I have been mulling over this wardrobe since last spring, when the May issue of Burda just caught my fancy. A nautically themed wardrobe can often veer into “costume” territory, and look dated before the season’s out. I think I’ve managed to come up with fabrics and patterns that echo a nautical motif in a more subtle way, yet still hang together in a cohesive collection, both in colorway and in the details.
I’ve been busily working on a pants pattern for the wool contest sponsored by my favorite online sewing community, PatternReview.com, and finally have enough progress made to show you all! (Yes, all two of you who still read this blog.)
For this contest, I wanted to push myself a little bit and try my hand at a few couture techniques, so I selected Vogue 8156, a design by Claire Shaeffer, now OOP.
The pants are described as straight-legged pants (semi-fitted through the hip) having details such as a contour yoke hand sewn fly zipper and turned back cuffs. Version A uses couture construction (read: LOTS OF HAND SEWING) and version B uses front and back darts for waist shaping.
I’ll be back soon with pix of thread tracing and zipper installation!
In looking over my patterns for the Timmel SWAP I came across this gem of a pattern - S4047. Loooove the jacket. Looove the blouse. Meh about the skirts and iffy on the pants (capris in winter…hm). I could probably rock the capris in a black-velvet-Doris-Day-meets-Ann-Taylor-cocktail-party way, but I’m undecided on them (they would be the required third wardrobe item for the contest) and I also want to make this pattern (and a few others in the same vein) rightthisveryminute, instead of waiting til January to start. Sooooo…I’ve decided to work up a little mini wardrobe for fall - my own little 50’s (time) capsule!
The inspiration for this capsule is this luscious and luxurious wool/camel hair plaid in charcoal gray and wine red:
It may look innocent, but everyone in the fabric store wanted to take it home and pet it all day. Hee.
I will be following along with the SWAP guidelines set forth in Australia’s Stitches Magazine, in that all tops must match all bottoms (with one notable exception below), there will be more tops than bottoms and one of the items will be a jacket.
MAMAPICKLEJUICE’S 1950’s (TIME) CAPSULE
** JACKET **
S4047 - jacket done up in the charcoal gray plaid posted above
** TOPS **
S4047 - retro blouse with sash
B107 - jersey top with gathered front and sleeves
NL 6723 - the 50s version of the LBD (aka the ‘Sabrina’ dress)
** BOTTOMS **
Burda 11-2006-105 (high waisted pencil skirt with a twist):
S3673 - 50s retro jumper - in the above mentioned plaid
NOTE: I am considering the jumper a “bottom” because I do intend to wear a top of some kind with it. However, not all of the tops will work with this particular “bottom” garment, due to sashes, etc, and that’s fine.
Still need one or two pants patterns (straight leg) and 2 or 3 tops to round it out (particularly something to wear under the jumper). At the rate I’m adding patterns and fabric, this may become a full blown SWAP and not just a capsule. Time will tell! ;-)
I have been really pushing myself to sew for just a little bit each day…So the bodice is complete (seams finished), the collar is finished and attached to the collar stand (so COOL!) and the one piece sleeve seam is sewn and finished, and the cuffs are now assembled (but not attached to the sleeve yet).
NOTE: I pinned the collar to the bodice in this pic - the collar stand really makes the blouse look rtw!
After that, there’s attaching the sleeves to the body, attaching the collar to the bodice and making the button holes (which fill me with a nameless dread, more or less). I do have a little hope with regard to the button holes, and that is entirely due to Power Sewing by Sandra Betzina. Rather than crossing my fingers and hoping that my button holes come out okay, I’m going to follow her steps, with include using fusible webbing between the facing and the garment, using long basting lines to mark the button holes, and using strips of water-soluble stabilizer between the fabric and the feed dogs and the fabric and the buttonhole foot. Sounds like a plan, eh?
Here’s a sneak peek at the fabulous ruffled cuffs…
This year’s twist is that three of the eleven required garments must be made from the same “wardrobe” pattern. I took a gander through my patterns and came up with two possibilities. The first contender (and most likely choice) is Simplicity 4500 (OOP).
