Hello sew-friends! It’s starting to get cold and dark here in Seattle. So, it’s time to adjust my sewing list for the season. Like many creatives, I always have too many ideas and not enough time. To help myself focus, I try to keep my WIPs to a minimum. And recently, I've started making mini seasonal priority lists. I shared my late summer list on my Substack. I'm happy to share that 3 out of 5 things from that list are finished!
This list is a combination of things I need to sew and things I'd like to sew. I do try to use stash fabric as much as possible and making this list was helpful for figuring out what I already have supplies for. The list is in order of priority, starting with things I’m obligated to sew and moving to things I already have fabric for. In last place, are the mental obsessions that I don’t have either fabric or a pattern for. Let's dive in.
1) Wool Pendleton Shirt Dupe
First on the list is a “need to sew”. In August 2022, I bought a pre-cut wool plaid fabric from the Pendleton outlet store in Portland, OR and promised my boyfriend that I would make him a shirt for Christmas. (Hot tip: In the past, I recall the big annual sales being in August. It looks like it was in September this year. The link above lists sales. They have all the classic wools but I've also bought nice silk and cotton fabric there.)
Back to the shirt—I made a few muslins in 2022/23 using contemporary patterns but my boyfriend didn't like the fit. They were all a little too fitted and he wanted a boxy, vintage style. He owns a vintage wool Pendleton jacket/shirt and wants his new shirt to fit the same way (photos below). My plan is to trace off a pattern from the jacket, make a muslin and then sew his new shirt. The only fitting adjustment will be to lengthen the sleeves.
I've done a little research into his vintage shirt and I believe it is a "Board" style shirt from the early 1960s. The vintage shirt needs a little mending and a new button, so I plan to do that too. If you want to learn more about Pendleton shirts, this online booklet is pretty thorough.
I've only ever traced t-shirts before so this will be a little more challenging. But, the shirt has a simple camp collar so it really shouldn't be too hard. There's a little lining at the back yoke and the rest is finished with flat fell seams.
Expected Difficulty Level: 7/10
2) Boxer Shorts
Over on my Substack, I'm working on a series of posts about drafting boxer shorts. I always try to do my own version to share. I have lots of scraps of cotton fabric so I’m hoping that I can find a big enough scrap to make my own sample.
Expected Difficulty Level: 2/10
3) Tote bag samples
I'm currently working on developing a new pdf pattern for a tote bag with an oval bottom (shared here on my Substack). I really love this tote design because it's bigger at the top than the bottom so you can easily see everything in your bag. I'm planning to have both a regular and a small size included. I’m currently testing the small size but plan to make a few more samples to test the construction and for taking photos.
Expected Difficulty Level: 4/10
4) Christmas Quilt
I found some great Christmas themed fabrics at Seattle Recreative recently and I’d love to make a Christmassy quilt with them. I’ve been sketching some designs that combine basic squares and rectangle blocks (to highlight the bigger prints of the green fabric) with star blocks. I’m thinking just a smallish throw blanket that I can have out on the couch for the season. I would also love to make a quilted Christmas tree skirt but I’m going to try to resist for now. :)
Expected Difficulty Level: 5/10
5) Mini Corduroy Skirt
For at least a year, I've been wanting to make a mini corduroy skirt to wear with thick tights in winter. I don't have a pattern in mind and it might be another self-drafted project. I have two pieces of mini wale corduroy. The black one is from Seattle ReCreative and I got the houndstooth print at a fabric swap.
Expected Difficulty Level: 6/10
6) Knit Cardigan
I have a couple of nice thick sweater knit fabrics that I've been wanting to make into cropped cardigans. I have my eye on the Seamwork Lisa pattern but I may draft my own. (It might even be the next drafting project on my Substack.)
Expected Difficulty Level: 4/10
7) StyleArc Geri Dress
This project is only at the bottom because I don’t have the right fabric for it. But I REALLY want to make it. The Geri Dress is a button front dress with princess seams and intended for lightweight denim fabric. I thought I had the perfect fabric for it but looking now, the fabric I have has a lot of stretch and the pattern does not call for stretch. This is really at the top of my "wants" list so I may order this fabric from Harts.
Expected Difficulty Level: 5/10
8) Megan Nielsen Hovea Quilted Jacket
I purchased this pattern on a bit of a whim because it was on sale, the weather was starting to get cold and I'm into quilting these days. I would love to use a double gauze (above right) and may try to refashion a dress into this jacket. But, if I don't have enough double gauze, I think this blue and white plaid that I purchased from LA Finch would be really pretty.
Expected Difficulty Level: 7/10
9) Sew house 7 Oxbow Pants
To be honest, I don’t wear a lot of hard pants these days but I love the design of the Oxbow Pants by Sew House 7. And I have the perfect fabric already in my stash—a classic navy bottom weight.
Expected Difficulty Level: 6/10
Works in Progress
I'm currently working on a quilt top that I designed earlier this year. I'm nearly done making the main 9 blocks and then I'll just have the borders and quilting to do. I’m using mostly vintage stash fabrics and my own design. It’s been a fun project to work on and I’ve been surprised how it feels like it’s coming together so quickly, in comparison to garments and bags, which have so many small details. With a quilt top, the surface area can get big so quickly and easily! I’m excited to work on more quilt designs.
Bonus
I found this vintage knit jacket pattern at Seattle ReCreative and snatched it up. I really like Stretch & Sew patterns and always make a point to look through them. This is Stretch & Sew 1044, circa 1980. I think it would work well in a structured ponte type fabric. I don’t think I have any stash fabric that would be right for it but I’m going to keep it on the back burner. It could be a good jacket for Spring.
