The Lull before the Sewing Storm.

I don't know about you, but I like to start sewing for the coming season well ahead.  If I start to sew at the beginning of the season, I find the season is over before I have an outfit complete.  It's okay if I am making simple little separates to add during a season, but not for planned outfits of the SWAP or 6PAC sort.  For that you need to plan and allow time to complete the sets.

Winter (I live in Australia) officially starts tomorrow, so it is a bit late to start a winter wardrobe plan.  And in any case, at the moment there is little sign we are actually going to get much of a winter where I live.  So it is too late to start a plan for winter now.

Instead, I am thinking about a Spring plan - with perhaps the first outfit being able to be worn on warmer days in winter.

I am thinking about a pants suit.  .  I am thinking about using this pattern, Burda 6985.

Now, the pattern says that it is an advanced sewers pattern.  I'm not going to let that put me off, although I still struggle with trouser fit, and it is years since I have made a jacket.

This is the line drawing:

I think I will make the shorter jacket, although I really like the longer jacket as well.  Sometimes I have trouble making up my mind!  Overall, I think the long jacket looks a bit boyish, and that is the look I am trying to move away from.  It might make a nice winter coat jacket instead.  What do you think?

I think I am starting to understand how pants work on me now, so I am much more confident about making the pants.  The slim cut should also suit me.

Do you think this little pantsuit would suit me?  And what jacket length do you think would be best - the short as well?  I am petite, so usually petites need shorter jackets.

I plan to use some fabric from my stash.  I really do need to use the stash so I can buy more in colours that are better suited to my colouring :)

This is what I am thinking about using:

It is a poly viscose mix, black and off white, with slight flecks.  I thought it was a little less heavy than black for a spring pantsuit - still formal, but less so.  Although black is not in my colour palette, this flecked tweedy look is slightly less black, and would look lovely with an off white top or blouse - which would suit me, as winter white is my white.  Plus I could mix and match this fabric if made into a suit, with my endless array of black everything. Including shoes.  I am not going to be able to change everything overnight - and it would be far too expensive and exhausting to do so!  I am not a lover of shopping, except fabric and pattern shopping, which is not really shopping at all, in my book - what about you?

Of course, I will have to make a tedious muslin for this suit, and I am also going to have lots to do with the end of financial year creeping up, and an intensive trip away for a couple of weeks in July.  So I need simple things for now, just to keep the mojo around :)

I have started a little skirt, my usual elastic waist skirt - using up a piece of fabric from the stash.

The picture  makes the fabric look dark, in real life it's a sort of Armani pewter/grey shade.  Right in my colour palette, so I thought this would be a good "first" in my new wardrobe.

I also am toying with the idea of making up a piece of faux snakeskin.  I did have plans to make up a piece of black faux snakeskin:

When I held it up, I convinced myself it didn't look too bad.  When I cut it out, it looked awful - sort of cheap rock chick, and that is not the look I want.  I have put the pieces aside to make a bag out of one day :).

So, I might make this piece up instead - it's a much better quality than the black faux (which was cheap). This one was twice the price:

And although it is brown, it is a cool brown, so I could get away with it.  I've never worn anything like this, and I think it would be fun to have something made out of this.  But I may change my mind, and make it into a bag as well!

And I have a cardigan to mend.  A darn nuisance moth hole.  Not sure how I will tackle this so it looks good, but I'm thinking of a little lace overlay. 

So those are the plans, and with plans the lull will soon be over...

Sarah Liz