I adore the snuggly jacket (look at all the shaping!), the low slung pants with wide waistband (and side zip - very streamlined), and the skirt…the only piece I don’t care for is the cami, but it’s really the sweetheart neckline I don’t care for, and that’s easily changed.
Here are my picks for SWAP fabrics - as you can see, I’m quite conservative in my choices…some of the more interesting fabrics didn’t play well together, but I hope to add them in at a later point (phase 2 or 3). At this point, my fabrics are black, red and white. I have plums, browns, olives and a few “orphan” red fabrics that didn’t make the cut, as well as some yummy gray fabrics.
Okay, from top to bottom:
Jacket (from this pattern) - “Salt and pepper” wool
Tops - Sweater knit (V2945), onionskin (Vogue 2011 - OOP), honeycomb knit (V2011), black crepe jersey (no pattern yet), white poly/cotton shirting (not shown - M5471), red matte jersey (V8379)
Bottoms - black twill, red stretch woven, red wool (4500 skirt), black crepe bottomweight (for 4500 pants)
So this SWAP plan tackles a few pieces on my Top Ten Must-Haves List - the classic t-shirt, the wrap dress and the black pants. Not bad!
I’ll be back later to put a few more patterns to fabric…I have a few ideas percolating, in the mean time, please let me know what you think about the current fabric and pattern choices…does it look chic and polished or boooorrrringgggg? I’d also love accessory suggestions, so send them my way!
Well…the muslin anyway…and partially inside out, but that’s another story. Here’s the muslin, exposed seam and all…
Oh…and did I mention that many yards of luscious red gabardine fabric are winging their way to me? (Thank you, Larissa!)
*Drool*
New McCall’s came out yesterday…here are my picks:
I know, I know…it’s so…puffy! But look at this Anthropologie sweetheart blouse…take the front ruffle from one view and add the puffed sleeves from the other…find a sweet lightweight baby wale cord and you’re good to go!
I adore the lantern sleeve on View B, but I just picked up an adorable boiled wool jacket in espresso brown with the same feature, so I’m trying to go easy on that detail…I will probably make View A - love the pea coat look and the rounded collar is sweet!
I thought that everyone could use some comfort food today, so I offer you my mother’s recipe for mac-n-cheese.
Mama’s Mac-n-Cheese
2 C elbow macaroni
3 tbl butter
3 tbl flour
2 C milk
2 C shredded cheese
Bread crumbs
Tomatoes (sliced)
Cook macaroni as directed on box; drain and set aside. Heat butter over medium heat and add flour; stir for one minute. Add 2 C milk; whisk til thickened (mixture should be bubbling). Turn heat off and add cheese; stir til melted. Combine with pasta and pour into casserole dish. Cover with breadcrumbs and sliced tomatoes. Bake at 350 deg for 35 minutes.
I’m desperate to finish this sweet sundress for Olivia before too long - it’s the handsewing that’s holding me up - I need to handstitch the binding on the armscye, as well as sew on the buttons (front and back) and decide on trim. I think I’m going to go with two rows of the small pink rick rack for a subtle look. Thoughts?
The first iconic wardrobe must-have - the trench coat.
Ever since I saw the above photo on The Sewing Divas (courtesy of The New Yorker Magazine and Diva Georgene), I have been longing for just such a trench coat. So to that end, I’ve picked up Simplicity 4084 and the following rain coat fabric in…olive. Yeah, I haven’t found a good red, yet!
To be honest, now that I have the fabric in hand, I’m thinking that it’s unsuitable for the pattern - it’s not a coated cotton, it’s nylon, I believe…I’m going to have to mull this one over! Any suggestions for suitable trench coat fabrics, let me know!
In the meantime, I’m drooling over these reviews of this pattern - they definitely make me want to sew this baby up!
Tomorrow is WIP Wednesday (Work in Progress) - so stay tuned!
