2009 #2 Summer casual wardrobe

It is done! Three dresses and two sleeveless tops - my summer wardrobe is pretty much complete.



The dresses are all from my TNT pattern, all three made up exactly the same. I would like to play with the neckline but this month was not the time for it - I needed dresses to wear right now. I am happy with all three, have worn the white and the print already. The blue dress was just born this afternoon. They are all unlined and I wear them with a half-slip. In the interest of speedy sewing, I faced the necklines but used a bias strip to finish the armholes. It looks nice, though it won't work in every situation - the topstitching is not invisible.

The two tops are from New Look 6895, much adjusted in the back. First I took out 1" at CB neck, tapering to nothing at the hem, then adjusted for an erect posture. I added a lining in a lightweight solid white poly crepe, sewed a wide band of the shell fabric to the hem of the lining, and hemmed the top 1.5" shorter to get the look of a double hem. I got the idea from an Ann Taylor top I love. The necklines are bias-bound and wide enough to go over my head without a closure. I changed the gathering in the front to a series of pleats because I liked it better. The tops are flowy, which makes them comfortable even in Florida's humid heat, despite the fact that they are polyester. I wear these tops with white shorts but they look great with blue jeans and a cardigan as well.

This was my first time sewing with polyester. I'd avoided it all these years thinking it was hot and uncomfortable and difficult to sew. Then I bought the Ann Taylor top and fell in love with it. It's made of polyester and I thought if AT can use it, so can I. As it turns out, it's easy to cut and sew, and the right pattern can provide comfort even in hot weather. *Disclaimer: I keep the thermostat set on 77-80F so my idea of "hot" and yours may differ (I freeze below 75F).

It's been a while...

...I know. It's been hectic, it's been fun... and the time just flew by. The house is now furnished and comfortable. I've settled into my new old job. I've even done some sewing.

One of my goals for this year was to make more dresses. To that end, I've been working on improving my TNT sheath pattern. There was a bit of extra ease in the lower front that resisted all attempts at removal. Several mock-ups later, the pattern is now fixed.

My fabric collection stayed in Germany; it will move with us when we come back stateside in 2011. My wonderful mom-in-law sent me the few pieces I had stashed at their house so I have some basics but no real stash here and I don't want to build a new one. Instead, I subscribed to the Vogue Fabrics By Mail service. I wasn't really sure what to expect but figured $30 was a small price to pay for someone to coordinate fabrics for me. At the beginning of May, my first mailer arrived and I was impressed. Nine color-coordinated collections of very affordably-priced fabrics of very decent quality.

Two collections immediately caught my eye - they would be perfect for a casual summer wardrobe. A few days later, these lovely pieces showed up at my doorstep.



From the top: polyester plisse print and polyester faille print for loose tank tops, poly/rayon/flax textured suiting solid for a simple sheath, rayon/poly "painterly" print for another sheath, white textured cotton/lycra suiting for a sheath (and maybe a jacket or skirt, or both, I wasn't sure so I ordered 5 yards), and a cotton blend novelty tweed that will make a lovely cardigan jacket.

Now, my main fabric collection consists of timeless basics that I buy in 5 or 10 yards lengths and intend to use over time. However, these fabrics are for immediate sewing and, with the exception of the white cotton suiting, came in 2yd pieces, which I thought should be enough to cut a summer top or dress and still leave enough to re-cut in case of emergency. Also, having seen how Carolyn works embellishment, I thought having a half-yard or so left over might come in handy one day.

The cardigan jacket will be a project for later this year when it gets cool enough here to actually wear one. Other than that, my only rule was that the rest of the fabrics would have to be sewn up into garments before I could order more fabrics. That gave me two months to sew. Well, not quite because I had company most of May, but still plenty of time to sew. Otherwise, there would be no new fabric from the next mailer.

So far, I have finished two dresses - the white cotton and the painterly blue/green/white print, and two tank tops from the poly prints. This week I'll make a dress from the blue suiting and then wait contentedly for the next mailer. Pictures coming soon.