Ideas? Opinions? Tips?

I have this medium-heavy "stretch" twill fabric that, in fact, has hardly any stretch at all. Six inches of fabric (crosswise) stretches to maybe seven inches. I was going to make jeans but I must have a decent amount of stretch in my jeans and trousers so now I'm thinking about making a skirt. The problem? I want to line it and I don't know what kind of lining to use. Should I look for something with the same amount of stretch or should I just treat it like a non-stretch fabric and have a non-stretch lining?

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More info: Here's the pattern I'm thinking of using, view C, the middle one. (Butterick 6418; I meant to capture the entire envelope in the picture but I missed.) It's an old pattern, 3 sizes too small but I'm confident in being able to upsize it it.

And this is just an idea I have right now. I had a black one like this years ago and I loved it but now skinny skirts are a little outside my comfort zone especially ones that are open to mid-thigh. Still, at the moment I'm really liking the idea. (By the way my fabric is bright pink.) I would always wear it with tights, thus the need for a lining so it won't cling. The fabric is heavy enough that it might actually be okay without a lining but I would hate to get it made and discover that I should have lined it.

Thoughts?

Really Quick Leggings Post

I actually had a lot more to say about these but I'm in a bit of a rush. I found this wonderful, buttery soft stretch "ultra-suede" and immediately knew I had to have some leggings out of it.

That's how they will appear in public but you want to see more don't you? No, you just think you do. You really don't.

Okay, fine. Here's my "sexy leggings pic". I hope this doesn't spoil anyone's appetite on the day before Thanksgiving.

Pattern: McCall's 6173, with a lot of fitting tweaks.

Underneath It All

Isn't it funny how we get used to new things and after a while it feels like the new things are the way it's supposed to be? I clearly remember back in the 70s, watching TV with my mother and seeing a Bali bra commercial on TV. They were showing beautiful, happy models wearing Bali bras and they bragged about the wonderful, natural shaping and Mom said something about how it would make you look like you weren't even wearing a bra. I didn't have as strong an opinion as she did about it but I tended to agree with her. I was young and still happy to even need a bra and I didn't want to wear anything to reduce the appearance of what little I had.

Fast-forward to the present. Now almost all bras are the more rounded "natural" shape and the few that are not get reviews on Amazon complaining that they are "too pointy" and "cone shaped" as if that was the most horrible clothing faux pas in the world.

Recently Tasha wrote about sewing retro bras and linked to her earlier post about retro bras. Now this got me interested in trying one myself. My fitted dresses and blouses never seem to fit quite right and it occurred to me that maybe a different shaped bra would make a difference.

The main limitation I have is that I am absolutely fanatical about having seamless cups so making my own is probably not going to happen. Fortunately, we have Amazon reviews and sometimes it's the negative reviews that are most helpful. By reading a whole bunch of these reviews I managed to find two retro shaped bras that are also seamless. Both are Playtex brand.

This one has unlined cups and the sides and back are wider than normal. I'm probably not going to be able to wear this with anything sleeveless. Also, I get just a bit of wrinkling on the cups but, overall, it's not too bad. It's wearable, at least in the winter.

And here's the other one. It's my favorite of the two. I think it will work fine for summer clothes although it is lined, which can be a good thing or a bad thing just depending.

Now, I hope you're still reading because here's the funny thing. When I first tried these on I was a bit freaked out. These bras don't look pointy at all on the models in the pictures but when I looked down at the girls I was like, OMG! they're so pointy! I thought, "I can't wear these in public; everyone will be staring at my pointy boobs." But when I looked in the mirror it didn't look quite so bad so I decided to keep them and give them an honest try. After wearing each of them for a whole day I was sold. My clothes definitely fit more like I feel they're supposed to.

I bought several more of the second one and for about a week it was the only style of bra I wore. Then I put on one of my modern shaped bras and a strange thing happened. I felt like it looked kind of wrong. Actually a little bit gross. Now don't get me wrong. I don't think modern bras are gross or that anyone else looks gross when you wear them. It's just how I felt about myself wearing one after a week of wearing so-called "pointy" bras. It's really funny how easily we get used to things and then whatever we're used to seems right.

I'm Sorry

I don't do politics here but I feel an irrational urge to apologize to the world for the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, even though I didn't vote for the guy and I know I'm not personally responsible. But when I think of the rest of the world watching I am embarrassed. Please don't think too harshly of us. In fact, slightly more than half of voters did vote for Clinton but we have this weird thing that most of us don't fully understand called the Electoral College.

I am worried but I am sure we will survive. We always do somehow. Now back to sewing. There will be sewing posts soon, I promise.

Happy Colors

I love this shirt! In this shirt I shall go forth into a world overwhelmed with grays and browns* and spread light and happiness wherever I go, even if it's only the happiness of getting to say you can't look at me without sunglasses.

Here's a close-up of the fabrics. The colors in this photo are reasonably accurate, at least on my screen, except the yellow, streaky fabric is a bit more orangey in real life.

The main fabric was a two-yard piece I purchased at a local quilt shop. For a long time I wasn't sure what to do with it. That store always has a lot of one and two yard pieces that always tempt me. They usually end up being sleeveless or short sleeved tops. I can't really remember my thought processes with this but after having it for a few months I somehow decided it needed to be a Simplicity 1538 so I went back to the same store to look for the contrast fabric. I originally wanted something predominantly the sort of harvest gold color in the main print but I didn't find anything like that and settled on this bright orange-yellow. I'm glad I chose it because I love the way it turned out.

This is the second time I have made Simplicity 1538. It's a good basic shirt pattern, relaxed fit but not sloppy. The sleeves are a little longer than I like. Somehow I always end up with sleeves a little too long or a little too short. They're also a little bit too loose at the cuffs but, overall, acceptable.

*The grays and browns of nature haven't taken over yet. It's been almost as warm as summer here and the grass and foliage are still ridiculously green for November. I'm not complaining.

More Inspiration - 50's

Oooo! Vintage fans, check out this collection of 50's dresses. There are more than a dozen photos but here are some of my favorites.

It's hard to see much detail in this pretty floral but I think I like it a lot. The neckline is a little higher than I like for summer. And gloves? Lovely and elegant but no thank you.

I love the border on this one. Not sure about wearing a mostly white dress though. It's something I've always shied away from.

Oooo, a big, bias-cut plaid. I must do this!

And finally, I need this coat - the one in the middle.

I also like the applique skirts and the country style jumpers. What about you?

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By the way, I have a shirt finished except for the buttons so I will have something to show off soon.