Resolution - Week 6

Hi,

I was really happy with the jacket from last week's resolution project, so I decided to adapt the pattern for another project - this cute cropped velvet jacket. All I did was add a notch collar.

This took a little bit of work, but I only had to adapt the front piece (creating the notch collar extension and changing the shoulder seam), the back piece (for the shoulder piece), and add a collar piece. I followed the instructions from my Patternmaking Book.

The fabric is still from my purchase at Mood last September. I am starting to run out of the marvelous fabric that I bought there. :-( It is a lovely cotton velvet with a silk charmeuse lining.

  

  

I was really happy to see that some collections shown this week at NYFW for Fall 2013 showed some great velvet pieces.

Check out these images (from style.com) of th Zac Posen show earlier this week:




This Sunday I will run the Austin Livestrong Half-Marathon. I am getting a little scared. My training was erratic at best. Hoping to make it to the end.

Today I am linking up with Casual Fridays - go check out some other great blogs!

Love,

Sam

Resolution -Week 3 - Brocade Pants

Hi,

When I saw the brocade trend coming on for Fall, I was really intrigued. It seems tough to pull off, and very unforgiving. But I decided to give it a try as a sewing project.

I picked up the fabric at Mood, in September. It is a cotton mix brocade with some oxblood colors. It is probably one of the easiest fabrics I have ever sewn with: it is stable - no stretching, no puckering, no slipping. A little fraying, for sure, but not terrible.

The pattern was the same one I used for the oxblood pants. Please don't stare too close to the midriff... Between my seam allowances going more towards 5/8" than 1/2" and the holiday overindulgences and laziness and the fabric being s stiff, they turned out a little tight.

Well, let's just call it motivation.

Anyway, they are tough to pull off. I was actually struggling to figure out what to pair them with and I actually like J.Crew's idea of a boxy sweater on top. I was actually thinking a nice a chambray shirt, to really tone everything down. I guess it is because Austin has been blessed with really hot weather. Seriously - high 70s!!! So I am really not thinking about boxy sweaters here.

BTW, Austinites, you are welcome! Feel free to indulge in the hot weather in January while the rest of the country shovels snow thanks to me and my new pair of boots!

So, what do you suggest as a pairing for these pants?

Linking up with Casual Friday today on Two Thirty Five Designs.

Love,

Sam