Jackets for the RTW Sewalong

I’ve been poring over the pattern collections to find a classic jacket, and narrowed it down to these 4:

McCall's 6172

 

Vogue 8333

 

Jalie 2559

 

Burda 04/2010 #126

 

I ended up buying the McCall’s pattern this week as Fabricland are having a sale on their patterns, 2 for $7.00. Wow! I also got the pattern that I want to make the classic white blouse from, McCall’s 5433.

The McCall’s would be good, I think, as it’s a Palmer/Pletsch pattern and it got good reviews on PR. The Vogue looks beautiful, but I feel a little intimidated by it. The Jalie looks nice too, I might make that one day too. I like the simple lines of the Burda, but the sleeve caps look weird; one PR reviewer said she used the sleeve pattern from another jacket so it sits on the shoulder instead of sticking out.

I’ll have to make up my mind fast and get a muslin started. My jeans muslin took about 2-3 weeks to get sorted out, and the jacket will probably take as long if I’m not on the ball.

When I popped into Darrell Thomas’ to get my March Burda I took a quick look at the wools they had. Oh my, I’m not sure if I can justify $50-$60/m, but it’s so nice. I looked at the cottons too, but there’s not much choice. I’ll have to scout out some more shops, but Ottawa is pretty lean when it comes to good fabric shops!

Busy but quiet!

I'm back! It's been quiet for a while on the blog, but I have been doing some sewing. Last November I started the Jeans class on PR with Jennifer Sterns, and it was fantastic. I managed to get the jeans finished up to the point of the buttonhole, but my sewing machine doesn't do keyhole buttonholes. Then one day while reading on PR I read about Greist buttonholers and started searching on eBay this weekend to see if I can get one.

 

 

That last top I made is still on a hanger, and it'll probably stay there forever for a while. I'm not super happy with it (yep, it's the fabric!), and need something else to inspire me. The recent Burda Style magazines haven't lifted my mood much either, and the last Burda turtlenecks I made now seem a bit droopier than I want (again, the fabric choice probably wasn't the best).

 

Lately, the idea of going back to work is beginning to take shape. When our 2nd son was born almost 4 years ago I said that I would like to go back to work when he starts school, but I'd rather do something part-time; unfortunately I'm not sure how many part-time jobs exist in software development! I'd love to work again for my last employer but they were hit hard by the recession and are still quite a ways from having enough work for me. And then it dawned on me that I'll have to start all over again...I'd have to totally revamp my resume, research companies and jobs and do interviews again. Not my favourite thing, as I was fortunate enough to have landed my last 5 jobs through referrals.

With all this on my mind, I realized that I will need new work clothes, and specifically something to wear to an interview! Then it clicked, the main reason I’ve been in the doldrums is that I didn’t have a plan. So, I searched the book store and found a book, Fashion for Dummies, then hit the library and got out a bunch of books on the same topic, primarily putting together a core/basic wardrobe. The skirt pattern in the Feb Burda looks promising, #107.

Then I read Sherry's blog and her new RTW Tailoring Sewalong couldn't have been better timed! I just need to decide on the pattern and get the muslin started. I'm not worried about the fabric, I'll find something for sure at Darrell Thomas or C&M. This is just what I needed, I'm feeling inspired, and best of all I've got a plan started for making the core wardrobe that will keep me busy and focussed for a couple of months. All my ideas are going in an Office OneNote document, it's such a neat tool for saving all kinds of things: thoughts, links and pics.