WIB: Oodles of Fabric and Patterns

I did some shopping.

My intentions for the last few years have been to sew. I always want to. Then the months roll past and I still haven’t done a single stitch, let alone pulled the sewing machine out of the attic. I attribute this to various obstacles, including toddler years, house renovations, health issues for 4 years, and a really tiny house with no sewing room. However, I still really want to sew my own clothes and this year I am making it happen.

Sharan, you're probably dancing a jig as I have mentioned to you many times about trying to sew my own clothes.

Boho Fabrics had their annual 50% off Clearance sale. So I got some whopper deals.

Cypress Green athlete brushed poly, photo 1. 5 yards. I expected this to be more like a fleece sweatshirt material. It is not. It's a heavier weight tech fabric, with an almost suede-like backing. Very soft. Drapey yet with some oomph and substance. The color disappointed me at first. It was deep, warm baby poop green in the stock photo. (Despite the description, I like baby poop greens.) In real life, it is a greyed olive green--not my absolute best but not my worst. Cut fabric is non-returnable. I think it will be fine to still use and wear. Good first-time sewing fabric.

Garnet poly jersey, photo 2. 2 yards. Fabric feel is halfway between a tech fabric and really poly jersey. It has a shinier side. The color is wildly good! I really love it. This will make a great blouse.

Copper rayon jersey photo 3 and 9. 4 yards. Very soft and drapey. Rayon knits tend to pill pretty quickly. So again, I'm thinking this will be a nice everyday blouse, everyday dress, or lounge clothes. Pretty copper, which I always love and wear well. Could be.a touch too energizing to wear for evening pajamas. Orange shades always makes me feel energetic. This is on the edge of orange for me.

Plum Chantilly lace, photo 4 and 10. 2 yards. Not on sale, but couldn't say no. I am not typically a lace girl. However, I made an exception for this due to the color! The color is phenomenal! It's somewhere between deep orchid and plum. (It's deeper than selfie, closer to photo 10 IRL.) Will require a lining though I don't mind. Don't have immediate plans or patterns in mind for it, but couldn't pass it up.

Patterns. I bought a couple and I'm eyeing a couple.

Dade Wrap from StyleArc, photo 5. It is a knit fabric wrap top. I couldn’t find a sewing level for it listed anywhere. It looks simple enough for someone with a little sewing experience. I feel it will challenge me a bit without overwhelming me.

Laissez Faire loungewear set from Gunnar Deatherage, photo 6. Also high on my list. To sew both requires a total of 7 yards of fabric, so might have to get more fabric if I want both. Will have to see. Design features raw unfinished edges, so I don’t have to try hemming mountains of fabric. No fit issues for the pants, since they’re very flowy and unfitted. Mostly, it's a lot of fabric, and an elastic waist. I think I am up for it. Could be yummy for errands or lounging at home.

Yoyo Knit Skirt from StyleArc, photo 7. Considering it for the green sweatshirt fabric. I love a longer pencil skirt. It’s very easy to wear. Also, should be easy-ish to sew. It’s basically a shaped or tapered tube skirt. I believe it only has 3-4 seams in total. I like skirts like these when they’re made with a medium-weight to heavy-weight knit. More forgiving than light-weight knits that show all the lumps and bumps and underwear lines. I actually think I would wear it too. It feels less fussy than a dressier pencil skirt. Should be easy to dress up/down and boho-ify with my other clothes. I have had pencil skirts I haven't worn before, and I really feel it's due to them being shorter knee-length versus a longer midi length.

Foxy Legs joggers from Pattern Emporium, photo 8. A very experienced sewing friend recommended the pattern to me. I do so love a good jogger! I know wide leg pants are on trend now, but how can I say no to a jogger? (I’m an aging hipster, skinny jeans and joggers forever.) These would possibly be more challenging due to it being pants. So I’ll likely do a mock-up with very inexpensive Walmart bin fabric before I cut into the olive tech material.

