MOAR PATTERNS!

Joann Fabrics has a sale starting today for Simplicity Patterns. 5 for $5. As I had exactly 5 dollars, guess who got new patterns?! Boyfriend, puppy and I are going on a long vacation starting in mid December down to Florida to spend Christmas with his family, go camping in the Keys, then back up through New Orleans for New Years. Therefore, I need vacation clothes, so that was the main motivation behind some of my pattern choices. Anyways, here they are!

I'll be modifying this one a bit to take out some bulk from the waist, but other than that, perfect comfy casual skirts/shorts/pants.

This is so versatile. Lots of different style options, and I love that the vest pattern is included

I actually got this one to make the tank top for daily wear, and am thinking about making the nightgown view B as an every day casual dress. Is there something inherent in the design that would make it always look like a nightgown, though?

Nice basic shirt selection.

I just really like these. Hopefully they like me back. Guess we'll see!

Now finding fabric for everything will be interesting. I have several lengths of knits laying around, but a few of them are a yard of this, a yard and a half of that, so I'll have to get creative to use them. I've been thinking of doing some color block shirts or skirts with a few of them, we'll see what I come up with!

I want to make ALL the things

I've sorted through all the patterns I own, which is saying something, and found several that I want to make. I've been reading a lot lately about what to wear based on your body shape, (mine apparently is apple shaped,) and am finding it rather confusing. You can find completely opposite instructions on different sites, so I'm just going to read about why they say certain things are good or bad, and try to use my own powers of logic to figure out what's desirable.

More precisely, I'm apple shaped with broad shoulders, a large chest, and a short waist. My bust is 45", my waist is 38", and my hips are 44". This has always made finding clothing that fits more difficult than it has any right to be. Things that fit my bust don't fit anywhere else, and fitted shirts are always fitted in the wrong places. I've been reading about how to adjust sewing patterns to fit all these things, so hopefully my days of ill fitting clothing are coming to an end!

Anyway, on to the patterns! I've been wanting jackets lately, because they allow me to extend my silly t-shirt collection into cooler weather, and they help distract from "problem areas." I also like how they instantly dress up any outfit.

 I like how this one has a classic silhouette, but has interesting detail in the side panel and gathers. I want to make view B.

 I'm slightly unsure about this one. I absolutely love the lines of this, but I'm afraid it will make me look like I have football player shoulders. Thoughts? I like the jacket in the main photo.

 I like the dark purple-ish red version in the top right corner, but I don't know if it's the right style for me. The interwebs say that one button jackets are ideal, but this one is so pretty!

 Basic, classic jacket that I could wear with everything. I like the main photo version, and the top right. I'd have to see if the longer version hits at a good spot on my body, though.

I'm not sure how "everyday" this jacket is, but I really like the military feel of the details.

I can't buy fabric to start any of these till the fifteenth, but I'll probably start cutting out pattern pieces till then! If I were to cut out two patterns, which ones should I remove? Also, Joann Fabrics is having a sale on Simplicity patterns, 5 for $5 starting on Thursday, so I'll have many more soon!

History

So, let me preface all this by explaining why I'm here. I've been sewing for 18 years. Good grief, saying I've been doing anything for 18 years is weird. Anyway. When I was younger I was very much an "Eh, that'll be fine" sewist. Not very detail oriented would be putting it politely. I still managed to make some wearable clothing, though none of it was ever a staple of my wardrobe. My lackadaisical attitude towards patterns, directions, and caring kind of undermined my confidence in my clothing sewing abilities. Go figure.

Fast forward to this last January, and I started my own business making things. Sewing wise, I started small with makeup bags, and moved on to purses. I became obsessed with quality control. I am downright anal about making sure the things I sell are of the absolute best quality I can make them. So, total sewing attitude 180, though I hadn't even tried to make clothing in a while.

Then for Halloween, Boyfriend hired me to make him a costume. He wanted to be Dr. Horrible. (If you don't know who that is, go google it right now, I'll wait.) Now, I love boyfriend with all my heart, but he is the pickiest person alive. I mean, really, trying even to order takeout with this man is a trying experience, so I knew that his lab coat would have to be perfect. I worked my ass off on that coat, and I have to say, it turned out amazing. The only thing about it that bugs me is that I should have used stabilizer on the button holes. That's it.

Then, being completely insane, and having less than a week till our Halloween party, I decided to make myself a costume, so I would not be outshone by Boyfriend wearing my work. Sigh. This is the pattern I chose. I used the clown as inspiration to make a scary clown costume. The jacket is fully lined, as is the top of the dress. I didn't make the vest, I thought it detracted from my overall costume, but I did make the top hat. I must say, it also turned out amazing. So, all the sudden, I feel like I can sew clothing again!

I spent this last weekend recovering from the party by sitting on the couch watching Netflix and reading about sewing clothing. I have had some body issues that made store bought and handmade from pattern clothing fit oddly in the past, so I read about how to adjust for these things, what kind of clothing is best for my body shape, and all that jazz. I learned so much!

This morning, as I was walking the dog, I had an idea. I'd already been thinking about making clothing for myself on a regular basis from now on, but what if I took it a bit further? What if for one year, I made all my own clothing? Then I thought perhaps that was a bit unrealistic, but how about 75%? That seems much more reasonable, right? I figured there are some things that shouldn't be included in that. I'm not going to make my own bras, that doesn't sound fun. And socks I could knit myself, but that takes some time, so those should just be bought. Other than those two things, at least 75% of all new clothing this year, I will make myself.

I already have a pile of patterns I want to make, and have checked them all out on sewing.patternreview.com to see how people liked them, and what problems to expect. I'm not at all thinking I'll get a perfect garment every time, but since I can't just go out and buy more clothes, I'll do everthing I can to make sure these clothes are going to fit. I'll make muslins, I"ll do fba's on pretty much everything, and I'll adjust for my short waist. It's going to be interesting!