Fall Sewing Plans 2015

 As it is now September 1st, allow me to proclaim it fall as far as I am concerned! Sure it's supposed to be 90 degrees all week, and shows no sign of cooling down. Of course according to the calendar the first day of fall isn't until September 23rd, but you know what? I don't care. I feel about fall in general the same way I feel about Halloween, sure it's at the end of the month, but why not celebrate all month long! Anyway, what I am trying to say is,  I am about to dive into my fall sewing, even if it will be a while before I can wear anything with even a tiny % of wool involved.

There are a few things on my "To Sew" list for this upcoming fall/winter season that I don't already have fabric in my stash set aside for, like a black wool suit and a black brocade skirt, but most everything else is coming from the stash this year! I am trying not to buy more fabric, I really am trying to actually use the fabric I already have. A novel idea to be sure :) I thought I would show you all the fabrics in my fall line up and talk about what they are destined to soon become.

Starting with the navy chiffon on the end with the tiny flowers; I think I will make a 1930's inspired blouse with bishop sleeves, a higher neckline with a small thin bow tie at the neck. The next (okay yes, very similar) fabric will be a more straightforward bow blouse/secretary blouse with a lower neckline. Next in line, the chocolate brown crepe with light blue wisteria (a spring flower but whatever) will become a 20's or 30's dress. The last fabric is a delicious 100% silk fabric of multicolored abstract flowers on a forest green ground and I have been keeping it safely hoarded for years. This year I will find the courage to make it into a nice blouse, as it will match so many of my cold weather skirts.

The design above was a digital print I created for my senior collection for college in 2012. I had it printed (by Spoonflower) onto cotton sateen and I still have a little left that I want to try and eek a dress out of for myself. I made a pencil skirt from the fabric for my collection (see it and read about my collection in this ancient post), but as the collection was model/sample sized the skirt is way too small for me to wear. I'd love to wear a dress where I designed both the pattern and the fabric, and plus I still adore the colors and print. The print was made in Photoshop with photos of stained glass and dutch old master floral paintings that I took myself while on study abroad in Europe.

Our next batch is of some of the fancier fabrics waiting to be turned into frocks. All three of these I picked up this summer on sale at some of my favorite Denver area fabric shops. For looking like such fancy fabrics they were total bargains! The leaf motif gold lame is an odd smudgy grey green color and is destined to be a late 20's/early 30's evening dress. I really need more evening things to attend! The floral cut velvet in the center was a great find for me, as I have been looking for a cut velvet that wasn't a stretchy fabric for FOREVER and had yet to see one in the wild. This burgundy and plum length will become a 20's dress. It was only $7 a yard which I found to be an incredible steal. The third fabric is a brown and peridot green moire and it was love at first sight when I saw a bolt of this leaning again a stairwell waiting all alone for me at one of my favorite fabric haunts. I am planning on making a pencil skirt with a swag/side pleated front to show off the iridescence of the moire.

 

A similar cut velvet 20's dress and lame' 1930's dress to the two I am planning. 

Then of course there are the plaid projects! The grey prince of wales wool tweed on the left is actually left over fabric from when I made a pencil skirt in the spring of 2014, but I have a surprising amount left so I am hoping to make a jacket to match the skirt for a nice little tweed suit! Tweed run here I come! (except I can't exactly ride a bike in a pencil skirt, I'll ride sidecar!) The red and black plaid underneath is a soft thick cotton flannel and will be soon transformed into a full circle skirt! I just bought this fabric at Joanns this past week (hooray for coupons!) and tried to choose a plaid that would work with a lot of the sweaters I already own. Seeing as I have a yellow, red, and a black sweater in my closet, this colorway ticks a lot of boxes.

The navy and green plaid is a super nice quality wool that was gifted to me by my favorite professor in college after she decided she would never use it. I am definitely going to be making a nice midi pencil skirt but I am hoping to be able to make a matching suit jacket too. If it ends up there isn't enough fabric I'll try and at least make a little bolero jacket. The last little tan and brown mini houndstooth is destined to become a 30's inspired skirt. I think I'll try and go for a similar shape to the tan skirts in that 2006 McQueen collection I shared last week.

It was this darn image that convinced me I needed a plaid circle skirt! I blame Vogue! 

Then there are the velvets...which aren't even all pictured above. The deep midnight blue velvet above was bought years ago and I have always planned to make a v-neck wiggle dress out of it, which is still the plan! The rusty muted red in the center still doesn't have a destiny but may end up a cape or caplet of some kind. The silvery grey velvet on the right is actually much darker and more smokey grey in reality and with it I plan to make a simple silhouette 1940's dress. These velvets have all been in my stash for several years as one of the fabric stores I frequent (once called Denver Fabrics, now called Colorado Fabrics) used to get the best velvets in directly to their bargain tables. I would get these great colors of velvet for $3 a yard! Those were the days, sadly now they rarely get such nice velvets in and they are usually more expensive when they do. 

I also have some dark emerald green velvet from an old project that has a really nice drape and short pile fibers that I am planning to make a 30's dress out of...so many plans so little sewing time!

The kind of dress I am thinking of for the grey velvet

The image that made me want a v-necked velvet wiggle dress many years ago!

Now you guys realize just how much of a fabric hoarder I am! I am a bit ashamed! I can't resist a good deal on fabric, if I were a dragon I would be curled up atop a big pile of textiles instead of gold! Though I recently wrote about how I don't buy ready made clothing very often and I have a mostly me-made wardrobe, I definitely am no minimalist. Perhaps being a designer and artist myself I just can't resist collecting as many pretty things around me as I can! Still, I am getting better and better at only buying things I "need" to fill holes in my closet, instead of just getting things that strike my fancy. One day I'll learn that whole quality over quantity thing too...I hope.

Anyways, what sewing projects do you have lined up for this fall? I have hat projects and knitting projects planned too of course, sometimes I think I may be too creative for my own good! Is there such a thing? Luckily I will have a lot of sewing time this week, as I have a lot to get going on!