Nancy K Sews

There is no way that I will finish this wardrobe if I am not excited by it. So, back to the drawing board. Shannon and Alex both said that it had to start with something that really needs to be made, that screams at me 'Make Me!' Alex is right, I really want to make that motorcycle jacket, so I am going to make it my piece that has to be made and work around it. I love the fabric and I have a cool silk print for the lining. So, there's my starting point. It is mentally exhausting to get it planned, but if it isn't really set before I start I know from past experience, that it will only be ok, not great. Of course, I may change my mind about the thing that has to be made if I can't come up with a wardrobe that works well with it.
Kiltsnquilts asked me if I took photos of myself for my croquis, which I did. I dressed in tights and a tank top for my croquis and took photos of several poses. Then I traced over it and scanned it into my computer. I printed out a couple of the different poses in several sizes and I use it under tracing paper. I have the bust point, knees, and waist marked for reference points. Being trained as an artist has made me think with a pencil as an extension of my brain. It keeps my brain from spinning! I think that I may make separate drawings of tops and bottoms and the topper so that I can layer them and see how it all fits together. Kind of like paper dolls. I loved making paper dolls when I was a kid. Hmm. Maybe I'll just make a paper doll of myself and make all the clothes with tabs so that I have my very own paper doll and clothes.
I can paste a copy of me onto heavier stock. Getting a bit carried away here!

If you are wondering where my finished cardigan jacket is, well it's in the UFO pile. It is just too warm to wear it now and I want to get to my spring sewing. I ran into a problem with the hem. It looked fine before I attached the facings and hemmed it. I felt that I needed a decent weight of interfacing for the lapels and collar. But, really I should have known better than use the same interfacing for the hem. The nice drape disappeared and it belled out ridiculously. I need to take it in at least 4 " or cut a new hem facing and interface with a lighter interfacing. I do have enough material to do that, so I'll figure it out in the fall, when I can actually wear it.

Meanwhile, I am planning to enter the Pattern Review mini wardrobe contest. I love the added twist of adding something from my wardrobe that has to match two of the pieces and make a total of 6 outfits. I am planning a tan, black and white wardrobe.
Tan linen jacket, BWOF 102 2/2009

Black linen pants from my Hot Patterns Razer tnt pattern
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Black silk jersey t shirt with lace sleeves. Something to use leftovers for! It is really a black mesh with cotton cutout flowers sewn on it in a crazy quilt kind of pattern. It's from a skirt I made several years ago. This is from my V8151 Sandra Betzina tnt t shirt.
White cotton lycra knit t shirt with the great trim Trudy showed on You Tube.

From my wardrobe a pair of off white linen, cotton lycra trousers I made for my Florida trip. The fabric is lovely, and from the now defunct Timmel fabrics. Of course, these are from my tnt pattern. By now these pants don't really resemble the original pattern. I haven't reviewed these, but I'll take a picture and post it when I get a chance. The only pattern I need to adjust is the jacket pattern. I have it almost all traced out and altered. I like to make my lining pattern out of the altered pattern pieces even when a pattern includes lining pieces. It is much easier than redoing the alterations I have to make and less of a chance of neglecting to make one. Of course Burda seldom includes a lining pattern, and this one is no exception.
I doubt that this will be a winning wardrobe but it will be wearable for my lifestyle and doable in the month available for the contest.