Fashion District and a Finished Archer

Hi All!  I’ve had such a super busy yet wonderful past few days!

I mentioned in the last post that I’d be taking a day off from work to drive up to LA with my Mom and Aunt in an attempt to conquer LA’s fashion district and we did exactly that!  I didn’t really know what exactly to expect because the only other “district” type place I’ve been to is in Toronto’s fabric district on Spadina.  I would have to say that my LA experience was completely different!  We got to LA pretty early – around 9 am – and all the stores seemed to just be opening.  It was a gorgeous but hot day in LA this past Friday (my brain hasn’t switched over to Fahrenheit yet, but it got up to 35°C) and the store fronts were filled with bolts and bolts of fabric along East 9th street!  My plan was to find some beautiful lace and eyelet, but the prices of all the fabric was waaaaaaay too tempting to just get a few yards of lace and eyelet.

Lemme tell you: I got A LOT of stuff!  I don’t think I’ll ever have to buy fabric again (okay, that would be a lie)!  But at minimum, someone will have to slap me on the wrist if I buy any more fabric from JoAnn for the next year!  I got plenty lace and eyelet, of course, but I also got some beautiful knits (from light to medium weight), and some light wovens (for tiny pocket tank practice).  I was also able to stock up on serger thread and buy some beautiful pre-made crocheted collars.

It was definitely a swap meet type of experience where first price was never the last price.  Thank God my Mom and Aunt are gold medal hagglers!  Most of the fabric I bought was $3/yard or less.  The most expensive piece of fabric I bought was two yards of French lace which I had seen in another store for $22/yard and my Aunt was able to talk it down to $10/yard.

My two favorite stores were the infamous Michael Levine loft (where boxes are filled with pre-cut fabric and price is determined by weight at $2.50/lb of fabric – awesome deals!) and a store called Robert Textile – where the owner himself, Robert, helped me find the eyelet I needed and treated us with such kindness and care.  He has amazing bolts of 100% cotton at his store, definitely a “must-visit” if you’re ever in LA.

This is just a small photo compilation of some of the stores we visited – it was hard to take photos as my hands were full from carrying all the bags of fabric;  In the center is all the stuff we bought!  There are just too many pieces to photograph individually, but I’ll be sure to post close ups as I make use of the fabric – I promise!

I had so much fun fabric shopping up there that I hope that it is something I can do once or twice a year.  My biggest wish is that one day my haggling gene becomes activated and I can learn to get good deals the way my Mom and Aunt can.  Wish me luck on that one!

And now!…  As promised, here are some photos of my finished Archer!

I can’t get over how much I love this pattern!  The reasons why I, personally, love it so much is that for one, I never felt like I could wear a collared shirt previously – I didn’t feel like it was my style and I never felt comfortable in one.  So for that reason, I feel so happy that this pattern has broken me out of my mental block for wearing collared shirts!  Secondly, I cut out a straight size 8 (no alterations) and I feel like the fit is close to perfect, especially the shoulders and arm length.  I’m hoping that this might be the case with all the Grainline Studio patterns (*fingers crossed*).  The only gripe I have during the construction was with the very last step – putting in the snap buttons.  Now, this was totally my own fault decision, so I cannot put any blame on the pattern itself, but MAN!  Those snaps are a **bleep** to put in!  I was able to get them all on, but a few got ruined in the process and my hands are a little more calloused for it.  But now that they are on, they are pretty and fun to snap, so I might just have to use them again in another project in the far, far future.

I wore my Archer for the first time at my birthday dinner with my family last night.  It was a casual yet yummy dinner at Marie Callender’s and of course I had pie (the lemon cake pie I had all to myself – which was to die for!).  I liked that I could wear it open, almost like a jacket, but it was still roomy enough to snap up – pies in my belly and all!

My parents will be flying back home this week.  I’ll miss them a lot, but it’ll be nice to get back into the swing of a routine – especially with all the fabric that is waiting to be sewn!  I can’t wait to get started on something new.  I feel like summer is just around the corner – perfect weather for lace, eyelet and lightweight knits don’t you think?

