My Planned Clothing Projects for Fall

I wanted to do a quick overview of the planned projects I have for this fall.

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First up is the Anise.  I will be making it out of a navy blue wool crepe with a lavender silk/cotton blend lining.  The buttons will be red, and I've been contemplating doing some embroidery on it to jazz it up a bit.  I'm doing the long-sleeved version of the pattern.  I decided this jacket would be a good 'in between' jacket.  I have a lovely, thick charcoal wool jacket that's my winter jacket, but I don't have anything for that awkward cool yet not cold weather, and what I do have is either too light or too heavy.  I thought the wool crepe with the silk/cotton lining would create a nice effect for warmth, but not too much warmth.



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The Peony I will be sewing up at the same time.  Instead of wool, I decided to go with a thicker cotton that has just a touch of stretch to it.  It's a bright, apple red.  I decided I wanted this dress to translate well in any season, but still have a heftier quality to it that would make it work for the cooler seasons.  I'm doing the short sleeved version, and will be doing a fuller skirt than the pattern calls for.  I just haven't decided if I'm going to be doing a full circle or a dirndl styled skirt.  It all depends on when I start blocking out the pattern on the fabric and I see how much I have to work with after the bodice is cut out.

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After I finish those two I will then start up a UFO.  It is a khaki skirt version of a Colette pattern that I started after my husband deployed last year.  I was so depressed at that time that I was never able to finish it, and I didn't want to start with it right now because every time I look at it in its bag it reminds me of what I was going through.  I figure with two lovely projects under my belt I will be able to face it with renewed courage.  I want to finish it sooner rather than later because it's going to be a huge staple in my wardrobe.  I love its high waist and A-line skirt, and I want to play with the buttons.  I also want to try my hand at making some of those bow belts I've seen tutorials of drifting around the blogosphere.  Definitely one in bright red, and of course one in bright aqua, and probably a pink one too...

I have some lovely plaid wools, and I will be using two of them this fall.  One is a Stuart plaid variation.  It's an incredibly soft and luxurious wool, and I want to really let the plaid shine so I'm going to channel the 1970s and do a long, A-line skirt out of it.  The other plaid is a Blackwatch variation crepe I have.  This one I want to use to channel the 1940s/1930s and make one of those secretary, knee length confections of a gored skirt with just a touch of flair at the bottom.  These two skirts are going to be the back bone of my fall/winter wardrobe.  When going through my clothes I realized I don't have many true winter skirts, and so these are my amendments to that problem. 

After all that, I will be making a blouse.  Not just any blouse, mind you, but a Portrait blouse from the 1950s.  This is my first vintage pattern, and I will be needing to do some grading with it, which will be another learning experience.  It's going to be double layered.  The top layer is this divine pink cotton with this sheer flower design in it.  The design is hard to see, so there will be a raspberry cotton lawn underneath that will make the sheer part pop, and make it so that it's a little more opaque for everyday wear.

While continuing the pink role, I figure I'm going to need a confection of pink cotton pique house coat.  Obviously, that's what winter calls for.  This thing is just going to be made purely for its scrumptiousness, and I like having easy things to throw on when I get home from work.  The first thing I always want to do is take off my uniform and put on something that will make me feel slightly human again.  I think swaning about in a pink house coat will do the trick quite nicely.  Don't you?

Back into the more practical territory are charcoal gray, worsted wool, high waisted trousers.  Boning will be included.  I've read some really great reviews of this pattern, and I have been wanting a more vintage inspired wide legged trouser.  I have some black trousers that are your typical wide legged, some sort of poly-suiting fabric that I do enjoy wearing because of their 'swishy'-ness...the most important part of the trouser.  However, I wanted a pair out of a much more warmer fabric as I have to wear thick stockings under the black ones to feel like I'm not losing circulation in my legs when the weather outside is frightful...ahem.

Last, but certainly not least, is a dress that will launch me into spring fever, and that's the macaron by Colette.  I'm doing it out of an aqua cotton pique with the top of the bodice being out of this lovely rayon that feels like soft cotton which is a slightly lighter aqua.  I like the heavier fabric for the skirt, and at the same time the springiness of the color so it should be a flexible dress for the seasons.