Themme Fatale

Hello there! I’ve been putting off updating the blog because I had hoped to take some good photos of my Kalle tunics as my next post, but that’ll have to wait until another day. So instead, I thought I’d talk a little bit about my sewing plans for the next few months. I still want to do a bigger overhaul of my closet and really be thoughtful about my future plans (so look for that blog post later), but these next few projects are ones that I am so excited to work on that I know I’ll be happy with them and adding them into my wardrobe.

Project #1: Gatherer by Jacqueline Cieslak

First up is the incredible Gatherer dress from Jacqueline Cieslak. I’m planning to use this oatmeal linen viscose from Elizabeth Suzann and making the high/low dress that should hit me right above the knees. I’m still hesitant to sew many dresses, since I feel nervous wearing them, but I think the combination of the pattern and fabric will be a great piece to layer under sweaters and over leggings to give my outfits just a little extra zing.

Project #2: Chanterelle Pants by Sew Liberated

I’ve been going through some pretty intense interviews for post-grad jobs (which could fill an entire blog post by itself), but suffice to say it’s been pretty stressful. I just happened to see that Christine Haynes had posted a virtual class to make the Chanterelle Pants and immediately signed up for the class.

Of course, I had to find some fabric to use, and I found this gorgeous woven cotton in Mood’s deadstock section. I love the unique texture, and the color will be a great neutral that works with just about everything in my wardrobe. I’m planning to make View B, which has a gentle lantern pants shape with a cool pleated cuff detail. The class isn’t until December, which will be a nice reward for making it through this semester, and I’m looking forward to taking my first virtual sewing class!

Project #3: Butterick B6147

This is the project that feels the most impulsive of the three, and I still have some decisions to make. When I bought the oatmeal/green linen viscose above, I also bought the tangerine variation with the intention to use it to make View B, with the ES fabric as the main color and the rusty orange that I made into a Kalle as the contrast color for the neck band and sleeve tabs.

However, once the ES fabrics arrived, I realized that the oranges in the two fabrics didn’t quite match up, so I may just cut everything in the ES fabric but make it tunic-length. I am also undecided on the sleeve tabs and am leaning towards leaving them off (like in Views C & D). One other decision I am weighing is which size to make. I know that Big 4 patterns tend to be very oversized, so even though my chest size is larger than the 24 size by a few inches, there’s a huge amount of positive ease if I were to sew it. I think what I’ll do is measure the width of my ES Harper Tunic (which I love) and pick the size of the Butterick pattern that aligns most closely to that size and shape.

I’m in no rush to sew, as the past two weekends have involved a lot of travel, and this weekend will be spent playing catch up on house chores and schoolwork that I’ve neglected, but I would love to know what you’re planning on making in the next few months!