Any summer sewing ideas?

Mood LA Trippin’ and I Love My Mama

Happy May Everyone!

It’s been a great past few weeks with my parents visiting, enjoying the new apartment and having my sewing machine back.  I was able to finish up my archer this past weekend (post to follow!) and my Mom and I spent some time in the new project room hanging out.  She was even able to do some sewing!  (Excuse the angle and the bright light in your face).

My sister had heaps of scrubs bottoms that needed to be shortened, so my Mom offered to hem those up for her.  Not the most fun sewing in the world, but I think it’s my Mom’s joy to do things like that for her daughters.

The highlight of last weekend was our trip up to LA to visit MOOD!

My Mom and sister were kind enough to trek up with me and spend 2 hours watching me run around collecting bolts of fabric that caught my eye.  Yes, I had a list.  I sorrrrrrt of kept to the list… but ended up adding a “few” more bolts to the pile.  It was actually my Mom and sister that recommended a few pieces that caught their eyes, and how could I resist?  All of the fabric there was so beautiful.  I’m almost glad that it’s more than an hour’s drive away because otherwise, I’d be there everyday on my lunch hour!  Anyhoo, without further ado, here’s a short photo journal of the trip (I wish I took more photos but I was very busy collecting bolts):

Upon entering the store, there were (what looked like) thousands of designer silk bolts on display.  I was immediately drawn to the Marc Jacobs and Emilio Pucci print silks.  I find Marc Jacobs prints to be super whimsical, colorful and fun!  I’ve never really been one to “follow” designers (I might just be the only Asian girl that isn’t really interested in owning an LV bag), but I’ve always loved Emilio Pucci‘s designs and prints.  The only thing “designer” that I own is a gorgeous pair of turquoise Pucci sunglasses which I only allow myself to use in the car (for fear of losing them).

If I had endless amounts of moola, I would have definitely bought (at least) one yard of a Pucci silk print, but the ones I was eyeing started at $60/yard – eek!

I don’t have too many photos of the store layout (sorry!), but it was super large and was organized into all the different fabric categories.  I spent most of my time in the denim and jersey sections.  My Mood “cutter” said he got a hand cramp from cutting my denim pieces.

I ended up spending all of my winnings (and a tad more), but I’m happy with every single piece.  Two hours in Mood actually felt like mere minutes, and I didn’t get to really look down every single aisle at every single section because my family was getting impatient and hungry so I made the executive decision to cut myself off.  I, now, greatly admire the Project Runway contestants for being able to find their fabric in less than an hour!

Afterwards, we walked just across the street to an amazing restaurant called Luna Park Kitchen & Cocktails, and had a super lovely late lunch.  If you’re ever in the area, I would definitely check this place out.  My sister and I shared the mussels & fries and the brie pizza (I LOVE CHEESE!!!) and it was to die for!

Oh?  Did you want to see what I bought?

I got 2 pieces of denim;  I wanted the heaviest denim possible that still had stretch.  I’m planning on using these pieces on the Craftsy “Jean-ius” class (taught by Kenneth King) that I purchased last month.

I always wear a sweater at work because I get cold so easily, so my sweaters and cardigans get a lot of wear.  I got two beautiful pieces of sweater knit in black and white to make into sweaters (maybe a long sleeved Briar?).

I didn’t have jersey knits on my list, but I ended up getting 5 pieces!  They had so many different colors and I was hypnotized by all the bright summer colors.  What sealed the deal for me was how soft and rich they all felt!  I wanted to unroll all the bolts and roll around in them!  My sister chose the printed piece for a dress she’d like me to make her for her birthday (which is also this month).  The rest are solid colors that I plan to do some color blocking with.

Last but not least (especially not in price!), I bought 2 pieces of Marc Jacobs silks.  Pure luxury!  These pieces really made this trip feel like different kind of fabric shopping excursion – a long, long ways from the red-tag clearance section at JoAnn lemmetellya!

