Spring and Summer are my favorite times to sew. Although I did make quite a few garments during the winter months this year, Spring/Summer hold a special place in my heart. This time I am doing the Design Your Wardrobe course from Seamwork. I tried doing the course for Fall/Winter and it just didn’t happen, life was busy and I was unable to finish. This time I am treating it as if it were a required course. I am doing each lesson daily as “homework” as it comes in. So far I am enjoying it. I am learning more about what I need in a wardrobe for myself. The 3 key words that I found to fit my needs are Functional, Comfortable. and Stylish, basically I need everything to be comfortable and also to function in either season and be stylish, well it has to make me feel good and I need to be able to move it.
McCall’s 7476 – Misses’ Drop-Shoulder Vest and Cardigans
I worked on this cardigan over the weekend and completely changed the color. I found this fabulous lightweight royal blue knit fabric at Walmart, yes Walmart, for $4.00 for 4 yards and I loved the color, not realizing it was the color of the year. I picked it because of the brightness, I tend to be drawn towards bright loud colors. I just love them.
This is a versatile cardigan that can be worn Spring/Summer or Winter/Fall. I work in an office where the air is cooler during the hot months of the year, but it can be really hot outside. I like to layer in the office.
The description for the cardigan is a semi-fitted vest and cardigan.I made the cardigan in View B. I had this mustard color knit fabric that I found at Joann Fabric picked out, but then I changed to the blue. The pattern calls for moderate stretch knits, such as sweater knits double knit, sweatshirt fleece, or cotton knit.
The Flor
It is a versatile wrap cardigan that can worn with a maxi dress, a skirt and tank top, jeans and sandals, you name it and it can be worn with it.
The pattern calls for medium-weight knit fabrics, like French terry, merino wool, and ribbing. Or a lightweight sweater knit or jersey type fabric. I have some rib knit, sweater knit, and lightweight knit in my fabric stash that I can use. Here are 2 samples of possible choices. I haven’t decided yet if I want to use either one of these, they both follow that Spring Floral theme. I can also see this in a solid mustard yellow or a deep vino. Love those 2 colors right now. More than likely, I will be using the mustard yellow from the cardigan up top for this one. Stay tuned.. I am forever changing my mind on fabrics once I cut the pattern.
Audrey
A denim jacket. I have only sewn with denim once and it was for a tote bag, which did not require me to be measured or fitted. In order to up my skills I selected this one to make and you can never have to many denim items in your wardrobe. There is also a video on how to make this jacket on the Seamwork site. You do have to be a member in order to see the items listed on the website.
The main suggested fabric for this jacket is medium to heavyweight denim or canvas. The lining can be 1/2 yard of cotton muslin. I have a lot of cotton in my stash and more than likely will pick a fun print for the lining.
McCall’s 7663 – Misses’ Hooded Jacket, Crossover-Back Tops, and Leggings – Out-of-Print
I workout at least 5 days a week. I have only made one set of workout clothes, which is wild with the amount of time I spent in active-wear clothing. I really like the top on McCall’s 7663 – out-of-print. This top can be worn with jeans and for working out.
For the top the fabric choices are Two-way Stretch Knits (50% Cross Grain), Jerseys, cotton knit, and athletic knits. I have a camo, my favorite print, that I will be using for this top. I love the tie back on this one, I think that’s what drew me to this pattern.
Simplicity 8787 – Misses’ Learn-to-Sew Knit Dress View C
This dress is close in style to what I normally wear. I have made 5 different versions of McCall’s 7531, you can checkout the blog post here for those makes. They are almost identical as they are knit body-con type dresses.
For this one I am making View C, the sleeveless version for Summer. I know I can use the one that is cut out from McCall’s 7531, but I am using the patterns I have even if I have one that is cut that is close to it. I have a goal to use as many as my patterns as possible. The fabric suggestions are stretch knits only, ITY Knit, Jersey, Single Knit, Stretch Velvet, and Velour. I will be using a Nicole Miller stretch knit that I found at Joann Fabric years ago, maybe 3 years.
The Sew Life with Riesha Nicolle 