Yarn Along

Birdie is three!  

If you saw her as the sickly baby that she was, you would hardly believe the firecracker that she is today.  She still has her health problems and we really only get a break of a few weeks every summer before the cycle of sickness and respiratory crisis starts again with her and her older brother, but every year has been a little bit better, so that is something.  We've gotten fairly adept at managing her condition, and her medication schedule is much easier than when she was a baby.  

She is my climber, and daily scares the pants off me with her daredevil antics.  She has started in with the challenging three-year-old behavior already, but she is also incredibly funny and articulate, which does help matters a lot.  She starts preschool next week, and the teachers have been warned.  :)

She loves classic Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers and just about anything read to her.  She gets on particular book kicks and wants them read over and over again.  (Currently her favorites are Curious George and the Pancakes and Dinosaur's Binket, but she has cycled through The Best Nest, PJ Funnybunny, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, Katie Morag's Island Stories, The Monk Who Grew Prayer, and Mr Brown Can Moo)  She remembers songs that are sung to her once, and has a pretty good ear for sounds and letters and numbers.

In other news, sleeve progress.  This is the second sleeve, and I'm done with the increases.

I'm still poking away at Peter King's book, but it is pretty dense, so it is slow going.  I really think he has something important to say, and I'm trying to understand it all, and really take it in instead of rushing through it.

And some cards!  I've not stamped in ages, and it was nice to get everything out and make a few cards this morning after cutting out a blouse.  I CASED (copy and share everything) all these from others, but changed a few elements here and there to make them my own.  I printed off pictures of the cards I wanted to CASE, and worked off the printed sheets.  I think I might do this regularly, as it kept me focused, kept the overall crafting session limited to a few cards, and was still enjoyable.

 I certainly have a big enough idea file and enough supplies on hand to do this a few times a month.

The vellum butterflies on this card make it for me.  It is for my son's godfather and his new wife; we attended their wedding on Sunday but in the chaos of the trip, I neglected to bring a card, so I'm sending it now.  I figure I have a year, right?

My goddaughter and her husband are celebrating their anniversary this week and I usually forget until the last minute, so this will probably be a bit late.  I'm quite pleased with how it came out, however.  I just stamped the images, colored with a white crayon (I tried a chalk marker first on scrap, and it didn't show up well), added a little Pear Pizzazz marker on the leaves, blended again with crayon and Bob's your uncle!  

This card was CASEd from Jan Tink, and I really just changed the colors and the ribbon.  She used in-colors, I think, and I used what I had, which was Marina Mist, Crushed Curry, Soft Sky (for additional shading) and some purple dsp that I dirtied up with Early Espresso.  Marina mist ribbon to finish.  This card is a thank you for the occupational therapist who has been treating Birdie for the past few years through Early Intervention, and since Birdie is three, will no longer be able to see her.  Fortunately, Birdie is doing so well that she didn't qualify for renewal in the next stage of the program!

Finally, this one is based on a card from Julie Davison.  I think she CASEd the catalog.  I changed the colors and the stamps, but the basic idea is the same.  I almost scrapped this one halfway through, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out in the end.  I always seem to need thank you cards.

The circle flap keeps the card closed, which I think is a neat feature.

I'm also not generally one to make little fiber bundles as an embellishment, but I like how it turned out on this card.

Go see Ginny for more Yarn Along!!

Talking Tuesday: The (Post) Modern Condition

I've written before about Peter King's excellent book on the anti-modern condition; this week I ran across its antithesis: Oprah's O Magazine.  In the last page editorial, Oprah shares her creed, which is all about change, and making life what you want (see quote below).  I find this whole approach to life very flawed, generally leading to unhappiness and anxiety.  What if we approached things in terms of stasis, continuity,  stolidity?  What if we saw things in terms of healing our soul-wounds instead of covering them over with window dressing?  How would making ourselves rooted in our communities, rooted in ourselves make for a more contiguous, contented existence?  I think happiness is one of those ephemeral modern terms that is dangerous to throw around, but contentment is a state of being that I can get behind.  It is, as C.S. Lewis noted, no looking around the bend, no seeking after something new, something shiny, something fleeting.  