My plan for the polkadot print is to make another archer with it (you’ll soon hear about how much I love the fit of the archer!).  With the white-on-white animal print, I’m thinking of making another Grainline studio garment – this time, the tiny pocket tank.  But I’ll have to perfect a muslin first, of course!

If you can’t see the animals on it, here is a somewhat clearer photo:

Can you see the giraffe and elephants?  Isn’t this fabric sooooooo amazing?!?!?  I had to have it, but at $35/yard, I knew I had to choose a sleeveless pattern and nothing too complicated –  I think the tiny pocket tank or even a sleeveless briar will be the perfect pattern for it!

So, those were all of my purchases!  All in all, I’d say the trip up to Mood (and Luna Park) was well worth the drive/traffic.  On Friday, I’m taking the day off from work to drive back up to LA with my Mom and aunt in an attempt to conquer LA’s fashion district.  I’m in search of some beautiful eyelet, lace and cheapy-cheap muslin – wish me luck!

Next post, I’ll show you the finished archer!  My Mom (my biggest fan) kept saying, “Wow, you are amazing!  You are soooo good!” when I finished it – this coming from a woman who used to draft and make corseted wedding gowns.  All of my self-confidence and determination comes from my Mama;  She never fails to make me feel like the world is my oyster and that everything is possible!  I’m such a lucky gal!  And!!!!  She helped me rip open and re-fit my blazer!  Bless this woman!  The blazer will live on after all (more on that much much later)!

Stay tuned for Part II of “LA fabric shopping”.  Happy hump day!  And have a wonderful beginning of May!

Birthday Season

Hi Everyone!  I feel really bad about not being able to post much lately because things have suddenly gotten really busy over here.  My parents flew in from Vancouver earlier this week and they’ll be visiting for the next 3 weeks for a little SoCal vacay, as well as, to celebrate some birthdays.  This coming Monday (Earth Day!) is my Dad’s 70th Birthday!  He’s been through a lot health-wise the past 13 years or so and every new year that we get to celebrate his life is a huge blessing for our family.  Some of our family from Calgary was also in town (they have a second home in Arizona and decided to make the drive over to California to see my parents while they’re here) and last night we went out to dinner for my Dad’s birthday.  My Aunt that lives in LA planned a small get-together for us at a local Filipino restaurant and so we feasted on some yummy Filipino cuisine.

My birthday is also coming up in a few weeks (I’m a Cinco de Mayo baby!) and next weekend my Mom, my sister and I will be driving up to Mood Fabrics LA to celebrate and spend my contest winnings.  I AM SO EXCITED!  The weekend after that, I think we’ll make a 2nd trip up to LA to do the fashion/fabric district with my Aunt.  Some of my dance friends said, “For your birthday, you want to go to LA fashion district?” (with disgust in their eyes).  Some people just don’t understand that finding muslin for $1/yard can be just as fun as champagne and 5-inch heels.  If this is what fun looks like in my 30s, I’ll take it!

I hope to get all caught up on finishing my archer sometime this weekend, too.  I get to pick up my sewing machine from the shop today (whoo hoo!!!!!!!) and maybe I’ll set up my machine next to my sister’s and see if my Mom will feel so inclined to do some sewing next to me.  Sneaky, sneaky me!  Here’s hoping!

I hope all is well with everyone!  I will be sure to keep you all updated on the trips up to LA and the goodies I see and buy.  I LOVE birthday season!

The Calm After The Move

Hi Everyone!  I feel like I haven’t posted in a really long time!  I think time seems to pass more quickly when big changes happen.

Two weekends ago I moved apartments so I haven’t had the opportunity to put too much time into my sewing projects.  Moving is such a process!  And even though I moved just a 10 minute (or so) drive away, the process of purging and packing and cleaning really takes a lot out of a person!  But, my sister and I have settled into our new place quite nicely and I was fortunate enough to be able to set up our guest bedroom as my sewing/project room!  Whoo hoo!  Aside from having a gorgeous view of the community pool while I sew, I feel that having a separate room for sewing will allow me to mentally separate my working space and my resting space.  I’m a very very lucky gal!  When it is all fully set up, I’ll be sure to post some photos of the layout and maybe ask for some ideas on how to re-arrange the furniture for making the best use of the space.  I was able to sew a little bit this past weekend, and I’m already feeling really happy in the new apartment – change can be great!

