No Fear... of Horizontal Stripes

Actually, looking at the pictures, maybe I should fear horizontal stripes. Yes, they definitely do make me look fat but I don't care; it's comfy and kinda cute and I love it anyway.

I spotted this polyester knit fabric at Walmart. I don't often buy fabric there but I always look and once in a while they have something nice. After I got it home my original plan changed. For some reason I suddenly just had to make it with integrated sleeves. I'm very happy with that choice.

I have actually worn it in public once. (gasp!) I think it looks pretty good with this very old velour jacket.

A Little Something

I bought this pattern several years ago. I never had any great enthusiasm for it. I was hoping something new would make me stop using the same three dress patterns over and over again (Not that there's anything wrong with that) and this seemed like something that might work for me. But before I got around to making it I started to have doubts about it, mainly about the high, wide neckline. (and I'm not sure about the shoulder strap version.)

I hardly paid any attention to the little jacket. I had this piece of lovely seafoam green woven polyester, left over from something I made way back in the late 80s or early 90s. For a long time I have had it in the back of my mind to make a little jacket and recently everything just clicked - this fabric, this pattern. And so...

The pattern is for a lined jacket but I didn't want a lining so I cut facings out of a lightweight fabric (cotton? cotton/poly?) that is nearly the same color. It didn't quite turn out perfect but I love it.

And now here's a funny thing - while I was cutting out the pattern pieces for the jacket I started to feel little stirrings of enthusiasm for the dress so maybe I will make it. Maybe.

This was a bigger piece of fabric than I thought it was and I actually have enough to make something else, possibly a skirt if I wore short straight skirts, which I don't. That's okay; maybe in another 30 years I'll figure out something to make out of it.

The dress in the photo is just what I happened to have on when I decided to photograph the jacket. It's several years old. I can't remember if I ever blogged it or even what pattern I used.

Dark Purple Drapey Thing

I don't generally go for this kind of drapey neckline but there's a gorgeous piece of fabric that I've had for a while (not this fabric but another one) and it seems like it needs to be something like this so I bought this pattern for it but I've still been hesitating to start it. Then I saw this extremely cheap dark purple polyester and thought it would be good for trying the pattern for the first time.

And here's the result.

I don't know... I sort of like it and sort of don't like it. I definitely don't like the way the hem came out. I'm going to blame the fabric for that. This was is a very easy pattern but this fabric was a bit hard to work with. By the way it's quite a bit darker than it looks in this second photo. That's it under the pattern in the first photo. It's closer to the actual color, at least on my screen.

Aside from the bad hem, I still have mixed feelings about it and I'm not sure if it's because it's that bad or if I'm just not used to wearing this style of top. It's indecently comfortable though. It's so lightweight I feel like I'm not even wearing anything.

I'm going to sew at least one more test top before I cut into the precious fabric but I still think this is the right pattern for it. I'm just not sure if I'm the right sewist for it.