"We live in a state of constant change.  Whether or not we're paying attention, the process is always happening.  Even people who can't see it in themselves witness change daily in their children or in others around them.

Life is about recalibrating.  About continually asking yourself: What do I have to do to get where I need to be?  How do I create the life I want?"

~Oprah Winfrey, O Magazine, September 2014, page 160

I would argue that a better way to frame this set of questions is not about movement and change, but rather stasis and contentment.  Or, to put it another way, How do I learn to be content with all that I have?  How do I live the God-pleasing life?  How do I become more like Christ?  

I don't mean to suggest that the Christian life should be one without change; quite the opposite.  If God is working in us, and we are cooperating with that work, we are changed to become more like Christ.  The change that is wrought in us by God is one that is gradual, and slow, whereas the post-modern world is filled with frenetic change, pushing us to constantly remake ourselves into something different, something new.  I admit to being as susceptible to the pushes and pulls of post modern change-filled thinking as the next person: perhaps this dress will make me happy, perhaps this diet will make my life better and my weight healthy, maybe this thing or that thing will fix what is wrong.  But the truth is, no material thing is going to fix the soul-wound in us.  Only God can fill that void, fix that brokenness, heal that wound.  The movement of the soul has nothing to do with the things of this world; it strikes me that Oprah's change-filled life has much to do with the material and earthly world and little to do with the spiritual.  Hers is also a very human-centric view, which is to say, God has nothing to do with it.  Our only hope for real and lasting change, that which changes our hearts and minds, is through God.  We cannot do it on our own.

Miette and Apricot Femme

So.  This outfit almost didn't happen.  I bought the skirt fabric on sale last spring (4 yards for $15!!) and it sat over the summer while I pondered how best to use it.  I knew I wanted it to go with two blouse fabrics, but wasn't sure what the best pattern for the yardage would be.  I had bought the Miette wrap skirt pattern in the late spring, adjusted it to the length I wanted (it is drafted at an above-the-knee length), and then realized that the pattern calls for a whopping 4 yards and remembered I had all this fabric sitting.  I figured a wrap skirt can't be that hard.

*cue ominous music*

The cutting went well, and I opted to cut the waist band in one big length rather than six smaller ones as directed, since I dislike having lots of little seams in a waist band like that, and I knew I could get enough length by cutting on the cross grain (which Kathleen recommends for waistbands anyway).  

I cut the pockets, but then once I was sewing, I decided that I didn't want a big horizontal seam line across my widest part and left them off (plus the pattern wants you to self-face them completely, and the fabric, while supple, is kind of thick for that sort of thing).  I finished the waist band and ties, and then hung it up to let the skirt hang before attempting to hem it as I figured the slightly bias cut would drop.  I worked the button hole for the tie pass-through and then tried it on.  Complete disaster.  The waist band gaped badly in the front, and I couldn't tighten it enough to make it work, plus it pulled oddly across my middle.  I nearly gave up at this point, but decided to google fixes for the pattern and ran across another blogger with a similar issue.  She fixed hers by trimming the sides, but I decided to try pinning some darts into the back flaps, which helped considerably.

Yesterday I sewed the darts in (slapdash style), decided to add the pockets back in, which required me to unpick parts of the waistband, center and side seams, and I also decided to face the pockets with bias tape to reduce the bulk, which worked quite well.  I had a few snags trying to fit the pockets in, partly because I was retrofitting, and partly because the pockets aren't designed to sit flush with the skirt.  I got the pockets on, then decided to fix the darts so that they fit into the waist band, which meant unpicking significant sections of the waistband and resewing.  Then I realized I was starting to run low on thread. 