Another super-cool thing that happened while I was away was that I was contacted by Diane over at the PatternReview site to be the featured Member in Focus for the site’s blog.  I feel very blessed and humbled that the people over at PatternReview would choose me as a sewer that readers would want to know more about.  Please head over there if you get the chance!  Though a lot of the questions they asked me I’ve covered in some of my previous blog posts, there were some questions that I’d never thought about before!  Like, I hadn’t really thought about what my favorite pattern is – is that odd?  And, “what is the sewing project you aspire to make but don’t feel you can just yet?”… that one stumped me for sure!

After setting up most of my sewing room I thought I’d catch up on what I missed last week for the Archer sew-along.  As I was sewing together the button plackets, I realized that the needle up/down button on my machine wasn’t working.  How frustrating!  Now, I know this function is just an “extra” and that I don’t have to pause production just because my needle won’t automatically stay in the down position, but I LOVE THIS FUNCTION!  So I had to go and take it in to the shop to get it fixed.  Luckily, the machine is still under the 4 year service maintenance agreement, so I should be able to pick it up this coming Friday.  My sister was kind enough to lend me her machine until I get mine back, so I was able to get all caught up with my archer, and now I’m just patiently awaiting the next step.  Saved by my sissy!

In blazer news, as per usual, it’s slow going.  After not working on it for a while and then trying on what I’ve made so far, I realized that the fit is now too large!  This was über frustrating because I had originally made the muslin in a smaller size and decided to size up in the fashion fabric because I had gained weight since the initial fitting.  In truth, I’ve been working hard the last month trying to lose weight for a big dance trip I have planned to go on in July, and I guess it is working because my blazer is once again too big!!!  Gah!!!!!!!!!  Now I remember why this was one of my sewing resolutions back in December.  Though it’s a wonderful feeling to get healthy and lose inches, it is totally making a stressful situation out of my sewing endeavors.  Have any of you gone through this?  What do you do when you have goals to lose weight (and accomplish them) but are also working on perfecting fit in your sewing projects?  If you have any experience with this at all, I’d love to know what you do.

Here’s what I’ve made so far on my Judy.  I’m going to have to go back in and take in some of the seams… maybe even rip out the sleeves and take in the sides and sleeves.  Woe is me.

I hope all of you are having a pleasant time with your current sewing projects.  In my next post, I hope to show you how things are going with my archer (and promise to be more optimistic about the blazer).  Until then, have a fantastic week!

Archer Sew-Along!

Hi Everyone!  Thank the universe for you guys!  After last week’s post, I decided to follow your advice to not put so much pressure on myself to complete the Fearless Blazer in a rush.   It’s nice to know that I’m not alone in needing to take a breather from more complicated projects and that once in a while, we all need to take sewing back to a more light-hearted place.  When all else fails, it’s okay to take our time or even start a new project if that’s what our heart desires…

When I heard about the Archer Sew-Along going on at Grainline Studios, I thought it would be such a perfect sew-along to join considering a button-up shirt is on my list of basics to make.  Though I’m eventually planning on making a button-up in silk, I want to make a wearable muslin in a more easy-to-sew fabric so I can get a feel for the pattern procedure and fit.

I found some lightweight denim at a local fabric store called M&L fabrics a few weeks ago.  In a separate back room of the bolt-filled store, there were piles of fabric off of the bolts that had no fabric content information.  I had to wiggle the piece out from the bottom of a huge multi-colored pile labelled, “denim”.  At $2.95/yard, I thought it would be the right price for my first version of a loose-fitting blouse.  Initially, I wanted to try the McCall’s 6436 pattern but when I read some other blog posts saying that the pattern had a sleeve design error (sleeve cap was too big for the armscye), I decided I didn’t want the headache of trying to fix it myself.  I’m so glad the Archer sew-along came along!  I wish all my sewing projects were part of a sew-along because I love the guidance and inspiration that sew-alongs provide.

