Wearing Yesteryear: Class of October 2012

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Happy Halloween! I’m sneaking in this Wearing Yesteryear post at the last minute – phew, just made it! I guess if I missed the deadline I would’ve turned into a pumpkin?

Let’s take a look back at the world of sewing in October 2012 on today’s Wearing Yesteryear!

Hmm, is it just me or do I match the furniture?

The October Issue Dress

Blog Debut: October 27, 2012
Pattern: Vogue 8397 Dress
Worn In: Fall, Winter, Spring
Wearability Meter: Ding, ding, ding – we have a winner!
Lessons Learned: Knits are the best

Okay, so I just LOVE this dress! It’s right up there as one of my favorite sewing creations ever. It’s easy to wear, it feels very much like me, and it’s something I’d definitely buy in the store. Ever make something and think that you wouldn’t necessarily have bought it had you seen it in the store? Is that just me?

I also like that, as a knit, the fabric stretches to fit my shape, which means I can do away with going one size up at the waist like I have to do with wovens. This fabric doesn’t wrinkle either – from sitting at my desk at work to traveling here or there, this dress keeps it together! The other kicker is that it’s easy to wash; I put it in the washer/dryer and go on my merry way.

The other nice thing about this dress is that it’s versatile. I’ve worn this to birthday parties, work events, regular days at the office, and so on and so forth. It can be dressed up or dressed down. Gotta love it, yes?

I’d like to make this pattern with a more slim-fitted skirt, especially for some thicker winter fabrics I have planned. But for now I have the Charlotte skirt to finish up so until then – trick or treat!

To Paris with Fabric

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Bonjour! I was lucky enough to visit France earlier this month and I bet you can guess what I did while I was in Paris… Yep, fabric shopping.

photo 1

So happy in my Minoru jacket. All fabric stores behind me!

I ventured into some of the bigger stores in Montmartre before checking out a smaller discount store. Two of the big stores had several floors of fabric, but only the first and second floors (or ground and first floors depending on where you come from!) had garment fabrics. As much as I’d love to say I made curtains from luxurious French fabrics, I’m not sure how much that’d go over when it came time to hauling that onboard the plane!

These fabric stores are located on a few streets close together. There was a ton of Liberty fabric to be had, but since they weren’t any cheaper than they are here in New York I decided to walk on by.

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Sewaholic Minoru: Blue Skies & Starry Nights

Posted in 2013 Sewing, Finished Projects by

minoru-side

Yay, I have a brand new jacket! I can’t tell you how much this color makes me happy. Who says all New Yorkers wear black? The second I saw this pretty blue stretch cotton on the shelf at Mood this summer I knew it was meant to be a Minoru Jacket by Sewaholic Patterns.

At 60″ wide, I bought 2 yards of it and had some left over after cutting out all the pieces. I also used about 2 yards of 45″ wide navy and white polka-dot stretch cotton from my stash for the lining (with navy Bemberg rayon for the sleeve lining – helps with sliding the jacket on and off!). The metal Riri brand zippers are from Pacific Trimming in the Garment District.

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Wearing Yesteryear: Class of September 2012

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Hi, everyone! It’s sure been a while and September has certainly flown on by, hasn’t it? If you follow me on Instagram (or just happen to check out my Instagram photos on the sidebar of this blog) you’ll see that I definitely have had sewing on the mind. I’ve finished my Sewaholic Minoru jacket – yay! – and just need to get it photographed. So happy with this one and can’t wait to share it with you. :)

Okay, so now on to the third installment of Wearing Yesteryear!

The First Impressions Dress

Blog Debut: September 5, 2012
Pattern: Parfait Dress by Colette Patterns
Worn In: Summer
Wearability Meter: Wearable when I’m feeling particularly summery
Lessons Learned: Colette Patterns fit me just right at the bust – hurrah! (though I could probably reshape the midriff piece ever so slightly to conform with my shape)

It seems odd to be featuring this very summery dress as we move into the cooler days of fall, but let’s do this. Well, if I’m being perfectly honest, I’m not 100% sold on this fabric and pattern match, but I do think it’s a very sweet dress. I fell for this Nani Iro double gauze the minute I saw it in L.A. and I think it’s one of those things where you fall in love with fabric but don’t quite think about how you’ll feel in it in the final dress.

That’s not to say I didn’t get some wear out of this dress. I wore it to work and out and about on a wooden house walking tour (check it out!) – particularly perfect on that day as it kept me cool. I’ve paired it with a navy cardigan for a bit of a different look too. I did remove the red buttons since it ended up being a little too cutesy for me.

Have you made this pattern? Thoughts? I’ve seen it made in corduroy and paired with a long sleeve shirt underneath for winter, but knowing me I’m unlikely to ever wear it that way. Still, it’s fun to see what others dream up!

The “Taking Initiative” Renfrew Top

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samba-renfrew

renfrew-patternThe Facts

Fabric: 1 1/2 yards of red cotton jersey from Mood NYC
Pattern: Sewaholic Renfrew
Notions: none
Pantone Challenge color: Samba
Year: contemporary
Time to complete: 4 to 5 hours
First worn: for these photos
Wear again? Yes!

Total Cost: $20


 It’s here! My contribution to the Sew Weekly Reunion. A really simple effort, but it’s definitely going to come in handy once the cooler months come our way. Dressing and sewing for summer is no problem, but the winter has always left me stumped. I just don’t like the cold! I often wear a short-sleeved shirt or dress with a cardigan over it so this is the year where I’m really trying to focus on long sleeves and thicker fabrics.

I’m calling this the “Taking Initiative” top because I really didn’t think I was going to be able to contribute to this challenge after committing to it. I felt like I was running out of time and then I realized one day I was making a bunch of excuses! It was then that I took the fabric back out of the cabinet and cut out the pieces. It took me two evenings: one to cut and the other to sew it all together.

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