TSW Black and Cream Collection: Plaza Pants

I finished these Plaza Pants late Saturday night/Sunday morning.

The Mimosa Top is well underway. The cotton I chose this time is so much easier than the silk/cotton suiting I used for the first one. Hopefully I will make a lot of progress tonight, and maybe even finish!

TSW Black and Cream Collection

DF left this morning, so I started working on my black and cream group in earnest today. So far, the following garments are all cut out, marked, and ready to sew:

• Mimosa Top. You saw the chile print cotton already, albeit blurred. The bands are black linen with cream threads woven across the weft.
  
• Ikina Jacket. I used the linen I used for the Mimosa top for the body of the jacket and a black and cream plaid rayon/poly for the bands.
• Plaza Pants. Black and cream mini windowpane check.
• Trio Pants. Solid black linen.

I've made the Mimosa Top and and Plaza Pants before, so construction should go quickly. The Ikina Jacket is new for me, but the instructions look straightforward and simple (famous last words, I know!). The Trio Pants are another design that I haven't tried before, so I have my fingers crossed on that one.

I have some additional fabrics I'd like to make up. There's a cute devore linen that I'd like to make into another Now Shirt. There's also a black and cream pinstripe linen that would make a great pair of pants, I just don't know what style yet.

Skeleton Crew, Rebellion, and Wardrobe Planning

So much for bankers' hours...new rules. If the Federal holiday falls on a Saturday, we don't close the previous day as we used to. Fortunately, we still get time off, just not for the holiday. As a result, I'm cleaning my office because my customers are businesses and have closed for a long weekend. It's probably busy at the branches though. There are 4 of us here this morning, and there will be 3 in the afternoon. Normally, we have 7-8 in the department itself, plus the other groups that we share our floor with.

I'm being a little rebellious today, wearing my latest Plaza Pants with a Cynthia Steffe twinset and Carlos Santana mules. Sounds pretty conservative but I'm breaking the "no bare legs" rule. Yes, we are a panty hose wearing company. Usually I'm ok with with wearing them because I'm pale, but sometimes you just need to break out a little.

I'll be on my own for the weekend. DF is on his way to New Jersey on Saturday morning for a family funeral and won't be back until Tuesday. So I'm planning to work on my black and cream TSW outfits for the ASG Conference.

I'm also hedging a little in case my reach again exceeds my grasp, and I don't accomplish as much sewing as I'd like. So I'm thinking of items already in my closet that will give that Sewing Workshop look without necessarily being an entire ensemble. I think sometimes people get overwhelmed with this line because they feel they must dress head to toe like the pattern envelope. It can become costumey. Not that these patterns are costumes--but sometimes, hmmm, they can be a little over the top, particularly if it's a departure from the wearer's usual look. Hard to say what I mean by this without sounding like I'm giving offense to the wearer or Linda Lee. That's not my intention at all, I hope you understand. Personally I see the pieces as separates instead of ensembles, which means that these items can mix in with RTW and other sewn garments without a problem. Sometimes it's the better approach.

Material Girls

Material Girls is one of my ASG chapter's Neighborhood Groups. Fortunately, it meets on Sunday afternoons when I can attend. I had stopped going for a long time and recently started up again. It's fun to have a group sewing experience. No agenda, just sit and sew. Because a couple of the participants work there, we use one of the classrooms at Ann Silva's store. We just lock ourselves in for a few hours and enjoy. I really appreciate her willingness to loan us her facility on a day when the store is closed.

I took some of my Sewing Workshop patterns with me so I could prepare for my pre-Conference sewing. I was able to cut out the Trio T and pants. No, I didn't trace first. I had the opportunity to try on samples at the last Getaway, so I'm pretty sure of the sizing (although those pants may end up a size smaller than I cut out, an easy fix).

The Trio T will be made from the black print mesh I showed in the last post. Originally I'd planned on using striped linen for the Trio Pants put I've changed my mind and will be using a solid color black linen instead. It'll be easier than having to match stripes with my limited time frame, but maybe another time.

