Sewing Plans

I love making plans. After spending the majority of the second half of last year doing wedding sewing, I am ready to now get back into sewing every day garments, of which I have a long list of projects, fabric and patterns.

First up is what feels like a synthetic rayon. I bought it at Portobello Rd Markets, 4 metres, at £2 a metre. I bought it with a 1940's dress in mind, and had the perfect pattern back home, which I am beginning to trace off. I love the unusual pleated design, and that the model illustration is smoking!



My other European fabric purchase was a length of Libery Tana lawn at an antique shop in York. My plan is a blouse, either Jennifer Lauren's Afternoon Blouse, or Colette's Sencha. 

Not sure what sort of fabric, but has incredible drape. I am going to make this into a slim maxi skirt, which I am going to self drafted from a very beloved RTW polka dot skirt. 











I bought around 4m of the Liberty Carline in Red form Fabric-a-brac last year. It will end up being a very full skirted dress. Either a shirt dress, as Heather's or Roisin's, or perhaps, Vogue 2903. 

Talking of shirt dresses, I am desperate to get my hands on McCall's 6696, especially after seeing Mary's so many amazing versions. I have this cotton, which I think would be good for a wearable practice run. It is very pastel and girly, so I am thinking the sharper lines of a shirtdress would work well for it. My ultimate goal is to use my leftover bridesmaid dress fabric for a shirt dress, but I could not photograph the fabric for you, as it's sitting in a box at my mother's. 

My other big pattern plan is a pencil skirt. Hard to see from envelope illustration, but this is one of those complete wardrobe sets. Comes with a double darted straight skirt. Need to add kickpleat, lining and pegging, but am looking forward to the challenge. 

This black and white gingham is going to be a Simplicity 2444 bodice on a pencil skirt. Small cap sleeves, and a v-neck on the bodice back. Going to practice full lining. 

The leftover fabric from my sister's graduation dress will probably end up as a Simplicity 2444/pencil skirt, most likely without sleeves.

More liberty! This one is going to be a Mathilde Blouse. Short, unflared sleeves, and no tucks. 

It's a much darker purple in real life. I have been dreaming of a mid calf purple pencil skirt ever since I found this in my grandmother's stash.

Royal blue and black checked wool. Knee length pencil skirt. Bought this on a garage sale site with another piece of very bright green wool (still at my mother's) which I am hoping to make this classy jacket from. Hoping the colours work together. 

My best friend bought me this back from California. Either an Afternoon Blouse, or a Mathilde. It is quilting cotton so perhaps the Mathilde would work better, as the Afternoon blouse seems to need a fair bit of drape. 

Beautiful, draping cotton. Any sort of blouse would be perfect.













So there you have it. Too many sewing projects, not enough time. My hands are itching to start.

Life Lately: Housewifing and the Normans

Much has happened since I last posted.

Firstly, we found our own place. We are now living in Sydney's Inner West, in a little one bedroom apartment with garden that we are slowly fixing up. I am loving it. I am able to unpack the boxes of homewares I have been saving for years, and begin to create a home and a life together. I love being a housewife, and am getting so much pleasure out of getting cooking, cleaning, and washing into a routine.

I am starting sewing again as well. My sewing machine sits in the bedroom, and I am keeping the sewing items I need in old suitcases. Much of my stash is still at my Mum's house, and i bring down what I need. Space is a premium, and I am slowly discovering how to make it work. My dressmakers dummy, Tilly, came to live with us the other week, and she gets moved out to the lounge room at night as in the dark a dress with no head can be incredibly off putting.

My other big change has been university. I completed my Bachelor of Arts majoring in History and Medieval Studies last year, and am now doing my honours year. This involves some course work, but mostly the writing of a 20,000 word thesis. As you can imagine this is taking up a lot of time and energy, especially as it is quite different in style and structure to my previous years of university. I am still finalising routines to ensure I get all my study done. I am writing my thesis on the Norman Conquest, looking at church chronicles. It is so exciting to me to be able to get my teeth into my favourite parts of history: medieval politics, historiography, and ecclesiastical affairs. It's a far cry from my love of mid century fashion, and Jane Austen novels, but I wouldn't have it any other way; I have always dwelt in history of whatever sort.

I have big plans for the blog this year as well. Many sewing projects are in the works, and I want to write more about vintage, sewing, and domesticity in general.

Have you got any plans for sewing in limited space?