I used double bias binding on the hem, and had almost enough to just leave it like that (I was less than 4" short on one side), plus I thought the skirt was too long without turning under, but the bias cut and the weird fiber content meant I was only going to manage a 1/2" hem at best.  I turned under and started sewing, and ran out of thread about 6" from the end.  I found some close-enough thread and just finished the thing, and then steamed the heck out of it.  Seeing the pictures, I realize that the hem is a bit wonky, but at this point, I don't care.  I'm not fixing it.  The blogger with the gaping waistband problem had a similar issue, so I'm wondering if it is a drafting problem.   The skirt is wearable, and it looks great with this blouse (and will look good with another blouse I'm working on), so I'll make do for now, but I don't think I'll be making this pattern again.  I really wanted to like this pattern, as the silhouette is flattering and the construction is pretty easy, and the waistband forgiving for these puffy bloated days, but the fitting was difficult, and I don't love it.  Plus it is a super fabric hungry pattern.  I still have high hopes for the Hollyburn.

The blouse is a pretty straight-forward button down Gertie Portrait blouse, but I goofed when I cut the facing, so it ended up being a little bit narrower in the front that previous iterations.  I could have recut the facing, but I suspected it might fit better if I worked with it as is, and it does!  

I did have to leave off the waist darts, but that is fine.  It is possibly the best fitting blouse of this type I've made so far, and I really love the fabric--Art Gallery Apricot Femme.  I also have a vintage red skirt that doesn't quite fit yet, but matches the red flowers perfectly!  Perhaps next spring.

7QT: Things I Did Today Instead of Blogging

It has been a LONG week.  My husband just returned from a week away, and after solo parenting four children under the age of reason for six days, I'm tired, yo.  (And yes, I know six days does not a week make, but it felt like a whole week)

--1--

5:57 a.m.

Woke up when Boo woke up and turned on the hallway lights to go to the bathroom.  Slid quietly out the opposite side of the bed so that Ponchik wouldn't notice me getting up from her crib and start yelling.  Took a fast shower and got dressed 2.5 minutes before everyone was up and fighting.  

--2--

6:48 a.m.

Got four children dressed and fed.  Started a load of laundry.  Found out that the high school student who was to help out in the afternoon was sick.  Took the bus to get the boys to camp while a babysitter stayed with the girls.  Stopped for coffee and day-old rolls on the way back home.

--3--

9:02 a.m.

Toasted my rolls and had then for a late breakfast, along with my coffee while I caught up on feedly, and then decided to have another crack at fixing the Miette wrap skirt.  Hauled out sewing machine and iron.  Worked for an hour and a half, put everything away again, and then headed off to an appointment.

--4--

12:29 p.m.

Came back from appointment, put first load of laundry in the dryer, started another load, put Birdie down for a nap, bid the babysitter farewell, nursed Ponchik down for a nap.  Tried to blog, but couldn't face the computer, and didn't want to read, so pulled out sewing machine and iron again and spent two frustrating hours finishing the Miette.

--5--

3:04 p.m.

Birdie wanted to watch Mr Rogers' Neighborhood, so I set her up with that while I started work on a blouse, only to discover a grave cutting error.  Wanted to cry.  Set it aside, sewed something else for 15 minutes, then put everything away again and got Ponchik up from her nap.  Sat in the chair with both girls for a while, then tried to referee while Birdie antagonized Ponchik ad nauseum.  

--6--

4:33 p.m.

Put dinner on to heat up so that it would be ready when we got back from picking up the boys.  After dinner was heated, the stove vent started making a terrible grinding noise, so I turned it off (and was grateful dinner was done, because we can't use our stove without the vent because of the bleeping hard-wired smoke detectors), called the repair place and was grateful to learn they can try to fix it on Monday.  

--7--

4:58 p.m.

