Blogger Hiatus and Fall Inspiration

I've been on somewhat of a sewing/blogger hiatus.  I've mentioned before that I work from home. My office is also my sewing studio. Sometimes this makes it very inspiring to work, as I can see all my sewing things to be inspired by. Other times I'm just tired of seeing it all. However, the biggest issue for me is summer, because this same office is on the sunny side of the house in the afternoon. And this summer, Texas had a particularly hot summer with no afternoon summer rain - which is very unusual in Houston! This meant I either had to sew in the wee morning hours, or late at night.  I did both, but in small quantities, and nothing made it on the blog. :(

I'm not going to pretend that September is a fall feeling month here. We actually get very little, if any, fall weather, and it's not unusual to have the a/c on for Christmas Day. However, I am beyond tired of my very summer wardrobe since I made very few items to refresh it this summer, and I'm ready to sew up some fall inspired clothes...in summer patterns!  It's a thing...

1. Floral Button Down Shirt

This pretty button down shirt from Talbot's is one of my favorites! If you look closely, it has a button placket, collar stand, and cuffs. The long sleeves, though, won't work for me in the fall. At best, I might get a morning or two where a lightweight cardigan could be a good layering piece...for an hour.  

But. There are plenty of patterns for button down shirts with button plackets and collars with collar stands. And there's no reason why I can't make it short sleeved and wear it all fall. I'm pretty sure I'll be making this one with the LoveNotions Aria top that came out this past spring:

I really like that there are different options for the collar, sleeves, and even a shirt dress and tunic. I'm going to stick to the classics this fall and just make the short sleeved, button down shirt with the collar. To keep it comfy, I will use a floral cotton voile that has a fall color palette. I love the LN patterns because they already have an FBA option. I made the shirt dress this summer, and it's a very well drafted pattern!

2. Woven crossover dress

There are a million of examples of crossover dresses, and I probably have 10 different patterns for them! Specifically for this fall, I want a woven one. There are a variety of different woven fabrics that this type of dress can be made from that would keep it light and airy, even if the fabric colors are fall inspired.

I found this in google images, so I'm not 100% sure what site it's from, but I really love the bishop style sleeve that gives a slight fullness (I am absolutely loving statement sleeves still!) but for me, will still be light and airy made up in a lightweight cotton fabric. I think the ruffle around the neckline is nice too.  

I think the Taylor from Seamwork is an excellent choice for this specific dress. I immediately noticed the similarity in the sleeves. The rest of the pattern would only need slight modifications to match the inspiration dress. I think I would definitely add the ruffle, and I like how the inspiration dress has the curved hemline on the front wrap piece. These are two small details that can elevate a simple dress. I have a navy floral crêpe fabric that I think would be perfect for this that I happen to have bought 4 yards of (usually I only buy 3 if I don't have an immediate plan for it).  

3. Midi Skirt 

I am seeing these everywhere, and I particularly like them in corduroy! Stylemaker Fabrics has some gorgeous Evergreen corduroy that I would love to make using another Seamwork pattern, Sawyer

The bonus for me on this one is that I've made this pattern before, and I already know I like the fit and have any adjustments that are needed done! This skirt would transition well into winter with just some tights and boots (again, we don't usually get very cold here, so simple layers work best!). I could also wear this with a variety of different tops. 

The evergreen color does seem to be popular this  year, but it's a color that I love for fall and wear frequently, so I'm not worried that this will end up as a trendy piece that might only get worn one season - something I usually try to avoid.

4. Blazer

OK. Admittedly, there's not a lot that I can do to make a "blazer" friendly for the heat. At best, I can use a breathable fabric, like linen, and layer over something super lightweight. I do go into the office 1-2 days a week though, and they like to keep the a/c set at a temperature meant to keep penguins comfortable, so I think I can justify something like this:

This is very much a traditional blazer and I love it. For some reason, I'm particularly drawn to the hounds tooth print this season. I'm not sure if I'd actually make one in this fabric, since it's not something I typically wear, but I am tempted.  I'm not a sets person at all, so the matching pants and/or skirt doesn't appeal to me even a little bit. But this would look great with the midi skirt, a pair of jeans and the button down shirt, or even a black pencil skirt and a top. I probably won't end up doing the hounds tooth print, but I do have the Heather Blazer by Friday Pattern Company, and I've really wanted to make it up