I spent part of my free-time this weekend putting together the pattern, tracing my size, prepping the fabric and cutting out the pieces.  Fitting is my least favorite thing to do in the world and though I’m not a perfect size 8 according to the pattern, I decided to cut out a straight 8 and just see where the blouse falls when it’s all sewn up.  Carefree sewing here I come!

I want to make this sew-along experience as fun as possible!  I’m also going to make things easier by using snaps instead of buttons.  I bought these pearl snaps a few years ago and I’ve been waiting for the right project to try them on.

(Yes, I store my snaps in petri dishes… shhhh!!!)

I like the idea of adding a light blue denim “button-up” shirt to my wardrobe this season!  I chose View B for a more feminine look, but I’m sure if all goes well I’ll be making another version in the more standard View A.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll get much sewing done this week or weekend because we’re moving this Sunday (I know, on Easter weekend, too!).  But stay tuned for updates and Happy Easter!

P.S.  The blazer is still in progress!  I worked on it a little more this past weekend.  I’m finally feeling good about it.  Slow is the way to go.

P.P.S.  The buttons came in!  Wheeeee!!!

Buttons: The Cure for Mental Sewing Blocks

What do you do when you’re working on a project that you have a strong mental aversion to completing?  What do you say to yourself when you’re not motivated to keep at it, even when you know all you have to do is follow a short list of instructions?

Man, did I pick the right project for the Fearless February/March Sew-Along.  I feel like I’ve been working on this blazer for forever, when really I’ve only been working on a few steps at a time for a few hours a week.  I’m trying to figure out, psychoanalyze really, why this project is so different from all the others I’ve completed.  I’m literally fearful and have anxiety when I think about having to work on it.  When I am working on it, I’m letting out loud sighs every few minutes and giving the cut out pieces stink eye every chance I get.

Just to give you a clearer picture of where I’m at:  Back in February, I was working on a fitting muslin for the blazer in white cotton broadcloth.  Instead of properly measuring myself, I assumed that I was my regular size 12 in big 4 patterns, so that’s what I cut out.  While following the pattern instructions attempting to optimize the fit, I realized 2 things;  One, I’m currently closer to size 14 measurements.  And two, cotton broadcloth doesn’t have the weight needed to properly gauge the fit of the garment on me.  That’s when I put the muslin down and transferred my energy to my other February projects.

With the arrival of March and with fresh eyes, I looked at the blazer muslin and with frustration decided to start all over again.  This time, I cut the size 14 in off-white (slightly stretchy) denim.  The initial fit is so much better and the weight of the fabric is much more suited to this project.

So what’s the hold up?

I don’t know why this mental block decided to show up for this particular project, but I think I’m caught up in trying to be too perfect, and I’m suddenly scared of making mistakes.  I keep reading and re-reading the pattern instructions thinking that if I memorize them I’ll somehow get the whole construction of the jacket perfect the first time.  I know this is ridiculous because the best way to learn anything is to just jump in a do it, but I can’t help but feel anxious every time I pick it up.

So, to answer my initial question:  What I usually do when I have a strong aversion to completing a project is I distract myself from my feelings of fear and I say, “Let’s go shopping for buttons”!

There was a button sale at Joann’s last week and this pattern calls for six 3/8″ buttons and two 1″ buttons, so I hopped over there on my lunch break to see what they had.

  

Even with two full walls of buttons, I wasn’t able to find the perfect ones for the front closure.  My gaudy taste drew me to these large ruby buttons that reminded me of my mom’s earrings from the 80s,

but in the end, they weren’t exactly what I was looking for.  (Please excuse my thumb, in desperate need of a manicure.)

I did, however, find buttons for the sleeve cuffs.

Gold hearts filled with white enamel!  I left Joann’s having only spent less than 2 bucks.  A great deal if I should say so myself.

For the 1″ buttons I went onto Etsy to try to find something that matched both the style I am trying to achieve, as well as, the gold/white heart buttons.  And, I found these!

They are vintage gold anchor shank buttons!  I ordered a set of 3 and they should be coming in the mail really soon.  Aren’t they gorgeous?