Put Ponchik on my back in the Ergo, and Birdie and I ran for the bus (I actually picked her up and ran a block to catch it) and then we stopped at Trader Joe's before picking up the boys from camp to get milk.  Walked back to the bus with the boys and then had dinner at home.  Got everyone cleaned up, sent the boys to get ready for bed, cleaned up the dishes, took the girls upstairs, got them ready for bed.  Said prayers with Birdie, read her two stories and put her to bed.  Said prayers with the boys, read them each two stories, and put them to bed.  Nursed Ponchik to sleep.  Collapsed in my chair for a few minutes, then sorted my fabric bin.  Came up with a plan to fix my mangled blouse.  Transferred the clean laundry from the basement to the second floor in preparation for folding.  

9:38 p.m.

And now I'm going to collapse in my chair and watch something light.  And perhaps knit a bit.  Or perhaps not.

Linking up with Jen and the other Takers of Quick!

  

~phfr~

~pretty~

Kate and Emily over at Weave in the Ends sparked my creativity with their recent post on wearing Outlander style.  I recently joined an Outlander knitting forum, and have been avidly following the costuming on the show (at least in the stills), and now I need to KNIT. ALL. THE. THINGS!  Claire's costumes have been just lovely--I won't deny that I'm craving some 18th century fashion right now, and might even have to do a little Dressing Outlander series of my own.  I may or may not have bought an 18th century costume pattern off etsy this afternoon...

But lookie:  

(the top one is my favorite and is going into the knitting queue right.now)

This outfit gives me big thoughts about my lute fabric--I need to figure out a way to make a central contrast panel in a more modern looking blouse.  I have a 1950s blouse pattern that has similar lines; perhaps I can fiddle with it and figure out how to make that work...and then make a nice coordinating cowl to go with it!!

~happy~

My jewelry box has become sort of a no-fly zone lately, and I needed something to visually organize my bits and bobs, so I ordered this chicken-wire frame from an etsy seller, intending it for my necklaces, but in the end, I decided to put all my brooches on it instead, so I can see them all at a glance.  

I'm very pleased with the overall effect, and it freed up space in my jewelry box for my necklaces, so win-win.  You can see my cuckoo-clock necklace hanging on the left.

Some close ups, for anyone interested.  The round one just to the left of the "mother" brooch is a real WW2 brooch made in England from leftover wiring from factory floors.  Those types of brooches are fairly rare, I guess, although I bought mine from a vintage blogger who gave me a good deal.  It was one of my first 1940s-specific purchases.

The maracas pin was another bargain find at a flea market.  The telephone brooch is another favorite.

The ice-skating boots were a find from an etsy seller who didn't know what she had, I think.  I restrung them so they dangled as they were meant to originally.

The little Alpine hat with hiking boots was another early 1940s-specific purchase, from the same seller as the wire pin.  It is one of my favorites.  The little gold pin with the ceramic rose (to the immediate left of the horse) was a gift from my dad, who found it in an antique shop and thought of me.  He sent it with a lovely note during a time when I needed some remembering.

I hung a few necklaces to either side--a resin carrot necklace that has matching earrings, and a scissor charm necklace I made myself.

~funny~

These photos don't really capture it, but Ponchik spent about half an hour on Sunday sitting on the floor and rolling the watermelon around with her foot.  She was so intent on it, and was thoroughly perplexed when it rolled away from her.  It was hilarious.  Plus: babies in socks.

 

~real~

Sunday late afternoon was tough, so we broke out the classic Sesame Street for a little break.  It is one thing that all three of the older kids will do together without fighting or complaining (or much noise of any kind, really).

Nothing like a little Guy Smiley and Kermit the Frog to take your mind off things.

Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter today for ~pretty,happy,funny,real~ 

Yarn Along: Mushroom Sweater Progress and Man of War

Linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along today.

Mushroom sweater progress!  I've been knitting a lot in the afternoons and evenings, so I finished the first sleeve and am making the first set of increases to the second now. 