I feel like this pattern is a little more structured than the inspiration - which is actually a plus for me. I have only successfully made the LN Metra Blazer, which is for stretch fabrics, so I feel like this one, which is lined, could be  a nice stretch for my sewing skill set. Most of the other patterns I've made at least once already, but this one hasn't made it to the "to-be-sewn" group yet. This is one of two jackets that I'd really like to sew up for this fall.

Which brings me to the next one.

5. Bomber Jacket

I'm totally blaming my need for a bomber jacket on the release of Top Gun sequel, Maverick, at the beginning of summer. I blame the original for my love of motorcycles (yes, my husband has one, yes, I absolutely love to ride with him!!) and now my "need" for a bomber jacket. Again, I need to go with something a little less traditional though, since a leather bomber jacket isn't even close to being practical in Houston.  Then I saw this one:

This is a knit bomber jacket and floral. Yes and yes! 

For me, this is the perfect lightweight jacket to wear with jeans or pants for a casual look. And a knit means it shouldn't be as warm as a traditional. leather bomber jacket. 

I was concerned that this pattern may be a little harder to find, but Google does not disappoint!  When I saw this jacket on the Jalie website, I knew it was perfect for recreating this jacket:

I feel like the creator of this pattern also must be a Top Gun fan, since it's named Charlie! The inspiration jacket appears to be  a cropped bomber, but I am not a fan of cropped anything, so I do not plan to make that alteration. I think the pattern as is will be perfect, although I'll likely need to adjust it for length. I haven't made a Jalie pattern in years, but this one looks fairly straight forward. I was also happy to see it could be bought as a PDF download. And yes, I've already bought it!

6, Tops, Tops, and Tops

I feel like I have plenty of jeans, crops, twill pants and even a couple of pencil skirts to get me through fall this year. What I'd really like to add to my wardrobe are some tops. I have a pretty good idea on what color palette I plan to use for this fall, and I'd like to make a few tops, both knit and woven, to make my wardrobe cohesive with all the pieces.

Helen's Closet Elliot Sweater & Tee - so I'd like to make the high low option in some type of lightweight sweater knit or ITY. I think it's super cute and I actually want one in a heavier sweater knit, but I'd almost never wear it. It really does stay that warm here in the South during winter :(

Wardrobe By Me Moira Blouse

This is another one that has been calling my name!! I feel like the simplicity of the style lets a patterned fabric shine. I'm not so much of a fan of the drop waist dress, so I'd only make this up in the top. But I feel like this could be very versatile in my wardrobe. Dressier than a t-shirt, but easily paired with jeans for a casual look.

LoveNotions Classic Tee

This will be a refashion and completely casual wear. See, I'm a Torchy's Taco addict. Seriously, they know me by name at my local restaurant (think of your local Starbuck's barista - but tacos!). I "earned" a free t-shirt a few weeks ago, but they didn't have anything cut for females. So I purposely got a 3XL just so that I can cut out my favorite t-shirt pattern and have a v-neck. I've already unpicked the neckband, and I'm "hoping" I can reuse the ribbing for the v-neck, since it's never been worn or stretched out. I'm not a fan of traditional crew neck t-shirts and find v-necks to be the most flattering to my shape. I can't wait to get this one done!

Something with a statement sleeves

Yes, this is vague. I've bought a few patterns from the Big 3 lately that have statement sleeves, but I always have to make adjustments for days until they fit right. Which means multiple muslins. I don't mind making the occasional muslin for fit, but this is my busy season at work, so time is a premium. Off the top of my head, I don't know of any indy patterns that have statement sleeves, that I already own. I'll need to surf through my pattern catalog more. I have SO many patterns these days, I'd really like to shop my collection first.  So this one is still TBD. 

I've also only included one dress and on skirt in this collection. Dresses are my absolute go-to and I know that I will be making more, but again, I don't have any final decisions.

More to come!