November Sewing Plans

There’s a saying about “the best laid plans”.  Fingers crossed I will get all these done!  I have been playing in my pattern box & fabric stash and paired these together.  Will I get them all done in November?  Who knows, in the mean time I will certainly have fun trying!

First up – Simplicity 3852, such a pretty dress!!  The fabric is a viscose & silk blend I got from Ditto Fabrics in Brighton back in JUNE!!  It has been put aside for many dresses, but I never made it up because I wasn’t sure if I’d got the right partnership.  This one, though, feels right.  By the way, Sew magazine are hosting an award for various sewing related shops, personalities, etc.  Ditto Fabrics have been nominated in the “Best Independant Fabric Shop in the South of England”.  If you’d like to vote for them, or any other fabric shop, go to the page & fill in the voting form.

Everyone needs a little jacket to put over party dresses, right?  This Butterick jacket pattern is fabulous!  It’s unlined, so I have bought a dark bronzy-brown lining fabric to cut into bias strips to encase the seams & raw edges in a Hong Kong finish.  The fabric is silk – white with these warm beige & coppery coloured squares.  I’m thinking of making bound buttonholes, with the fabric cut on the bias for interest, but first I’ll test the fray-ability of the stuff!

A sporty little number – Simplicity 3411.  The fabric is a dark olive green medium weight stretch cotton twill I bought from Croft Mill Fabrics.  I’m going to make view 1 & put a military twist on it with buttons from the antique shop.  I bought some a while ago, so I hope I can still find them all in my button box!  I think this will look fab with a pair of jeans in the winter, & who will know it’s a pattern from the 50s??

This one is my challenge.  Belle saw this Simplicity pattern on Pinterest a while back & fell in love with it.  It took a while to find the pattern on Etsy in her size – I know I could have bought another size & graded it, but the 34 fits so well….  Thing is, this is a dress pattern.  She wants it as a coat.  Also, it has never been used.  Never been unfolded!  When I opened the envelope the sales receipt fell out!  How cool is that! 😀  It was bought in September 1953 – 60 years ago.  So this one I will need to trace very carefully & attempt to fold back the way it came out, then do the alterations necessary to have the front open.  She wants the version with the contrast cuffs & collar, so we still need to find the right fabric for that.  The fabric she has chosen for the main body of the coat is a light to medium weight stretch cotton twill in the most amazing damson colour with a satin finish.  It is beautiful!  I bought 4m from Croft Mill (again!), hoping to have enough to cut her a pair of skinny jeans from the left overs!

I also have two modern Burdastyle patterns to make up for Belle quickly.  Sounds like the sewing machine isn’t going to get much rest this month!  What are your plans for Autumn or Spring sewing?  Although, to be perfectly honest, if you’re in the Southern hemisphere it’s Summer already, never mind Spring!