I just finished reading Charlie Schroeder's Man of War, which was an excellent light read.  In it, Schroeder details his year of going around to various reenactor groups and joining in, with the intent to learn some history, understand why people do it in the first place, and possibly have some fun in the process.  I'm a member of a WW2 reenactment group, so I found this book particularly interesting.  As a result of his year, Schroeder becomes a history geek, so his story is liberally sprinkled with various random history tidbits that I personally found fascinating.  My own desire to study history and get involved in reenactment is in part to "put myself there", and imagine myself in the past.  I think at the heart of reenacting is a desire for old-fashioned story telling, and a thirst for history in the sense of knowing ourselves.  I've always said that history is the story we tell ourselves about ourselves in order to understand ourselves.  (And indeed, one of the reenactors Schroeder encounters along the way notes this same sentiment.)  We cannot possibly understand where we are going if we don't first understand where we've been.

I also finished Cheap last week, and I have a lot of things to say about it, but mostly I found I myself frustrated with the overly diagnostic tone of the book.  She spends a lot of time establishing why things are rotten in the state of Denmark, so to speak, but aside from a highly idealistic pie-in-the-sky exposition at the end of one of the chapters, there is little in the way of prescription.  There must be more we as consumers can do to foster craftsmanship, quality mid-range goods, community relationships on an economic level and so on.  Somehow we have to get away from the attitude that everything is disposable, and nothing is worth anything, but I don't have a solution to that one.  Some of it is in the syntax of how we speak about things--language is powerful at shaping ideas, and I think that overcoming the barrage of messages about value/worth/price are going to be difficult in the extreme.  I'm still thinking about the conclusions I want to draw from the book, and may write something up soon.

Talking Tuesday: Nadia Bolz-Weber and the Great Fast

I actually scheduled this to post during Great Lent this year, but somehow forgot to hit "publish", so it has been sitting in draft mode all this time.  I still think it is worth examining, however, especially as we are in the midst of the Dormition Fast, the bookend fast of the summer, and the last seasonal fast until the Nativity fast in November.  Nadia Bolz-Weber writes about Lent, its purpose, and how the light of Christ shines brightly on our lives to illuminate every darkness, every failing, every sinful deed.  I found several passages quite thoughtful, and wanted to share a portion for Talking Tuesday, but I'd recommend reading the whole thing.  It is relatively brief, yet very powerful.

via 

"So Lent isn’t about punishing ourselves for being human – the practice of Lent is about peeling away layers of insulation and anesthesia which keep us from the truth of God’s promises. Lent is about looking at our lives in as bright a light as possible, the light of Christ.   It is during this time of self-reflection and sacrificial giving and prayer that we make our way through the over grown and tangled mess of our lives. We trudge through the lies of our death-denying culture to seek the simple weighty truth of who we really are. Lent is about hacking through self-delusion and false promises.  We let go of all the pretenses and the destructive independence from God.  We let go of defending ourselves.  We let go of our indulgent self-loathing.   Then, like the prodigal son we begin to see a God running with abandon to welcome us home.  But we can’t begin to see this God until we hack through our arrogance and certainty and cynicism and ambivalence.  The Psalmist says that God delights in the truth that is deep in us.  The truth. Therefore there’s no shame in the truth of who we are; the broken and blessed beloved of God.  There’s no shame in the truth that our lives on earth will all end and that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.  It’s not depressing.  What’s depressing is the desperation of trying to pretend otherwise.  What’s depressing is to insist that I can free myself I just haven’t managed to pull it off yet."

~Nadia Bolz-Weber, Ash Wednesday Sermon on Truth, Dust, Babies, and Funerals, March 6, 2014

A whale of a skirt

I know I've shown this blouse on the blog a few times now, but it has ended up being a workhorse of a blouse this summer.  I was very disappointed when the skirt I made to go with it didn't fit well, and thought I wouldn't get much wear out of this blouse as a result.  

As it turns out, navy has turned into the neutral corner of my wardrobe, and the feedsack fabric goes great with navy!  I've also worn it with my chambray shorts, and with a navy eshakti skirt I bought earlier this summer.  I pretty much wear the blouse whenever it is clean, so about once a week or so.  

