Fall Palette Challenge 2011

So here it is, my fall palette....

It took me an age to work out how to put a selection of images together for this post, and equally as long to find something that inspired me. However, I think it has been a very worthwhile exercise. I'm still very much in the 'novice' phase of my sewing. I buy patterns and fabric on impulse without much fore thought, and now I have a cupboard full of patterns and fabric that doesn't match my current tastes or the season.

This exercise has actually made me think about what I want to wear over the autumn. I normally end up in a uniform of black. Black coat, black jacket, black boots, black cardigan, et cetera and ad nauseum. Hell, if I could bring myself to wear a beret it would be positively hipster and goth. And whilst I have an enduring fondness for the goth* as I am a former goth, the black on black thang can get a little bit dull. 

One of the (many) good things about sewing is that I do not find myself at all attracted to black fabric. I've not even contemplated a black fabric so far whilst out shopping. I tend to find myself drawn to florals and bright reds, blues and purples.

This autumn I'm predominantly looking to make clothes that will work well with the two jackets on my mood board. Sadly I don't have the skills to make those beauties. Yet.

I've already bought the tweed number for a beastly sum - I made the mistake of trying it on when it was on display in Greenwich market. It was the red binding along the edges that won me, that and its posh country tweedy charm (I harbour a secret desire for rahs**  who I purport to despise). If you feel equally taken by it, you can purchase it here. The bother is that I don't own much that matches it. I think bold reds, navy and purples will match this well. A bold pattern combining these colours would also be charming, however I do not think a floral is a good idea; this is a good thing as I need to be broken on the florals. Almost every fabric I have in my stash is a floral or a fruit print.

The second coat, a waxed cotton number by Henry Hunt, is not yet owned by me. But it will be. On a recent jaunt to Edinburgh, I happened past a Barbour shop and whilst perusing the window front I was reminded of the coats of my late pre-teens. My parents went through a spat of buying waxed cotton jackets for me, meaning I had to endure what I then considered to be painfully uncool market-bought Barbour rip-offs for quite sometime before we moved onto the next non-descript school coat. Now I think my parents were ahead of the curve, not that I'll let them know that. I love this Henry Hunt number so much! Again I think it's the red and tartan trim. At the very least I'm consistent. I have more clothes that will match this jacket than tweedy, but I want a host of red and purple dresses to go with it.

The jackets were my starting point, I then found the shoes and boots in the current issue of InStyle magazine which I bought to try and clue myself in to trends and what is actually happening in the fashion world. Again I tend to buy my shoes and boots in a functional black, and whilst they do indeed go with everything, I do feel bored by my shoes. My shoes do not inspire me or my sartorial choices, they are just there. The shoes and the boots on the board however, are amazing. The red shoes have a touch of the geisha to them and the boots are just freaking awesome. I like big mean looking boots.

From these items I used ColourLovers to devise a palette, choosing mustard yellow, scarlet, purple, blue and brown for the project. I then thought about the fabrics I would like to use. My main ambition is to try out a non-cotton fabric. Now remembering my former gothness, I decided on velvet. Velvet is just decadence, fantasy and luxury to me. I love velvet. I've never sewn it and I'm a bit frightened of making a cutting error or any error for that matter, but I so want a velvet dress.

Another fabric I've long considered but never attempted is a kimono fabric. I've long admired the designs and beauty of kimono fabrics and have toyed many times with buying a bolt. I've stopped myself because of my beginner status and the heartache I'd suffer if I ruined any. But I love the idea of 50s or 40s pattern worked up in a kimono fabric.  I'm not sure how workable this idea is, the stuff I've seen for sale seems quite old and delicate; moreover it doesn't seem very wide. Still, why live half a life? I'm going to get on eBay and find a bolt and give it a go! Very carefully.

I reviewed my stash today and hit Lewisham's finest fabric shop 'Rolls and Rems' and have selected five fabrics for the challenge:

The pictures don't do justice to the colours of some of the fabrics pictured above. The blue velvet is more a petrol blue and what looks like a pink velvet above is actually more of a wine colour. I don't have any patterns selected for these lovelies. It has taken me ages to get to this stage and I have so many patterns, and I won't be buying any new ones. I'll think about when I have the current dress completed.

I'll end this post on a caveat; making up garments for this challenge will take me far longer than four to six weeks offered by the challenge. I'm a slow sewer at the best of times, I have a busy job and I have a lot of hobbies, friends and family that requires maintenance. Because I love the fabrics, and some were wicked pricey, I won't be comfortable using them without making a muslin first. Naturally this equals even more time.

Le sigh, perhaps I'll have my fall collection finished by spring?