Any feedback welcome. Planning to begin in September, after school has been in swing a little bit. Have to get my sewing machine out of the attic, give it a look-over, and see if it needs any servicing and cleaning. (More than likely it will.)

I'm nervous and excited.

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3 months ago

Sloper

Veteran

I know nothing about sewing, but those colors are gorgeous for you! Patterns 5 and 6 are my favorites.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I echo, Sloper! Gorgeous colours on gorgeous you, and fun patterns too, Ket.

Do you need to find out if the fabrics are pre-shrunk?

It's ambitious to sew all the items without a routine or sewing room. Maybe begin with ONE project - the most straightforward - complete it so that you amp up the "sewing-satisfaction", and see how things go

Roberta

Oh, the fabric colors and textures look fantastic on you. When I started sewing seriously, I had a toddler, and fortunately a sewing friend who also had a small child. I would go to her house with my supplies because she had a room dedicated to sewing. Eventually I set up my own sewing room at home. We had a tiny bedroom with no ac, so that was a good place to sew even if hot. It became a refuge after dark when my husband would get Ben off to bed.

I am so impressed with modern sewers that have found all of these pattern and fabric options online. Evaluating the color and texture requires a lot of experience.

Jaime

Agree with Angie - gorgeous colors on gorgeous you! Good for you to go for it - agree with Angie again on accomplishing one easier task to set the stage. Looking forward to your first piece!

Dee

Ouu.. such beautiful luxe autumnal colours. Those colours look perfect for you. I'm always in awe of anyone who can sew their own clothing. Your knitting is always gorgeous and I'm sure you'll do well sewing too.

Mirjana

I have a lot of sewing experience so I can only say you Good Luck! Great colors.

pirouette

Beautiful colours they all suit you. I can’t thread a needle and am in awe of people who can sew. Best of luck I’m looking forward to seeing the finished pieces.

Lisa

Excellent selection of colors. I look forward to seeing your finished pieces!

Ket

Sloper, Pirouette, Lisa, thank you

Angie, you are always full of wisdom!! I'm definitely going to pre-shrink fabric, just to be sure. I'm most focused about the rayon, as it can shrink easily. While these are all my choices, I'm only starting with one. I only have the nerves for one at a time ha!

Roberta, what a lovely thing to have a sewing friend in a similar life stage <3 I have a couple of friends in other states. While I can't sew with them in person, they're always available to answer question via a text or video call. Definitely a challenge to order fabrics online. Personally I prefer to purchase fabric in person but a lot of brick and mortar apparel fabric shops have closed, sadly. Thankfully, my friends have a lot of experience and can guide me with my purchases.

Jaime, thank you <3 I will share my first piece when it's finished.

Dee, thank you dearly <3 We will see how successful I am. I've been knitting for 25 years. Sewing is a new adventure. We'll see how wobbly it is... :}

Mirjana, thank you for the lovely well wishes! I appreciate them, especially from an experienced sewist <3

Firecracker (Sharan)

Beautiful fabric and pattern choices, Ket. These look like good places to start. I am all about sewing less-fitted garments, and I enjoy sewing knits--because they are pretty forgiving. Although ripping out on knits is very challenging, because usually you're using some sort of zig-zag stitch that will stretch. I look forward to seeing your results.

It has been a while since I've used Style Arc patterns (really it's been a while since I've made anything), but I found them a little more difficult to follow, because there were few to no diagrams in the instructions. So you might start with one of the other patterns to get back into sewing for yourself.

My best friend is a very accomplished knitter, and she took up sewing in the last several years. She has taken to it famously, and she has used several Style Arc patterns very successfully.

Sharan thank you for all of this helpful advice! I haven’t peeked at the StyleArc patterns yet, so it’s helpful to know they don’t contain a lot of “assistance”. (Thankfully I have experienced sewists ready to help me.) I am also encouraged to hear your friend is getting along so well with sewing. I will definitely share my first project! I’m pretty excited to try it—though still a little nervous. :}

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