Dress - Pattern and lining

I still haven't found buttons/snaps for the coat. An added challenge is that it must be finished by next Saturday, so international sources are out, and the German internet notions shops have less than impressive stock. German blogger Nowak named a source (no internet shop though) I'm hoping to get to. On top of everything, DD has been sick and it's a challenge to leave the house, let alone find time for such negotionables as snap shopping...

While skulking around searching for snaps and handsewing a hem here and there, I've decided on a pattern for the green dress to go with the coat. Again, I might be a bit optimistic hoping to finish it all by next Saturday, but then again, nothing like a deadline to get the creative juices flowing, right?

It's this pattern from BWOF 5/2009:

I thought about choosing a knit dress pattern, but they were all so body conscious/tight, and I'm finding that I like this less and less the older I get - though my figure hasn't changed much (or so I tell myself!). So I chose this pattern which is not for a knit; don't tell me it can't be done because I've already cut it out! (One size smaller than usual.)

Snaps aside, I've had a hard time locating knit lining... What the ...? Wasn't this a basic, a staple, last time I looked?! I could have ordered it online but wasn't sure it would be here in time to start on the dress. (Which is unlined in the pattern; but since it's a wool knit and I don't have a full slip it would be a bit uncomfortable and scratchy I imagine!) I was almost resigned to keeping it unlined when I has a light bulb moment: I could just use a suitable knit fabric from my stash! And I found one:

It's a very thin and stretchy polyester knit that I meant to use for a knit dress when these kinds of prints were popular a couple of years ago. Now I'm not a trendy person, and if I love something I wouldn't care if it's a bit out of style, but in all honesty there isn't much room for such a loud knit dress in my life. I might wear it once or twice a year, if at all. This green dress (if it works out) would definitely get worn a bit more. So it's decided; I'm just not sure about the technicalities - the front construction with all those folds seems to call for an underlining rather than a lining , but it won't be as pretty on the inside - and how to handle those facings?

Must go contemplate. Happy sewing weekend everybody!

SWALP patterns and jacket progress

My mojo has, resolutions notwithstanding, been lost for quite some time. Whether this is due to sewing in gray and navy since December, the slight seasonal blues that always strikes right after Christmas, or DD's not having been well since December... I'm dragging my (sewing machine) feet.

See this?

Looks like a finished jacket, doesn't it? And it IS finished, except for the tiniest amount of handsewing. And it fits. And I like it. So why do I have to force myself to do a little bit of hem sewing every evening, instead of rushing to get it done?

I had visions of showing the finished garment beautifully styled and shot, on me instead of the hanger one of these days. Maybe that will happen. Maybe I'll need to sew something bright pink before that, to get myself out of this funk.

(Thankfully, DS has wished for a Winnie the Pooh costume for carnival. Sewing all that bright yellow and red ought to set me right, don't you think?)

Instead of swinging the shears and needles, I have been organizing my pattern magazines by copying all the pattern overview pages in my Burda and Ottobre magazines and putting them in a ring binder. Happy hours have been (and will be) spent leafing through these while putting my feet up and nursing a hot cup of tea!

So, without actually making progress, I feel like getting on with my SWALP by circling possible patterns. The thicker olive green wool knit might become one of these:

The patterned rayon knit may become one of these:

And finally, the skirt to complement the jacket, not from the same herringbone wool, but a heathered dark gray woven:

(As a side note, I considered making up a quiz "guess the year these BURDA patterns are from". Some are quite obviously dated, but some not, I think.)

Obviously, I have my favorites, but I'm not decided yet. Which do you think would fit well with my SWALP?

New camera, new pattern magazines

I turned 39 on Monday. It's hard not to get philosophical; while I' happy with my life and where I'm at, the years are racing by with lightning speed, and I can't believe I may already have lived half my life. See? I did get philosophical!

I made the best use possible of my birthday by

a) wishing for a new camera, which I got (if my pictures aren't good now at least I'll know it's my fault!);

b) having a typical German "Geburtstagskaffee" (cake and coffee) with family and friends;

c) sneaking a few minutes to read the new Threads and a couple of new pattern magazines I got.

While I love my Burdas for bringing me lots of patterns, fashionable ideas, and something new to enjoy every month, I also often feel a bit overwhelmed with the sheer amount of patterns I have collected with several years' worth of Burdas. When looking for a pattern or ideas, I sometimes get frustrated trying to process all that information. This is something I like about my Ottobres, which are just two (slim) issues a year for women and four (a bit thicker) issues for children.

So, while I wouldn't give up my Burdas anytime soon, I decided to take a closer look at those magazines that are published seasonally rather than monthly.

(For some reason I couldn't get the picture to turn. Time to read the camera manual, I guess!)

"Sabrina" is one of several German publications like that (I know of two others called "Diana" and "Lea"). These aren't as glossy as Burda, but Sabrina is certainly fashionable enough. It's not graded for difficulty, and the patterns appear rather simple, with few seams, darts, and linings (all the jackets and coats are from warm fabrics but unlined!).

"Knipmode" is a Dutch monthly that is quite fashion-forward (Melissa makes a lot of beautiful garments from Knip issues). This is the first issue I've seen in German, although there may have been others. It's not a monthly but a fall/winter issue that is, as far as I can tell, close to perfect!

It features nine pattern (in several slightly altered versions) that are made up to show four big fall trends, each of them a different style and colorway, and all with just nine patterns. A real lesson in the versatility of sewing patterns! Also, great clothes, beautifully photgraphed. Real eye candy!

And both magazines, as well as the aforementioned Ottobre, only show clothes made up with their patterns, not RTW like Burda. This makes it so much easier to decide on possible combinations/ensembles. Burda used to feature "mini wardrobes". Bring them back, please!

I hope this peek into German/Dutch magazines was interesting for you. Next up: the finished boys' pants. Phew!