Coming soon..

Since I finished my grey and white shirt last week I've hit a bit of seasonal sewing lull. I don't really want anything more for winter per se, but I also don't feel like sewing spring clothes in even the dying days of February. This is therefore perfect moment for me to try out my Secret 2016 Sewing Resolution! This secret resolution was to be a bit more adventurous and varied with my sewing this year. I'll write about all of these in more detail soon, but in the last few days I've: (a) worked through my first two muslins of a simple woven trouser pattern, (b) tried out two different Lekala patterns, and (c) cut out a little gym bag, which is something I've been meaning to make for myself for yonks.

I'm really excited about (a), the trouser fitting experience, in particular! It's been more fun and interesting than I anticipated given that mostly people seem to end up wailing and gnashing their teeth over the whole thing. I am going to make muslin three in the next couple of days. I'm hoping I've nailed the big changes with this one and it'll be just a case of refining the fit. If I have then, yay, another part of my wardrobe that I can start adding to by sewing rather than shopping!

Burda 03-2016-118, image from Burdastyle.com

The other thing I've done in pursuit of sewing fun today is (d) trace, cut out and start sewing this supremely wacky top from Burda 03/2016. I'm not going to lie, I saw this in the previews and even though I rag on Burda's ridiculous Giant Rectangle patterns all the time, I just really wanted to sew it! I ear-marked some fabric for it and everything! Despite that, it honestly might never have happened but then I saw Kathy Sews (instagram) mention it on Instagram and SewCraftyChemist (instagram) chimed in, and somehow we seemed to end up making a pact. Kathy said she thought it might look like she was wearing a trashbag, but it might equally be amazingly comfortable. So far, all I can say for sure is that I am questioning my choices in life. #teamtrashbagtop /o\

Mila Designer Dress, by StyleArc

I'm also weirdly into this brand new StyleArc dress they announced today, the Mila dress. I actually think it's 100% cuter in the modelled photo than the tech drawing image above. I'm half convinced it would look heinous on me but I might not be able to stop myself buying it when it's available as a PDF all the same. /o\

I have to admit I've always been sneakingly interested in the weirder and less conventional patterns in my pattern magazines and elsewhere. The problem is that I am actually very conventional in the way I dress and so I definitely only want a limited number of oddball/statement piece items in my wardrobe. I don't mind making the Giant Rectangle top even if it turns out to look like a trashbag because it will be a quick sew and I happened to have a suitable piece of fabric that's been in stash for nearly as long as I have been garment sewing (just under 4 years) and that I have no other ideas for at all. If I am going to use good fabric and buy a pattern and spend a lot of time on something off-beat, through, I kind of want to know that the outcome is going to fit in with the rest of my more ordinary wardrobe. Also under the banner of 'coming soon...' then are my further thoughts on my wardrobe planning endeavours and numbers and conventional vs. interesting and figure flattery and all kinds of other things. I have a lot (A LOT, but then, if you've read my blog for more than a minute you'll have worked out that I am among the bafflingly verbose) of words in draft about this stuff, you guys, be prepared to be bored rigid soon!