Monday, February 8, 2016

Continuing to Sew In Outfits and Trying out B6026

Thank you so much to those who answered my question from the last post. I think it's safe to say that I'm in a very small minority of people who use the stop/start button exclusively to sew !

Like many people who have a lot of clothes , in the past , I've often found I haven't got just the right thing to wear, To rectify this, I've made a real effort , this past year to sew complete outfits  at a time.
This week, I made this outfit. I know ! Grey and black again.



The linen shirt was a trial for B6026  but was such a success that I decided to make a pair of black culottes to complete an outfit.





 The culottes are in a nice weighty rayon jersey bought at Fabricville.



For the shirt I cut a size 12 with a half inch extra at the side seams which I didn't need so I would say that this pattern is quite generous. I added a bust dart after spreading the pattern piece one inch across the chest. This resulted in the design tucks being a little too low and I will deal with this in my next version.
I must say that those tucks were very easy to achieve and add a lot to the look of this shirt.



I lengthened the sleeves and added cuffs.




The culottes are McCall's 4861 (now OOP ) View E, which I made before here.
I omitted the zipper closure and the back darts and added elastic to the waistband.
I also added pockets which I don't love and may sew them down or take them out , I'm not sure which. They add a little too much bulk to the hips and who needs that?




Both these pieces can of course be worn with a number of other things  and the culottes can almost be a four seasons item They will be fun to style  for spring and summer, too.

Here I added a shrug


I'm not sure about this look


But I love these together



Do you ever wonder what I do with all the clothes I make ? Well, I do weed out my closets regularly. That usually happens when I find myself having to look for a hanger for something. I don't allow myself  to buy more hangers so I know it's time  to put some things in the give away bag.

I;m going to slow down my sewing for a couple of weeks and make my daughter a new winter coat. I''ve finally cut into a piece of heavy wool double knit that I bought in Paris five years ago.This is  a very time consuming project but I do want to make the second version of the above shirt so I'll have that to show next week along with a pair of green denim jeans to match which I've never blogged. So please come back to see me soon.




9 comments:

Gail said...

My walk in wardrobe is stuffed to overflowing, but many a time I've come out thinking I haven't a thing to wear....together. Love all of these items and wish we wore more coats and layering items here in Sydney. Its so hot!

Sew, Jean Margaret said...

Great idea to sew whole outfits. Nothing worse than having a wardrobe full of orphans. Both these garments will be useful items in your wardrobe...worn together or with other things you already have. Love the pin tucks on the shirt.

AC said...

Diana,
Love your shirt.. I've made it twice and after seeing yours may have to consider making it again.
Thanks for sharing.

Ohhhmy said...

Love the shirt details and especially the pants. So appreciate your wardrobe balancing with pieces that go together. Thank you, always happy to see your posts!

sewingkm said...

I've also made this blouse twice and love you rendition. And I also don't buy new hangers so I regularly weed out my closet. Since retiring 3 years ago my closet definitely has a different style leaning towards a more casual chic or Chico chic as Carolyn of diary of a sewing fanatic named. I like your idea of sewing complete outfits. Karen

Nancy K said...

I love the blouse. I forgot I have this in my stash. Nice outfits with your existing garments.

Vicki said...

The darts on the shirt are fun. Good idea to sew in Outfits - but also fun when you find something new matches lots of others your already have.

jbettyb said...

That's a great combo, Diana. I made those culottes five years ago for a holiday in Central Europe and I lived in them. I kept the pockets and added a little hidden pocket under a small flap at the waist where I could keep a couple of bills or a credit card. I haven't made that shirt yet, but after seeing yours, I think it has aged long enough on the waiting list.

Judith said...

I particularly like the outfit with the burgundy brocade jacket. May I have the pattern number for that jacket? I also like the detail on the grey shirt. Very well done!