Greetings from day 42 of self isolation. During this time, I have only gone to the pharmacy once, a variety of grocery stores in attempts to avoid lines and crowds (but as infrequently as possible), and once daily walks. I haven’t hung out with anyone, in any IRL way, except for Jason. I have made peace with the new rhythm of life indoors, and I acknowledge it is a huge privilege to stay home when others must work. I’ve swung both ways with getting dressed: from wearing fancy dresses to swan around the apartment, to changing out of pajamas into “daytime pajamas”. I’ve landed somewhere in the middle: I get dressed in the morning, but by about 4pm, I’ve changed into sweats or workout clothes. It’s fine. I’m doing fine.

Sewing has absolutely been the most soothing activity for me during this time (baking is a close second). I sew masks to donate and to give to friends and family, but sewing them makes me anxious and agitated, so I now make a batch, and then give myself a break from it. I want my mind to drift off to fields of flowers, I want to make beautiful, frivolous things. And I want to use very light weight cotton and linen. I have shelves of gorgeous silk, I have denim and twill for trousers. No. I want to make flowy dresses and blouses. I guess that’s usual for me, but it feels amplified. As a result, my previous sewing plans feel irrelevant. That is also usual for me. Lol. I don’t mind making plans, but I don’t care for sticking to them. Regardless, here we go:

I’m in the throws of a love affair with Liberty Tana lawn. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? YES. This fabric is gorgeously printed, a pleasure to sew, and a delight to wear. It takes details and pleats and ruffles beautifully. I’m planning on sewing a modified version of vintage McCall’s 9437, a Laura Ashley nightgown I have sewn before, and that I love. I’d like to add some fussy little details here and there. I wear my white linen version as a dress, which I plan to do again.

I have previously dismissed the robe from this envelope because of the absurdly wide shoulders, but wow, it’s growing on me. I would make maybe a 3” narrow shoulder adjustment? But I can see myself sewing it to wear as a dress. Just wanted to commit that to writing before I forget.

As long as we’re talking about nightgowns and narrow shoulder adjustments….I present to you vintage New Look 6163. I have sewn the middle version as a blouse before, which taught me that this requires major surgery to suit my personal preferences. The pattern is wildly voluminous - large amounts of fabric can be removed and it remains flowing and billowy.

I’ve had this poly/cotton broadcloth fabric in my stash for a few years now. It is from Nur Jahan fabrics on Fulton, and it was very inexpensive. I sewed a dress out of the pink colorway of this same print. That pink dress has been so loved and well worn that is is basically in tatters. I went back for more of that pink fabric, but they only had the blue. I bought it, but I don’t like the color blue. There, I said it. So that’s the only thing holding me back. Maybe I’ll use this fabric, or maybe I’ll find something else. If it weren’t for the color, the weight and drape of this fabric would be ideal for this pattern.

This fabric is a new acquisition from Fabric Mart Fabrics. It is a lightweight cotton/linen blend, and it is lovely! It’s blue adjacent, and I had imagined it being more green. So I might dye it, or I might roll with it. Either way, the weight and drape/crispness is wonderful. It’s quite light, but opaque. I was thinking of using it for some smocking or other fabric manipulation. I think this pattern lends itself to shirring with elastic thread. I have a lot of that thread for some reason! So I might make a modified View C of McCall’s M7946 with big puffy sleeves.

I’ve mentioned wanting to try some fabric manipulation techniques, and this book has been a big influence! Fabric Manipulation by Ruth Singer is a great volume for your sewing techniques library. I’ve been obsessed with Horror Vacui, the fashion line out of Munich, which lead me to pull out this book. So many of the techniques used on those dresses are demonstrated in this book. The photographs, illustrations, and written instructions are fantastic.

Here’s a peek inside! If you enjoy handiwork, I think you’d love this book. I’ve been getting super inspired just flipping through it.

And finally, let’s end on a casual note. I’ve had this linen/rayon blend from Joann’s fabrics for few years. I bought it in Rhode Island when I was visiting my friend Lizzy. She always takes me to Joann’s! I love the color of this fabric, but I’ve never been able to settle on anything for it. I finally realized I’d like to make overalls, with the addition of some ruffles along the edge of the bib.

I’ve sewn Kwik Sew K4138 twice before. As always with patterns by Kerstin Martensson, the drafting and instructions are great and would work very well for a beginner. That being said, there is way too much ease in the legs of the overalls, specifically the inner legs. So it needs a bit of tweaking. I love the look of the Burnside Bibs, with one huge BUTT. As someone whose waist is much smaller than their butt/hips, having fabric bunched and gathered at the lower back is my worst nightmare - it’s literally what I am trying to avoid with sewing my own clothes. So while there are a lot of elements of this pattern I’d like to use, I need to work out how to approach that design detail. I like elements of both of these patterns, and I am happy that neither one requires overalls buckles, which I don’t have on hand. So I’d like to figure out some blend of the two that will work for my body and personal style.

Ok. Those are my current plans. Only time will tell if I stick with them! Are you still sewing? Have your preferences changed to reflect changes in your lifestyle? Regardless, I hope you are staying safe and cozy. #stayhomeandsew! XO Martha