Autumnal sewing update

Well. Thanks for the suggestions after my last post – I’ve added a few extra projects to my Autumn sewing plans.  Mainly shirts and trousers to wear while attending site visits and meetings and maybe just for wearing ;).

After being at home / working from home for so long I’ve gotten out of the habit of wearing jeans and trousers.  Knit dresses and leggings are my outfit of choice these days.  But after the last six months of regular part time work, I’ve identified a hole on my wardrobe. I put it out there in my last post for advice How to Fix This.  The general consensus was for more trousers and button down woven shirts / blouses.   Probably the two items of clothing I am most afraid of making!!
Anyway the Burda JJ blouse was one of the suggestions so I have muslined it  and think I’ve sorted out the fit.  This pattern is great – just a few cent and it has seam allowances added if thats your thing!
I’ve picked out a chambray for the blouse – which I’ve cut out and started sewing up.
I also have a knipmode shirt pattern I muslined in the Spring that I could also make – I’ve cut it out in some purple shirting I had in the stash.

 

I started muslining trousers – Simplicity amazing fit 2860, I kind of got carried away over the last few days working on these and I settled on the size 16 – average front and curvy back. I’ve drafted front pockets and back pockets based on the pockets from my Jalie jeans pattern so now I don’t know whether to go ahead and cut it out in some beige cotton I picked up for a few euro in the market in Holland or should I muslin again just to be sure??

In other news I’ve had great success with my first Jenna cardigan by Muse patterns and the buttons and button holes went smoothly not shown here – need better photos.  Winnie from Scruffy Badger Time wrote a great blog post earlier today about her Jenna cardigan. Its really a great basic and has lots of potential with the variations included.

 

So there you have it, I’m trying to stick to the plan even though it may be evolving a bit.

 

The Knitting and Stitching Show is coming to Dublin at the end of the month – I’m looking forward to that. I didn’t buy any fabric there last year – but enjoyed the day out and all the inspiration.

Going a bit off track today

Greetings. I’m sitting in a wood pondering the week that has past while the boys and friend build a gruffallo trap.

I had a work related meeting yesterday and as usual had the ‘what the hell am I supposed to wear’ dilemma. See I work for myself,  by myself most of the time either in my home office or out on site which can involve mucky fieldwork clothes or site safety gear and weatherproof clothes at best. So nothing very glamorous is required except when I have a day like yesterday.

 

Now with the benefit of hindsight jeans and a handknit cardigan or sweater would have done the job.

But i opened the wardrobe and I got out a tweed a line skirt I would have liked to wear with tights,  purple jeans and my – never before worn in public – navy Thurlow pants.

The Thurlows won out in the end with a portrait blouse and cardigan. I would have preferred to wear the skirt but chickened out. Now I’m glad I didn’t as I was freezing by the end of the meeting.

 

I’m not a fan of shirts of the button up variety on me and find them a drag to sew even though I muslined a princess seamed shirt earlier in the year. I think it’s the thoughts of all those buttonholes.

So what I am asking myself/ thinking out loud is: what do I wear to these sort of meetings?? I don’t think there is any kind of dress code in my line of work as long as I am clean and presentable.  But I would like to have a few outfit choices I can turn to without sifting through the wardrobe at the last minute when I’m trying to get the boys out to school.
I feel self conscious wearing skirts and dresses in this environment even though I have a few appropriate skirts – a line knee length that would work with cardigans and sweaters. I have one pair of trousers – the aforementioned Thurlows and jeans. My dresses are mainly knit casual dresses and probably not quite right for this job.
So should I be brave and wear the skirt? make some more pants? Muster up a few work appropriate dresses in sombre colours?

All suggestions welcome please…..