I sometimes get nervous about it, because it is a vintage feedsack, and the fabric had some minor damage including some rust spots and a few minor holes from fabric wear.  I don't like babywearing in it because I feel like the rubbing of the straps from the ERGO is hard on any fabric, and particularly difficult on older fabric.

If you look carefully next to the button band, you can see the fabric piecing.

(I had to do some fabric piecing on the front button edge to cover some small holes, but I had enough to pattern match so it isn't noticeable at all).  Considering it is over 60 years old, however, that's not too shabby!  

But the skirt.  I've been on the hunt for a navy wrap skirt for a while.  I had a polka dot navy one when I first started wearing a vintage style, but it wasn't well made, had a very narrow overlap in the back, and the fabric hung strangely on me (plus it was too long).  I ended up giving it away after a season of wear.  Lately, though, I've been wanting another wrap, because I like the way they fit and the fact that I can adjust it according to how badly my insides are feeling on a given day.  I've gained some weight this summer, and it has been nice to have at least one thing in my closet that still fits reasonably well.

When I found this skirt on ebay in early July, and the price was very nice ($20!), I snapped it up quick.  Plus, whales.  It was handmade in the 1960s and the seller is in Lancaster, PA, which is about an hour from here, so probably the original maker lived in the area too!  The whales are hand painted on, and I really love the pop of kelly green along the bottom edge.  I found a kelly green t-shirt on ThredUp that perfectly matches the whales; I wore this skirt a lot on our vacation in July.

I made my earrings from In-Color Dahlias from Stampin' Up!  They retired this year (but are still available on the clearance rack!) and I had several left over and made some jewelry out of them.  Some of it was for my sister's birthday and some was for me, but I ended up liking only the earrings in the end.  It was a good creative process anyway.  I feel like I'm in the middle of the same learning curve with my jewelry that I went through with my clothing earlier this year, and am slowly figuring out what I like and don't like, what I wear all the time, and what things I should avoid.

And of course, the Salt Water sandals!  I realize that they visually shorten my legs, but I really like the casual vibe and have been wearing them a lot.

Outfit details:

Feedsack Blouse: Me made from Simplicity 1590 hack; fabric and vintage buttons from etsy

Whale wrap skirt: ebay

Wardy Squirrel brooch in grape: Acorn and Will

Gumball Green Dahlia earrings: me made

Salt Water Sandals: Shoes III (birthday present)

Sunglasses: ebay

WIWS: Chambray

Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple today, for What I Wore Sunday.  Which is to say: a chambray dress.  The weather was totally schizo today, so I had this cardigan on and off all day long.  It was cool, it was hot, it was humid, it was dry, it was sunny, it was overcast, it was drizzling, it was pleasant.  Weird.  We went to liturgy this morning as usual, hung out at coffee hour with our friends afterward, and then came home.  I just remembered to snap these while dinner was heating.

I bought the dress last month from eshakti during their free shipping and sale.  I liked the front zipper for easy nursing access, and the a-line skirt is better on me than the gathered skirt typical most of their dresses, so the silhouette is good for my figure.  My only complaint is that the neckline is low and wide, so I had to invest in a strapless bra to wear with it.  (I got a cheapie on amazon that is functional.)  

I experimented with pinning the first couple of times I wore it, and I think this time I got it right.  The bodice has modified princess seams, so I added two small tucks to the inside panels, in between the seam and zipper, to take out the inch of gaping around the bust.  These tucks also helped to bring the width  of the shoulders in the depth of the neckline up a bit.  I will tack those down the next time I get out my needle and thread.

The skirt is a bit shorter than my preference, but still wearable (and I think the belt might be pulling it up a bit).

The pockets are slash pockets and super deep, which I really like. 

