At first, my plan was to map out each pattern week-by-week for the entire six month sewing project. To save money (and be green) I want to use up as much fabric from my bow tie business days before buying new. It turns out I have a lot of great stuff, perfect for certain patterns, so I've decided to use these first, which throws a wrench in my original plan. Now I've decided to map out a week-by-week plan at the start of each month and work my way through the challenge that way, and it just so happens I've mapped out my plan for November already.
The first week in November is a short one so I'm sticking to one pattern, Violet. I haven't finalized anything yet but I think I am going to go for a black silk with tucks and lace collar.
Week 2 is going to be a little tougher with both Meringue and Truffle. I found this great, white and blue floral, crepe-like fabric at the thrift store which is perfect for Truffle, and I have this beautiful grey linen that I think would make a lovely Meringue.
The third week will be the toughest, Licorice and Taffy. For Taffy, I have a ton of black chiffon to use for the blouse, and I hope to make black and white gingham bias tape for the seam finishes. For Licorice, I thought I'd change things up a bit and try out a different collar variation. I'd like to draft the existing collar into a peter pan collar with a lace overlay, and pair it with a navy or royal blue viscose, similar to the blue dress in the Getting Started post. Anyone who wants try it out on their own Licorice dress, I'll be posting a tutorial on how I did it when week 3 rolls around. This is the pattern I am most excited for.
For the last week in November, I am dedicating it to Anise. I have no idea what I am going to use yet, I thought maybe the leftover camel wool I have from making my Mod Trench (see Flickr), but I really want to try something different, maybe a denim or something. We'll see.
Any sewists who are following along can sew as many patterns as they'd like, in whatever order. Please feel free to send photos of your completed garments for me to share on the blog.
Now, I am an extremely organized person in spirit but sadly not in practice, so I've created a board to organize my tasks and track my progress. I attached a master list of all the Colette patterns divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced with check boxes to mark when complete, the weekly breakdown of projects for the month I am working on, as well as fabric swatches and supply lists for each one. I also included some small notions like heart buttons and lace straps as something I may want to include in some of my garments. Oh and a photo of a really cute squirrel pin cushion to keep an eye on things for me. Hopefully the board will be able to keep me focused and organized so I can spend more time sewing and having fun.
I also, finally, got around to setting up my Flickr account. I used to use my business' blog to show some of the garments I've made, but that was the extent of it. Now you'll be able to visit the Flickr page and see even more photos of The Complete Colette finished garments. Also, I already uploaded a few pictures of some of my most recent projects to give you a sense of what I do. There's only a few but if you'd like a peak, head over.
Since we are only a week away from the start date, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about my situation in case any of you are wondering how on earth I will find the time to do this. I left my full time job as a bow tie designer about a month ago, since then I have been working a serving job on the weekends and custom seamstressing, until I begin visual merchandising next fall. That, along with my volunteer work, leaves me with four full days a week for sewing and a few hours here and there. Plenty o' time! So if it seems like I have all the time in the world, it's because I do. For now.
So that about sums it up for today, but as promised, here is my sewing supply haul to complete my tool kit upgrade.
30 patterns in 6 months works out to be 5 a month ( a little over 1 a week) - totally doable! I have given myself 6 patterns for our first month, riding the excitement of starting the challenge.
November's Projects
week one - Violet
week two - Meringue and Truffle
week three - Taffy and Licorice
week four - Anise
My theme for November's garments - blue, black and lace.
The first week in November is a short one so I'm sticking to one pattern, Violet. I haven't finalized anything yet but I think I am going to go for a black silk with tucks and lace collar.
Week 2 is going to be a little tougher with both Meringue and Truffle. I found this great, white and blue floral, crepe-like fabric at the thrift store which is perfect for Truffle, and I have this beautiful grey linen that I think would make a lovely Meringue.
The third week will be the toughest, Licorice and Taffy. For Taffy, I have a ton of black chiffon to use for the blouse, and I hope to make black and white gingham bias tape for the seam finishes. For Licorice, I thought I'd change things up a bit and try out a different collar variation. I'd like to draft the existing collar into a peter pan collar with a lace overlay, and pair it with a navy or royal blue viscose, similar to the blue dress in the Getting Started post. Anyone who wants try it out on their own Licorice dress, I'll be posting a tutorial on how I did it when week 3 rolls around. This is the pattern I am most excited for.
For the last week in November, I am dedicating it to Anise. I have no idea what I am going to use yet, I thought maybe the leftover camel wool I have from making my Mod Trench (see Flickr), but I really want to try something different, maybe a denim or something. We'll see.
Any sewists who are following along can sew as many patterns as they'd like, in whatever order. Please feel free to send photos of your completed garments for me to share on the blog.
Now, I am an extremely organized person in spirit but sadly not in practice, so I've created a board to organize my tasks and track my progress. I attached a master list of all the Colette patterns divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced with check boxes to mark when complete, the weekly breakdown of projects for the month I am working on, as well as fabric swatches and supply lists for each one. I also included some small notions like heart buttons and lace straps as something I may want to include in some of my garments. Oh and a photo of a really cute squirrel pin cushion to keep an eye on things for me. Hopefully the board will be able to keep me focused and organized so I can spend more time sewing and having fun.
I also, finally, got around to setting up my Flickr account. I used to use my business' blog to show some of the garments I've made, but that was the extent of it. Now you'll be able to visit the Flickr page and see even more photos of The Complete Colette finished garments. Also, I already uploaded a few pictures of some of my most recent projects to give you a sense of what I do. There's only a few but if you'd like a peak, head over.
Since we are only a week away from the start date, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about my situation in case any of you are wondering how on earth I will find the time to do this. I left my full time job as a bow tie designer about a month ago, since then I have been working a serving job on the weekends and custom seamstressing, until I begin visual merchandising next fall. That, along with my volunteer work, leaves me with four full days a week for sewing and a few hours here and there. Plenty o' time! So if it seems like I have all the time in the world, it's because I do. For now.
So that about sums it up for today, but as promised, here is my sewing supply haul to complete my tool kit upgrade.
- My handmade Tailors Ham and Sausage from the Tilly and the Buttons tutorial.
- Some new marking tools. Carbon paper, tailor's chalk and fabric marker.
- I didn't need this but, new pin cushion and pins, mine have seen better days.
- Invisible zipper foot.
- 1/2" Bias tape maker. Excited to use this!
- New sharp point scissors for clipping notches on curves etc. I desperately need these
- Fabric stiffener. I looked everywhere for Sullivan's brand spray but could only find this one so hopefully it works the same way.
So I am all set! I've got my tools and I have got my plan, only one week left and then I'm sewing!
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