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*Although not for hipsters. Sorry hipsters you are objectionable and humourless, and you think far too much of yourselves.  Please stop ruining large swaths of London and New York. Also, please stop.

** Rahs = posh types, upper classes, Made in Chelsea, those that brim with a nonchalant confidence that comes from being well bred and effortless in all that they do. I come from a rough part of SE London, I'm not at all like this. I ooze awkwardness.

Vintage Pattern Review: Job Lot 3 (items 30 - 39) - THE BIG ONE

Here it begins, my review of my first BIG job lot. 109 patterns representing a lifetime of dressmaking by a Welsh woman by the name of J E Wade. I know this because she mail ordered some patterns from My Weekly and kept them in the original envelopes. I've no idea what her full name is, but I have decided it is Joan.

Joan had rocking taste by my standards. Joan bought the standard shift dress patterns sure, but she also bought some beautifully eccentric numbers and quite a diverse range of clothes. I owe Joan a bit of debt, before I started this I didn't really care for the 70s and 80s or even the late 60s. You'll see this in my reviews of the first two job lots. I tended to think fashion rather crass past the 40s and 50s, and would never have thought to look at other decades or at least not in the near future. I've fallen in love with the 70s because of the patterns in this collection which will showcase the quirkiness of the decade. The 80s? I'm a eighties baby so I have a healthy level of disgust for that time with an equally healthy level of nostalgia.  Thanks to Joan, I now have an increasing level of fondness for the style of the time and will no longer dismiss an 80s pattern out of hand.Given that I have nigh on 400 patterns now due to my lack of restraint it will be a while before I'm in that position.


I'll get on to the review in just a second, but I kinda want to know more about Ms Wade. Google has thrown up nothing, although this isn't a surprise given how much of a long shot it was. I won't invest in crazy stalking, but from her taste in patterns I think Joan was a cool lady and probably would have been worthy company down the pub. I bet she got stories and had lots of love affairs in the suburbs of Swansea, she clearly was snappiest dresser there.

Now on to the pattern review *gulp* this is going to be more than a few posts. I won't post it continuously but will mix it up with make posts and other sewing/craft stuff. My next will be my attempt at an autumn (fall) mood board. I've disparaged mood boards in the past, especially since I endured a set of corporate training where the trainer asked us to complete vision boards for our lives. The trainer then evidenced the success of this technique by explaining that her premium bonds paid out more often than other people because she BELIEVED they would. This affronted me, and other trainees, who spend our working lives making decisions based on evidence which is often painstakingly collected. Now I appreciate that a mood board is not the same as a vision board but it took me a while to get away from the prejudice against 'boards' in general. The gals at Colette patterns have convinced me otherwise in this post, so I'm going to give it a punt.

Now, really, on to the pattern review;

#30

Style: Pin Point Patterns 1060

Era: 1970s (?)

Size: 12 - 18

Would I have bought it? No

Difficulty: Medium / Hard

First thoughts: The dress is quite plain but I think could be acceptable in a pretty light cotton with some sort of ditsy print. I will be avoiding block colours. The coat/jacket looks hard, not loving the shape of it. It reminds me of;

Del Boy!

#31

Style: Butterick 6509

Era: late 1970s, early 1980s

Size:16

Would I have bought it: Maybe, if I had it in me to be a cowgirl

First thoughts: I've heard denim on denim is back. I'm ready for it. View D is clearly a winner.

Difficulty: Hard

#32

Style: McCall's 5777

Era: 1970s

Size: 16

Would I have bought it? Nope. I'm a sucker for a pattern envelope.

First thoughts: Blouses, not something I often think about making. I quite like view A, I hate view C. Turtle-necks are the devil's work. Satan wears a turtle neck. It is known.

Difficulty: Medium

#33

Style: Style 1231

Era: 1975

Size: 14

Would I have bought it? No

First thoughts: Hmm. I know if I had come across this at a vintage fair I would have instantly thrown it back in. Overall it is a grade C, average. Many other patterns would look more desirable in comparison. However, I think this will make up a treat, the kimono style sleeves are lovely and the empire waist is very flattering.

Difficulty: Medium.

#34

Style: McCalls 5765

Era: 1970s?

Size: 16

Would I have bought it? This is one of those rare occasions where I like what I see above, but when I googled the pattern envelope what I saw was deeply off putting. The illustrator drew oompa loompas. I can't see how this got cleared for the retail floor.

First thoughts: I love the dresses. I've always liked the nightwear as day wear thing, so long as it is artfully done. What does scare me is this is a pattern designed for stretch knits.