In the end, my distraction technique worked for my mental block situation.  Now, just looking at the photos of these buttons, I’m excited to get back to working on the blazer.  Hopefully, this was the elixir I needed to cure my blazer anxiety.  This weekend I shall continue on, wish me luck and happy Spring everybody!

Thoughts, Thoughtfulness and Being Thankful

On Being Thankful

I cannot believe it.  I’m speechless.  I won!

(FYI:  That’s me!  kealoha!  Though “kealoha” means beloved or the loved one, in Hawai’ian, it is actually a short-form/nickname of the Hawai’ian name “Mapu Mai Ke Aloha” given to me by my Hula teacher, which means love pours sweetly forth or fragrance of love.  In my Hula family, they all call me Kealoha).

Thank you to everyone for your support, comments, votes, and views.  I remember just a short while ago I was telling my family and friends about my new blog and expressing how I felt that being a part of the online sewing community might make completing my creative projects a less lonely experience;  Being able to share in each other’s sewing experiences, troubleshoot project glitches, and be a spectator to another sewer’s sewing evolution and journey.  I didn’t have a tiny inkling on how encouraging and close-knit the community is considering we span all over the globe!  It’s really incredible!

The 2nd and 3rd prize winners were a-maz-ing:

Check out Diahn’s L’Wren Scott knock-off dress and post on her blog.  It is truly classic and chic!

And I really admired “nicegirl”‘s Oscar de la Renta knock-off over at the Slapdash Sewist.  All of the contestants’ pieces stirred up so many knock-off ideas in my mind and my imagination is going wild thinking about all of the other knock-off possibilities that could happen in the near-future!

Thank you all so much.  This is just too too cool for words.  And from the bottom of my heart, I’m especially grateful to you for a being a part of this journey with me.  It’s times like this that I wish Nanay (my grandmother) was still here so I could show her the things I’ve made and see the expression on her face.  I definitely can’t wait to tell my Mom about it!  She’s not super computer savvy, so I know she hasn’t seen the piece yet, but I know she is so proud that I’m following in both of their sewing footsteps.

My Grandmother and me, back in the day

So, thank you again!  The whole experience was just too too amazing!  And the prize is not too shabby either!

On Thoughtfulness

This year, I’ve made a whole list of goals for myself.  Aside from my sewing goals, I have a bunch of other goals – personal, career, health, spiritual – that I try to keep on my mind everyday.  The gist of all my goals this year is to basically live the most authentic life possible.  To me that means: listening to my heart, taking care of myself and loving my loved ones as much as possible, putting 100% of myself into all of my commitments, listening, breathing, resting, learning to de-clutter, living more simply, laughing everyday and being present.  A lot of what I just listed may seem very opened ended or vague for a goal, but I really feel that everything starts with the energy we have inside, and it trickles out into everything we touch and every person we come in contact with.  To be this authentic person I want to be, I know I need to be more thoughtful and allow myself to be different and be me.

I’ve done a few things so far that have made me feel more in touch with who I am.  The first, of course, was starting this blog (which has gotten me to acknowledge my creative side more and share more of who I am).  The next was trying to release myself of my (online) shopping addiction (which has been going really really well)!  To try to simplify my life, I’ve been observing my lifestyle and seeing if the things I do, eat and buy are in line with my needs and beliefs, and not just blindly following my social environment’s pattern of consumption and waste.

After reading Overdressed last month, I realized that I’ve lacked thoughtfulness both in my sewing and shopping habits.  I’ve always had a lot of clothing, but since moving to the US, the amount of clothing I’ve bought every month (or even every week!) has increased almost exponentially.  I became that person who had a closet full of brand-new, never used items (clothing, accessories, bags… you name it).  When I started sewing again a few years ago, I wanted sewing to be a way to re-use and re-fashion old clothing.  But in the past year or two, my sewing habits have near matched my clothes shopping habits.  I would buy fabric and patterns just because they were on sale.  Most of the fabric was very cheap fabric from Joann that I didn’t yet have an idea or use for.  After reading the book, I’ve gained a new-found awareness on how my habits are not only affecting the environment and the earth, but how my own pattern of consumption, waste and mindlessness has affected my mental space, my emotional space and my living space.

