterns and figured out I could fit a dress pattern on here so now that is the new plan! I am super excited about this project as this print and all of the colors feel so fresh and fun, but still sorta 40's looking too. I know I can fit a straight skirt pattern on here, but I am going to try and eek out something more A-lined for a bit of variation.

So that is my current line up of projects! All of these were put on hold to make my jodhpurs this week, which goes to show that I just need to stay off of Pinterest and away from the fabric store! I am still dreaming of other things, like a black cotton circle skirt, more basic solid button down blouses (white, ivory, and black!), and perhaps another cotton 40's summer suit. We shall see, I need to make these things first, then I can continue dreaming!