Difficulty: Medium / Hard

#35

Style: Style 3315

Era: 1972

Size: 16 1/2

Would I have bought it: No

First thoughts: Princess Anne was in style once. This pattern proves it. That is all.

Difficulty: Medium

#36

Style: Vogue 6973

Era: 1960s

Size: 12

Would I have bought it? Perhaps. A basic skirt has been on the list for a while.

First thoughts: Its a skirt! I'm struggling for anything more to say.

Difficulty: Easy

Style: Woman's Weekly B521

Era: 1970s (?)

Size: 12

Would I have bought it? No

First thoughts: I like the pinafore dress, and I'm reserving judgement on the long waistcoat (although part of me thinks it could really work with the right material.
Difficulty: Medium

#38

Style: Burda 7120

Era: late 1980s (?)

Size: 8 -20

Would I have bought it? No

First thoughts: Oh my. When I was a kid I desperately wanted to be on a kid's TV show called Fun House. As you might expect, the show was everything that is fun to a kid; gunge, prizes, race cars, gunge and...er..Pat Sharp. I ached with envy when I watched those lucky kids that got to be contestants, knowing that they were just more valid than I was. Well, it's my time now! If I make this pattern up I can pretend to be one of the twins (these are the co-hosts who I swear used to wear this as a uniform during the late 80s). For those unfamiliar with the show you can see a clip here. My last thought on the matter; Pat Sharp without a mullet is kinda hot. Weird.

Difficulty: Hard - thar be knits involved.

#39

Style: McCall's 5916

Era: 1978

Size: 16

Would I have bought it? No - I don't dig the smock

First thoughts: This reminds me of my mother's Princess Di stage (there will be an 'inspired by the women  my family' post at some stage inf the future so you can witness the awesomeness of my mum's taste) in the early eighties. It didn't work for her and it won't for me I suspect.

Difficulty: Medium

Inspiration from the eighties, or early nineties for any pedants out there!

I logged some time with the parentals last night, both of whom were tired and sick so it was a very low key visit. My dad retired to bed early after a long day at work and I ended up watching Pretty Woman with my little sister and step mum. It's probably one of the original chick flicks (despite *ahem* being about a lady of the night and her john) and one of those films I watched loads in my teen years. It must have been about ten years since I last saw it.

Twenty one years on it holds up well, aside from being a remarkably charming film, it now has a gorgeous vintage veneer. Julia Roberts is beautiful and jaw droppingly stunning. I'll admit that she inspired some body envy, maybe I'll exercise everyday and forsake junk food until I have Julia Roberts' 22 year old body. Anyhow enough gushing about Julia Roberts, what really got me was her wardrobe.

I always assumed that Chanel provided the clothes. I did a quick google to confirm this and then saw this article which explained that all the clothes were made for the film by Marilyn Vance. I've never heard of her before, but clearly a talented woman - despite the pink prom dress that Molly Ringwald was forced to endure. You know the one I mean.
I'm going to research her other films to see if I feel equally inspired, if I am I may dedicate a future post to Ms Vance. Now, on to the outfits....

Best, and most wearable of all her outfits, was the brown polka dot sundress. I've never thought to make a brown dress, but this convinced me. I better look just as good, and somehow attract a young Richard Gere, who will buy me lots o' clothes. This also rates the most makeable, I probably already have a pattern amongst my job lots that fits this gem.

The black cocktail dress. One of my favourites, sadly could not find a good picture of it, only this one with Julia showing rare bad posture. This is gorgeous, all black lace and low backed. Far too complicated for my talents yet, although I would like to try and use some lace trim on a dress sometime soon.

The scarlet opera dress. Wow. Just wow. This looks like a super complicated couture level make. I won't be knocking one of these together anytime. Maybe I can do a homage with a simple scarlet hued maxi dress to begin with.

The white 'served' dress (aka Julia goes into the snooty shop and does the 'You guys work on commission right? Big. Mistake!'. Love this, but not sure I could pull it off unless I become a lady that lunches. However I'll give it a punt.

Oh dear...

It's said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I am made of good intentions, the sum of my parts is unfulfilled good intentions.

I promised myself that there would be no more sewing patterns (except Colette Patterns), I vowed that I would sew some of the patterns. And last night I caved and bid on a job lot of 50s and 60s pattern. Not much detail on what might be held within the lot, the picture on the auction is small and tantalisingly out of focus. I won at £39, which feels reasonable for 34 patterns.

I'm adding it to the outlandish project. Which I am officially back on, with autumn here the nights are drawing in and the weather is getting colder (not wetter, you couldn't be wetter than our summer was in Blighty) and I have a stronger compulsion to get on with some sewing.