I want to be better!

I know it will take a while for me to transition to a more simple wardrobe (and most especially a simple life), but as my sewing repertoire expands, I’m hoping the pieces I make will be worn more often and be made with higher quality, earth-friendly materials.

Sewing Thoughts Based on Thoughts about Thoughtfulness

Though I’m suuuuuuper excited to spend the Mood winnings on whatever is beautiful and catches my eye, I know I need to be more strategic with my fabric purchases if I’m going to be more thoughtful in my sewing.  I realized that, aside from my Minoru jacket and some more recent basics, I haven’t really sewn anything that I can wear very often.  In my closet, I don’t have too many items that are very versatile (for work and play) and that explains why I own way too many pieces.  I would love for any additions to my closet to only be garments that I will love and use for different occasions and for many, many years to come.

I remembered one of my cousin’s blog entries about must-have basics in a woman’s wardrobe.  She lists:

1. The Tailored Blazer
2. The Button-up Collared Shirt
3. Dark Wash Skinny Jeans
4. The Pencil Skirt
5. The Plain T-Shirt & Tank Top

I think I only own one category on that list (plain t-shirts and tanks)!  And it’s not because I wouldn’t wear the other basics, either.  It’s because I get tend to get drawn to “special” pieces when I’m shopping, that I completely by-pass those great essentials that create the foundation of a classic wardrobe.  Do I have graphic-printed jeans and backless dress-shirts?  Of course!  Do I have cropped jackets and summer dresses that can only be worn on the weekends in warm weather?  Yes, in numbers!  Yet, I don’t own a basic black blazer or a nicely fitting black pencil skirt!?  The thought of it is actually quite bizarre!

So, here is the plan:  I want to make high quality, tailored basics.  I’ll make the muslins with patterns and fabric I already own.  Then when the pattern is ready, I’ll purchase high quality fabric and put thought into all the construction and design details to really make it special to me.

The tailored blazer pattern I’ve already started working with.  So, after the fearless version is done, I will have a TNT pattern to make it in basic black.  I think it would be great to make it in a light wool, gabardine with a beautiful lightweight lining.  

Simplicity 2446

Inspiration: Theory Blazer (found at Bloomingdale’s.com)

I made a button-up collared shirt, but I find the fit  too tight and too short.  I’d love to make up a white silk blouse that is more loosely draped with the McCalls 6436 pattern I already own.

McCall’s 6436

Inspiration: Olive and Oak Blouse (found at Bloomingdales.com)

I have made a few versions of skinny/straight leg jeans.  I haven’t written a post about them yet because they don’t fit as beautifully as they once did (read: I gained weight).  But, I did alter the Vogue 8774 pattern a lot and with a few more tweaks (and a few more months on my diet), they will fit almost perfectly.  I’d like to use a thick, stretchy, basic blue dark rinse denim for my next pair.

Vogue 8774

Inspiration: J Brand 811 Mid-Rise Skinny Jeans in Pure Wash (found at Bloomingdales.com)

I think a pencil skirt in basic black (either a thick knit or a wool blend woven) would make a perfect basic skirt.  I have the Vogue 8781 Wardrobe pattern that contains a pencil skirt pattern, and the whole collection is actually quite beautiful!  The pattern cover photo really highlights how versatile basic pieces can be.

Vogue 8781

Inspiration: Michael Kors Pencil Skirt (found at Bloomingdales.com)

I’m excited to finally start making some foundation pieces for my wardrobe.  The nice part is that once I have these pieces and patterns tailored to fit my body, I can later go (mindfully) crazier on fabric choices and cuts when I make up the patterns again.  Eventually, I’d like to add a few more pieces to the list like a trench coat, a pair of straight legged slacks and a fitted shift dress.  But!  All in due time!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!  I’m slowly plugging away at the blazer, so hopefully you will see a version of it before the end of the month.  Toodles for now!