 The dansko sandals are a recent ebay find, as I realized I needed some functional black shoes.  Since my feet are a mess right now (poorly healed stress fracture, combined with several ankle and foot injuries sustained during bad weather last winter), I need something supportive.

The necklace is from ModCloth, and is getting to be one of my favorites.  The earrings are from my gram, who received them as a gift from my grandpa, but the story goes that she didn't care for them, as she had her eye on a different pair all together.  I think they are lovely and delicate (they have a tiny green stone in the center, and the filigree on the outside is beautiful) and am pleased to wear them for both of their sakes.

Outfit details:

Chambray Dress: eshakti

Green cardigan: Banana Republic via ThredUp

Dansko sandals: ebay

Retro camera necklace: ModCloth

Headscarf: Etsy

Fall/Winter Sewing Plans (aka NEW FABRIC!!)

All the fabric I ordered recently has arrived, and so, I present my sewing plans for the next while.  I have a few fabrics in the stash that I have in mind to make up next spring and summer, but these projects will take me through Lent at least.  Going forward, I'm trying to be more careful about what fabric I order, and use a kind of meal planning approach to sewing.  Which is to say, if I don't have specific plans for it, I don't buy it.  I don't have enough space to store fabric indefinitely, and while there are plenty of great fabrics out there (my bookmark folder overfloweth!), there are almost always good sales, and I'm almost never in a rush to get something done.  I do have some bits and bobs I inherited from my mom and my gram, and just some things that found me over the years, but they are not garment sized lengths, and so I'm trying to figure out creative ways to use them.  I'm also at a point where my wardrobe is pretty functional, and so I don't need to add dozens of new garments every year.  I do like to have something new for Christmas and Pascha, and some of my vintage stuff is a bit fragile and can't stand up to regular wearing, so I try to account for those things when I'm considering projects.  I also recognize that sewing is very soothing for me, and the creative process is something I need to do right now, so balancing that against the needs of my closet is kind of tricky.  But enough waffling about.  Onward!

1. Peppermint Patty Hollyburn skirt (for Christmas):  Fabric is a quilt-weight novelty cotton from Joann's (bought during a recent fabric sale).  I'm still looking for my perfect a-line skirt pattern, and I have high hopes for the Hollyburn.  I didn't want to make a whole dress for Christmas for a variety of reasons (limited wearability, time, etc), but I think a skirt will do nicely.  The peppermints are a little more cranberry than red, so it won't go with the shirt I had in mind, but I have a black knit top that might work, or I have a cranberry Fisherman-style sweater if the weather is cold enough.

2a. Brown Plaid Jumper: McCall's 9464 (or possibly McCalls 8347 jumper pattern that is similar).  I suddenly got a hankering for a brown plaid jumper after seeing this pattern image on etsy while browsing for a Swirl dress pattern:

 I really like the lines of it, and while I like the overall look (the brown one on the right), I know I wouldn't wear the button down shirt otherwise, so I'm going to pair it with a knitted something underneath.  

I have some brown check flannel in my stash, but I'm having a hard time choosing between the patterns.  The McCalls 8347 has the same princess seams, button front, square neck and pocket options of the original, but will need significant shortening (not a big deal) and has a waist seam (also not a big deal, but it changes the look of the jumper; I might try cutting it all in one piece).  The McCall 9464 has gorgeous lines, and would be a great shape on me, but it is a different look from my inspiration photo.  I'm tending toward the 9464 right at the moment, because I'm a little put off by making a full button front jumper.  I'm also a little concerned about the frump factor 8347, whereas I kind of think the 9464 will be more in line with the silhouettes already in my closet.  

2b.  Lute fabric scrap:  I inherited this little scrap of fabric from my gram's stash (probably from the 1950s or early 1960s).  It is a woven cotton blend and I really like the print, but it is such a small scrap that I'm having trouble knowing what to do with it.  I had thought of a contrast yoke on a blouse, or even pockets on the plaid jumper, because it goes well with the brown fabric, as you can see, but I just can't decide.  

