I sewed quite a bit last year.  36 pieces, in fact.  Many of those get worn and I’m proud of having made them (Jeans! I made my own jeans! This still amazes me).  However, toward the end of the year, in early November actually, I became listless. I stopped picking projects because they were something I really wanted to make or wear, and started making projects simply to keep making and stay busy.  I started choosing patterns I thought would be quick and easy and rarely spent enough time making necessary adjustments or pairing those patterns with the right fabric, instead just pulling a decent option from my fabric stash. I cut corners and got sloppy, two things I rarely do in any facet of my life.  As a result, and not surprisingly, many of those projects ended up in the donation box.  So my wardrobe was no more interesting than before and my fabric stash, while a bit smaller, is still embarrassingly large.

I’m approaching this year differently. Rather than focusing on volume and decreasing my fabric “collection”, I made a list of clothing items I actually want to add to my wardrobe. It all started with my #2017makenine list on Instagram:

StyleArc Lorie jacket | Closet Case Ginger jeans (pairs 4&5) | Vogue 8633 in navy wool | Closet Case Kelly Anorak – hopefully in red | Gertie’s Butterick 6413 | Megan Nielsen Dove Blouse to Dress hack | Vogue 1316 – in old denim just like Handmade by Carolyn’s | Closet Case Sophie bikini | more bras

That list has already changed a wee bit…  I’ve added a few pieces:

• A Mondrian dress to wear to the ‘Yves Saint Laurent – The Perfection of Style’ exhibit coming to the Virginia Museum of Fine Art in Richmond this May.

Yves Saint Laurent Mondrian Dress (1965) in cream & navy.  My plan to draft the pattern for this dress involves duct tape.

• A Grainline Archer to wear out running errands when I am too lazy to change out of my yoga pants but want to cover my behind.

Grain line Archer shirt – I’m not sure if mine will be plaid

• And possibly a Chanel-esque suit using a couple Style Arc pieces I just discovered.

I’ve also removed/substituted an item:

• After further thought, I think it is unlikely I’ll make the Gertie/Butterick dress.  While I love that dress on Gertie, I highly doubt I’d feel comfortable wearing it out.  Instead I’m going to make a different party-appropriate dress, like the By Hand London Elisalex dress or maybe even my own version of Roland Mouret’s “Galaxy” dress.

Roland Mouret’s original “Galaxy” dress

If/when I go back to work full time, I may need to adjust my plans further, depending on how much sewing time I have and a possible office dress code.  And let’s be honest, I can pretty much guarantee a new pattern will be released this year that I will need to make immediately (Closet Case has a new pattern coming out next week…). But that is one of the best parts of having a plan: just because you have it, doesn’t mean it is not flexible. It’s just a place to start.

And you want to know the best part?  I own almost all of these patterns and most of the fabrics.

I just recently completed my first item from the list – the Megan Nielsen Dove Blouse hacked into a dress in a beautifully drapey black and grey checked wool blend.  I’ll hopefully get some pics of me wearing that posted here shortly. But here’s a quick snap on Violet.

Megan Nielsen Dove Blouse pattern hacked into a dress with straight hem and shortened sleeves

Given that I am a planner by nature, it’s a bit odd that I’ve never approached my sewing like this before.  Even just three weeks into the year I’m already finding it much more enjoyable and less haphazard.  And having this process in place just may help me cut back on pattern and fabric purchases (well, maybe).

Now to decide which piece I’ll make next…

Shopping of the perfect buttons at Todd Farm in Rowley, MA with my niece, Phoebe.

Me and Julia, the woman who taught me everything I know about sewing. If you ever want to learn how, find her, trust me. 

Plus, two of my recent makes – my McCall’s 7279 and vintage Vogue 2934 out & about.

… all I know is that I feel like making a cotton dress.

This gives you a small glimpse into how I track my ever-growing fabric stash.

… and looking at the very grey photos in my earlier post, photography may not be either.  But I’ve been thinking about my little space on the web a lot lately, and I want a place to keep track of what I make, so I’ll keep trying.  To get around my hatred of having my picture taken, one of the biggest hurdles to my posting updates, we’ll settle for pictures on my dressform, Violet, for now.

A very high-level view of what I’ve made since my last post:

I finished my “Winkelman”.  It isn’t perfect – in fact, all I seem to notice are the parts I wish I’d done differently – but I made my first coat and my first project that required major pattern changes.  As you can see, it looks very different than the inspiration coat, largely because I: (1) didn’t want to use real fur (duh) or fake fur (long story) so I replaced the fur collar with an oversized wool one and skipped the cuffs, and (2) chose to use a vintage brass buckle and buttons that I found in a shop in Latvia via Etsy rather than using fabric covered.   Overall, I am very happy with how it turned out.  Of course, as soon as I finished the four-month project I simultaneously thought of how I never ever want to sew a coat again and what I’ll do differently next time.  Hrm.

I spent the rest of 2014 focusing on projects that take less than four months for me to make: dresses (mostly vintage, two of which are pictured below), a couple fleece items for my adorable niece (pictured below), some super-simple home decor items, a bathing suit bottom, beach hat and cover up.

Vogue 5645, View B, no pockets

Vogue 5645, View A , different belt and no pockets

McCalls 6782

Elke Dress

My first finished project of 2015 is a modified vintage Simplicity 5996 – my very favorite dress pattern.  The modifications are mostly on the bodice:  I merged the bust and waist darts into one long princess seam in front, and merged the shoulder and waist darts into princess seams in the back.  Both of these changes give me more flexibility with fitting since I find it varies with each make.  I also, as usual, chopped at least two inches off the skirt length and graded up a size for the hips/butt.  It’s made out a cotton fabric with just a bit of stretch that had me scratching my head as to why I bought it — it’s not pretty — but I really like the way this dress turned out.

My third Simplicity 5996

Up next: maybe I’ll finish the vintage Butterick 7514 (a combination of views A & C) that I muslined, adjusted, and then tossed due to a bad fabric choice, or the Simplicity 1254 Leanne Marshall jacket that’s in progress…

More soon, I hope.

After at least one night lying in bed thinking about it rather than sleeping, I’ve picked my next project, and it is a big one. I’m going to try to replicate this incredible coat, without the fur collar and cuffs.

I found this beauty in the Mill Street Vintage shop on Etsy a year ago.  It’s from the 60’s and is by Winkelman.  I thought about it constantly for days, maybe even weeks.  I would have happily bought it, despite the hefty price tag, if it would have fit around my hips and backside.    So despite not having a pattern and having never made a jacket or coat before, I’m going to try to make it.

I scoured Etsy and eBay and found two patterns that could get my going: Vogue 1939 – but the only copy I can find costs $95, so um, no – and this one, which I found uncut in my size for $9 shipped.

This is not my size – it’s just the best picture I can find.

It arrived on Monday and I started my first muslin last night.

I had planned to make the coat in grey, just like the picture (yes, I seem to be on a grey kick right now), but when I got to Winmil I found a coat-weight wool in brick red for $12.98/yard.  It’ll be tough to find a belt buckle and buttons to match, but that is a challenge I’m willing to accept even if it may require another trip to NYC — because yeah, twist my arm.  I’m not sure what I’ll use for lining just yet, but chances are this will take more than one muslin, so I think I have some time.  If you  have any suggestions, please let me know.