I also cut out another Mimosa top, this time from a cotton print of chile ristras that I've had stashed away for quite a while. Arggh, more blur. What's going on with me and the camera. Sorry folks!



The binding will be another fabric that I pulled, a linen blend that has both black and cream threads. I was short on the cotton, and besides, I thought an all print top might look too home-y.

Butterick 4194, Modified

Hey, I'm done!!


The camo/embroidery version is complete. Sorry about the blur. My camera usually warns about this but decided not to this time. Oy. I installed the pocket tonight, using a velcro closure vs. the button recommended in the pattern instructions.


I'm happy with the minor alteration to the pattern. The tiny bit of pegging at the hem makes a big difference in the skirt's appearance. It's amazing that such a little change can totally change how the finished skirt looks.

Another fun summer skirt. Onwards toward the conference clothes...

Pulling Fabrics

When I'm planning to sew a group of garments, I often just start pulling fabrics out of all the drawers and bins and shelves of my collection. I'll begin with an inspiration piece or two, then other fabrics come to mind. Before you know it, I've gathered up a big stack of fabrics that might work together. Then I start pulling out pattern envelopes and start matching them up. I have sticky notes pinned to each grouping of fabrics to remind me of what I want each to be.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I want to sew a group of Sewing Workshop garments to wear at the upcoming ASG Conference next month. I started with a summery colorway, but the grouping quickly turned into neutrals. I'll be sewing black, tan, cream and taupe with a few color accents. Summer in New Mexico? No, not exactly, but these colors were what I was feeling. This is everything all laid out on the cutting table:



It looks like a mess, but there's a method in the madness.

For example, I actually started this pull session with a blue/gold/lavender/green watercolor print fabric to combine with a similar green for pants.



I then switched over to the neutrals and selected a black mesh print for a t-shirt. I laid it down on top of some other fabrics that just happened to be next to the green.



Ah, they aren't matchy match, but the green in the mesh blends with the green of the pant fabric. This is one of the benefits of pulling out fabrics--sometimes you can find combinations you never expected to work together.

For more on this process, I previously discussed it when I was preparing for the Sewing Workshop Getaway that I went to in October 2007.

I am Enabled

Recently I learned that fabrics from the Fall 2009 Vera Wang Lavender Label Collection were available on Fabric.com. Another sign of the economy. Apparently many of the orders from this collection were cancelled after fabrics were already purchased and delivered. Fabric.com bought up the entire lot and is basically liquidating it all.

Of course, we sewists jumped on this opportunity, burning up message boards and blogs with the story, and firing up our plastic. And I was one of them, although I've already got way too much yardage. As the packages have arrived, there have been varying degrees of satisfaction with the quality. Eek! What would my order look like? I've been eagerly waiting for that package, wondering what my response would be...

Today the box came. And I love them. My order is relatively small (17 yards!) compared with some, 4 relatively conservative pieces--wool suitings and a double knit. Navy, charcoal, and a lavender "wild card" piece. My plan is to use them for work clothes.


Textured Wool Blend Suiting This photo is overexposed to show the texture, but the actual color of the wool is dark navy. Soft yet substantial, gorgeous.


Stretch Double Knit Suiting Not your mother's poly double knit. Very substantial for use as a bottom layer. The weight reminds me of ski pants.


Charcoal wool twill suiting. OMG, this is absolutely lovely.



Lavender Grid Wool Suiting The picture doesn't do this justice. A lovely wool suiting with a beautiful hand. The texture is smooth not raised as it appears in the photo.

I can tell that these will be a joy to sew. I'm tempted to go back and get more, but really, I have way too much fabric already and these are colors that will go with items already in my collection. Well, maybe not the lavender grid, but certainly everything else.

The quality is excellent for the price. The wools were $9.74 per yard and the PDK was $4.54 per yard. The widths are wide as well.

Photos courtesy of Fabric.com