Wednesday 19 August 2020

The Pattern Pile

I talked a little about patterns and I showed you all my fabric that I have on hand, but I don't know that I talked about it all at once. I know that the last most interesting stuff is just fro this past weekend.  To be honest I am still vibrating from the excitment of that.  But more on that later.  I will start at the start.

I have repaired the clothing deserbing of repairs.  I have restyled what had enough life left to restyle.  And I sewed pajama pants and added a skirt to make a t shirt dress.  But today may be the day to do something more.

It may be the perfect day to start a something brand spanking new to me with one of my new patterns. It seems I did not mention much about my new patterns.  I had picked up several pattersn a couple weeks ago from Helen's Closet, a small Canadian company.  I talked about that back in July but I will list these again just so I have them all togeher.  I think I first saw patterns from Helen's Closet on pintrest and just fell in love with what she makes.  I saw a pin with a hack of the Winslow Culottes that turned them inot a wrap pant. I kept finding interesting looking garment made with this pattern and it's almost skirt like demeanor and just had to have them.  While I was buying that pattern, I also came away with Yanta Overalls  and the Elliot Tee.  I have loved overall forever and it they would make a great pinafor too, an easy conversion.  The tee was a kind of surprise to me, but I have a nice collection of fabric that would make top with my beloved keep me cozy favorite turtleneck style design.  It also had raglan sleeves, something I have never ever sewn.  It seemed like an interesting idea to try.  

Catching up with podcasts and Vlogs this past week led me to the Fat Squirrel Speaks Vlog.  I have watched parts of her podcast occasionally in the past, but just never got around to listening to the entire thing, but this time I did and Amy Beth said something that just caught my ear.  She said she made pants without having to adapt anything on the pattern.  I understood her joy in this and I was determined to find out what pants pattern she meant. And that is how I found Muna and Broad.  And wow.  The Willandra Pant is the pattern Amy Beth had such success with so I quickly had that pattern in my cart, but I also found the Nullabor Cami and dress pattern as well as the Waikerie shirt pattern.  The Waikerie shirt is exactly what I was going to do to make shirts, right down to the pleat in the back and now I don't have to go through the stress of making a pattern of my own. 

Suddenly, I have 6 new patterns for clothes that really are my style, that looser, easier fit, and are more fun than the stuff I can find in the one Canadian stores carrying things that fit me. And I may not be done.

After listening to Amy Beth's podcast, I joined her group on Ravelry.  One of the threads was talking about the dress and gave the podcast number so I went searching for that podcast too (episode 271-that dress) and I had to go see what dress.   It was magic.  

Amy Beth sewed a Sydney Designer Dress from Style Arc in a lovely grape coloured heavy linen.  She worried that the fabric was a bit heavy for it, but was very happy with the result.  It looked fantastic on her.  The most amazing thing was that it was a pattern that I looked at and looked at and looked at.  It really is quite striking.  I really wanted to try that dress.  I adore the shaping, but I am short and wide and didn't think it would 'do' anything for me. 

But I loved how it looked on Amy and I loved how it draped exactly how I thought it would drape.  I think that I am going to give it a try.   I have no idea what fabric I will use.  I may have to find the right kind before I give it a go.  But I am going to be brave and maybe foolish and just try.  It may become one of those boundaries that I need to cross like horizontal stripes and browns and do I need to care about that.  I think I would rather be comfortable, and from the look on Amy Beth;'s face, this dress is comfortable.

For so long I have been living inside the boundaries of what I could find in a store.  This is such a freeing feeling, like the first time I knit a sweater without a pattern.  I feel free just to be me.

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