Also, brown looks terrible near my face, so I'm on the hunt for a solid color fabric that will coordinate.  I've got a couple fabric samples from the Art Gallery Pure Elements line, but nothing is singing to me.  The fabric also coordinates well with hunter green and looks okay with deep purple.  I think there is just enough there to make a contrasting front section for a blouse like in the pattern below, but I was kind of hoping to make something with longer sleeves, so I'll have to sort that out soon.  And make a muslin, for sure.

3. Shetland Flannel Gertie Pencil Skirts.  This fabric is cotton, and incredibly soft with a nice weight to it, but it looks like wool.  I'm super excited to make some pencil skirts from this fabric for winter, as I've finally made my peace with my too-small wool pencil skirts from two winters ago and consigned them.

4. Vintage Feedsack Blouse: Gertie Button Down Portrait Blouse.  I already have this cut out, and it is a little daring for me, I must say.  I bought this little feedsack bit over a year ago, and didn't realize how small it was until it arrived.  It was just enough to get the front of a blouse out of, or a contrast yoke/pockets on a dress.  

I waffled on dress vs. blouse all spring, as I thought to make the New York 927 with it, but after converting the Hello Birdie dress into a faux two-piece dress, I realized I was better off making a blouse out of this fabric.  I searched high and low to find a suitable solid color cotton (after the Strawberry Fields Forever skirt disaster with Kona cotton, I wasn't eager to use Kona again).  I discovered Art Gallery's Pure Elements line, and it is fantastic.  High thread count, super smooth hand, lots of wonderful colors to choose from!  I found an etsy seller who was willing send scraps to color match the pink flowers, which was helpful.  I've got some teal blue buttons that match, and I'm considering using some mustard-colored vintage trim on the sleeve edges. The teal matches the Miette wrap skirt I'm currently working on.

5. Anne Adams 4986: This is for the late spring or early summer next year, but I found this 100% cotton aqua gingham fabric, and it is the perfect weight for warm weather.  It is surprisingly difficult to find gingham that isn't half polyester (which is nice for a smooth no-wrinkle finish, but tends not to be as cool in the heat)  I've been wanting to make this pattern for a while, and this fabric seems perfect, although I'm sure the pattern matching is going to drive me mad.  Plus: bias cutting.  

6.  Cotton + Steel fabric is everything others have been saying and more!  So pretty.  I'm not sure whether I'm going to use this pattern exactly, but this is the overall look I'm going for (actually, just look at any dress Tasha has made this spring and summer and you'll have an idea of the silhouette).  I might end up combining the Emery bodice with the skirt part of this pattern, since I like the extra bust shaping on the Emery bodice a bit more.  I'm probably going to use kimono sleeves instead of inset sleeves.  I have a navy blue sweater planned that should pair well with this make.

7.  Celtic Knot Dress: Fabric is a quilt-weight novelty cotton from Joann, and the color on the screen was completely different from what I received (it looked almost teal on the screen), but I really love this shade of green too, so I'm still excited to work with it.  I'm a little on the fence about the pattern for this dress, as I might end up making another version of the Emery bodice + McCalls 4275 skirt if that one works well.  I have a RTW version (in a different colorway, bought on clearance two and a half years ago), however, and I really like it, so I might go for this one if I can figure out how to grade it down a bit.  

8. Hollywood 1495:  I don't actually have any fabric in mind for this, but I love the pattern art on it, and have contemplated a way to recreate view A.

I would need to figure out a way to make the blouse with a lower scoop neckline, as high necklines like that don't look great on me.  But black broadcloth or black PE fabric would do nicely for the top, and I have several red fabrics that would do for the bottom (although I do have a nice red twill six gore skirt already)

My plan is to finish the vintage feedsack blouse in the next few weeks, make one of the dresses for Fall for Cotton in the early part of the fall, and then just poke away at the rest of it as I have time and inclination.  In the meantime, I have a lot of fabric to prewash!