Shirt Inspiration

It's been awhile since I posted.  Some of it was because I was on a sewing tear and didn't want to stop to post and take pictures...and then this weekend, I got the crud again. It came and went faster this time, probably because I didn't try to fight it not wanting to make myself sicker. So I went to bed and sweated it out even though I had a full weekend of sewing planned.

I don't have any finished garments to share. Those will be in future posts but I did want to talk a little about what I'm obsessing over sewingwise ~ SHIRTS!

(from Chicos.com)

(Love the floral shirt and the matching tank with shirt is nice too!

These are from ColdwaterCreek.com)

I bought the lace for an all lace shirt last year - now to just make it!

(This one would be great to use up shirting scraps)

A few things I've learned that I like when making shirts ~
1. I like a longer shirt - something thigh length and butt covering
2. I like a princess seam front, yoked back with full lower back silhouette
3. The cuffs is one of the details I like to change up
4. The buttonband on the front can be cut on or sewn on - both work but the sewn on version allows me to add some more visual details to the shirt.
5. A mandarin collar works just as well as a collar and collar stand version.
6. I like a fuller shirt rather than a fitted one.

Mostly though I like making shirts because of the details. They aren't a simple sew, there are steps you need to follow and making them allows you to use a variety of sewing skills.

(Isn't that an amazing detail on the button band!)

Shirts are also versatile pieces in my wardrobe and have become my new dress - the garment I love to sew and wear. I can wear shirts over jeans, leggings or my denim skirts. They can be worn closed or open...with a tank top, sleeveless turtleneck or t-shirt. I can change up the details on each shirt to make each one distinctive while maintaining the silhouette I like. All of this is challenging me creatively especially since I've collected quite a few shirting fabrics.

(Details on my latest shirt - just waiting to be photographed!

There are numerous shirt patterns currently available. You can buy them from the indie designers, Grainline Studio & Cashmerette to name a few, or from one of the Big4 pattern companies. My TNT is a combination of Butterick 5678 and Vogue 7700 both of which are out of print. I've used this pattern combo six times, so my fitting challenges are all worked out...now the fun sewing begins.

That's what's under my sewing machine needle and on my cutting table. Hopefully I will have some pics of finished garments (a couple of shirts and a vest) to share with you soon.

Thanks to everyone who left such thoughtful comments on my last two posts. I really appreciate that everyone felt free to leave their opinion whether they agreed or disagreed with me and that the discussion remained civil. 

...as always more later!

Do you ever feel like you don't sew enough?

I pose the question because if you're on Social Media (Instagram, Facebook, Blogs) it seems as if garment after garment passes our screens (phone, iPad, Computer) with different sewists turning out these amazing pieces in the blink of an eye!

Now I'm a pretty quick sewist but I do go through my dry spells.  Times when my mind thinks about sewing but I'm just not motivated to go through the act of actually constructing a garment. I also think I'm a pretty productive sewist but even I sometimes wonder how the other sewists get all of that sewing done.

I'm sure that I'm not alone with these thoughts. Especially since sewing is no longer a solitary thing. You make a garment now and you can discuss all the ins and outs of the pattern/fabric in a Facebook Group or ask a question on Instagram and get instanteous reactions.

So the Question of the Day is, "Do you ever feel like you don't sew enough?"  This can be compared to other sewists, your fabric collection, the new pattern collection releases, etc.

Talk back to me because this is the Question of the Day!

...as always more later!

The Year of Sewing from the Collection

It's the third day of February and I made some decisions last year about what direction I want to take my sewing in for 2018. There were two main things I wanted to refrain from:

(Yes there is now a row of fabric behind the cutting table as high as the table.

Nevermind the fabric that's still on the shelves surrounding the Sewing Cave)

1. Buying more fabric. 
I think I could sew for the next 20 years and STILL have plenty of fabric. It really hit me last year when I needed to find something and realized that I had to move around soooooo much fabric to find it. That's not good...even for me!  But I wasn't sure that I could pledge to not purchase any more fabric because I LOVE fabric...LOVE IT!

(Moving fabric around to find a piece)

So my first challenge was to stop purchasing from Fabric Mart...
I met that challenge. I haven't purchased anything from FM in three months. As time goes by, it gets easier not to purchase fabric. So my goal now is not to buy anything until I go to Sew Camp at the end of March.  Even then I'm limiting myself to just three pieces.

My next challenge is that I can't say I won't purchase fabric anymore. 
I've never been able to totally stop purchasing fabric because I LOVE fabric! And I don't want to make that empty pledge again. Then Elliott Berman came to the rescue by collaborating with me. Giving me the opportunity to slake the new fabric thirst whenever I need a fix, especially because I have to use it right away, I can't store it. That's made it easy for me to say that I won't buy new fabric now.

With those pieces in place, I've honestly been thrilled to shop my collection. I've been finding some amazing fabrics on the shelves and rethinking how to use some of it. Now that I'm shopping less, I'm going to try to keep track of fabric in and out this year - praying that the out number is greater than the fabric in number. I'd like to know just how much fabric would come out of the collection in a year, if I only sew from it.

I've made/posted to the blog four garments in January - three garments from fabric from the collection and the shirt from the Elliott Berman piece. The three garments from the collection used 9.5 yards. I'm not counting the Elliott Berman fabric because it came into the collection in December 2017. So right now I'm 9.5 yards out and no yards in! YES!

I believe that will be my story for February too - yardage out but no yardage in. At least I hope so! *LOL* Well I actually know it will be, so I'm finally ready to discuss it here. Putting it in black 'n white makes me accountable to everyone, cause you know I'm into honesty and transparency.

2. Buying stuff
Since I haven't really been purchasing things for myself in December and January, I want to keep that up too. I own a lot of stuff...clothing, shoes, jewelry and other things. I really don't want to add anything unnecessary in 2018. I want to use what I have. Even though I'm not joining the RTW Fasters with Sarah at Goodbye Valentino, my plan is not to purchase any garments this year either. I want to make it myself, work around it, or do without it. 

My end of month recap for January is:
4 garments made/blogged
9.5 yards of fabric out of the collection
No fabric in

I'm presently working on a black version of my TNT shirt. That will be the next finished garment on the blog. I hope you will accompany me on this journey this year...it should be very interesting to say the least!

...as always more later!