Sew for Victory: 2.0!

This year, I'm participating in Sew For Victory 2.0!  I follow several bloggers who participated last year, and was intrigued, so I'm excited to take part this year!  I have two projects in the works for this challenge, and if I have time (unlikely) a third.

First up: a navy blue skirt.  My old navy skirt (a 70s era thrift find from Haberdashery brand) is starting to show its age, and I've noticed the last few times I've worn it that it has turned into a pilling machine.  So time for a new navy skirt!  I think this project is the most likely to be finished, as I cut out the pieces this morning, and skirts are pretty fast.  The fabric is micro-brushed twill from fabric.com, and now that my green skirt is really getting too big, I'm thinking now I have an excuse to buy the green version of this fabric and make a six-gore version!

This is the same pattern I used for my red skirt, and I'm hoping to tweak the waist a bit to fit better (elastic on the inside of the waist band, perhaps).  

I know this is basically the same style as Simplicity 3688, but I just can't bring myself to haul that pattern out even though it is actually a 40s pattern.  I know this pattern, and I'm sticking with it so I can git 'er done. I'm adding an inch to the bottom length so that the lining is shorter than the skirt.   

Oh, and I'm using rayon bemberg again for lining--I bought it at the same time as the other bemberg for the navy microbrushed twill, so might as well use it.  I'm warming to it after wearing the red skirt a ton, and it is nice not to mess with a slip every day.

Next up: a blouse.  I'm of two minds about the style for this blouse, so my final decision will affect whether I can get it done.  I'm torn between making a long sleeve and short sleeve blouse.  I'm seriously deficient in long sleeve blouses, but I think I get more versatility out of a short sleeve version, especially out of this fabric, which is on the lighter side.  I'm also considering making this an Eisenhower-style blouse with a banded bottom, but that would require a whole muslin to get it right, and I'm not sure I've got time for that.  I'm also not sure the style would work for this fabric.

Lastly, I'm unsure about which pattern to use.  I have two that I like and have sewn before, so no muslin needed, but I'm intrigued by the Smooth Sailing blouse, and am considering making that since I have the pattern.  And after writing all this out, I think this is my tenative plan: I'm going to make this basic blouse pattern again, but use the sleeves from the Smooth Sailing pattern.  I do have to be careful with puffed sleeves, but I can always change them to straight if need be as I have three yards of fabric.  But then, maybe I'll just take the plunge with Smooth Sailing and go without a muslin (living on the edge, that's me).

Finally: a dress out of this fabric.


I was thinking about making the Crepe from Collette, but I don't love the cap sleeves, and I don't want to fiddle with drafting right now, so I might change my plan.  I've also got a ton of it, so maybe I'll make something for the girls too.  This part of my project list is unlikely to be finished in time for the challenge, and might get pushed to summer.  I'm tricky to fit for dresses, as I'm small on top, wide on the bottom, with a huge waist-to-hip ratio, and I'm a little concerned about finding the right dress pattern for this fabric.  I might end up with separates that look like a dress, just for good fit, not sure.