November results (or lack thereof) and new fabrics

I got a few projects close to being finished last month, but nothing completely done.

• The Kwik-Sew rayon georgette dress still needs hemming, and needs the bow piece attached assuming I'm using it (I probably am, though I may not do a bow as such... more on that later.)
• The copy of the black bag in tapestry fabric needs, at least, the shell and lining to be topstitched together around the upper edge. I may need to clean up some of the existing topstitching as well; I was fighting my machine a bit to get it to sew with the very heavy thread I used.
• A knit cardigan I've been working on for weeks; all the main pieces now exist and need to be sewn together, and after that I have to decide whether it needs any borders, closures, etc.

So the only things that count as coming out of my stash for that month are the two fabrics I used for the bag, for a mere 1.667 yards.

As for what's gone into stash, boy howdy. Here's a preview:


Fuzzy wool bouclé knit, Chinese brocade, the lining for the aforementioned bag, wool georgette, wool challis print, eight Bemberg linings, and embroidered organza. With the exception of the bag lining (from Dressew) all of these came from the apparently soon-to-close Gala Fabrics location on South Granville. The total is... uh... in excess of 31 yards. Maybe not quite, since I did use up some of that bag lining, but still, it's a net addition of nearly 30 yards, and there'll be more for December. I need to get going.

October results

To get this out of the way: October was a net stash gain month, and I completed only the Schnittquelle Oslo coat. I'm going to consider the boiled wool in question gone.

I do still need to swatch from the scraps for my shopping swatchbook, and it's possible there are enough scraps that I could make a hat or something. On the other hand, it's probably little enough that I wouldn't feel bad if I didn't use it. That's 2.22 yards out.

Incoming:

1. A cut of navy linen from Fabrics Etc., 2.56 yards 58" wide. Should be more than enough for trousers.
2. Gray-violet mystery-synthetic jacquard from one of the Our Social Fabric sales, 3.69 yards 44" wide. The thought was to use this to line some sort of raincoat, though I don't have fabric for such a thing yet. It survived washing and drying with no trouble, so I presume it isn't acetate.
3. Moleskin print from the same sale, 2 yards 44", for a skirt. It's a nice weight with a satin back, and seems not to cling at all. It must be synthetic, which is just as well for wet weather IMO.
4. Silk charmeuse from the same sale, 2.19 yards 42", for I-don't-know-what-yet.

That's 10.44 yards in, for a net +8.22.

In other news, today I graded down the Butterick Retro '36 skirt pattern I mentioned yesterday (I have a copy that's a too-big size range, either because I thought I was that size at the time, or more likely because it was part of a group of OOP Retro patterns I got on eBay, several of which were too big or too small.) I suspect an excessive amount of the waist shaping is being done at the side seams, but I'll have to play around with it to be sure. It remains to be seen whether I'll get that all done in time for this week's contest deadline.

Catch-up and some possibilities for what's next

I don't feel like I got a lot of sewing done in October. Schnittquelle Oslo is finished; Kwik-Sew 3473 is still sitting patiently on the dress form just as it was almost a month ago. I still need to do some inventory before I can figure out my stash turnover for last month, but certainly more came in than went out.

For November, there are a couple of Patternreview contests that I might or might not join. First, there's the sewing bee, for which the first project is an A-line skirt. I tend to avoid these, so I don't have many patterns for them; plus there are a number of other restrictions that complicate things. (Incidentally there was another meetup at Fabrics Etc. today, and I could've shopped for this if I hadn't been playing where's-my-wallet instead of reading the PR message boards this morning. But I digress.) Anyway, one I do have is Butterick 6330:

It describes itself as an A-line skirt, which I hope suffices. My plan had been to make the entire thing, i.e. also the jacket, in one of my navy suitings. That seemed like a huge commitment, but then I remembered I also have some sort of moleskin print I got from Our Social Fabric a few weeks ago, and I'd specifically meant to make just such a skirt out of it. Thing is, will it really need a lining? I'll test that out next time I'm wearing tights.

The other thing going on is the handbag contest. Now, I have this old thing from H&M:

I've never quite liked the color, and the straps have a disconcerting tendency to fall off, but the size and shape of the body have been extremely useful. So at the moment I'm working on copying the pattern, though I'll probably change some things about it. I have two upholstery fabrics that may work.

Or I may skip the contests and try to finally get the Kwik-Sew dress done.

Aside from all that, there's been a lot of rearranging and some additions to the sewing room. More on that later.

September results

I didn't get as much sewing done this month as I would have liked. Here's what I did:

1. Made two tops out of brown RPL jersey. This used up about two yards. So, at the last minute...
   
   There is no chance I would win first place, mind you; most of the entrants have sewn many more yards than I did. But there seems to be a random drawing prize, which was an incentive to write the reviews even though I'm not sure they add much. The first was from the same RTW top I'd already copied once, and the second was from Simplicity 1716, which already has dozens of reviews.
2. Cut Kwik-Sew 3473 from the "chiffon-crepe" plus lining from a dark gray Bemberg. The latter had been intended to line some black suiting, but I got rid of that when I decided I'd rather wear brown or gray than black. I had no trouble getting the entire pattern out of the shell fabric, BTW. I might have been able to cut the Bemberg with no problems if I'd bothered to do a single-layer layout; as it was, I had to cut the skirt hems an inch shorter (which might be reasonable for a lining anyway, though I need to see how the shell fabric will drop in comparison). Together, these used over 5.5 yards.

So that's 7.69 yards out, none in.

August results

• Fabric in: 12.833 yards (4 pieces). This was a rayon batik, a slubby cotton woven, and two pieces of Tencel twill. The first two were from Fabricana and the last two from Gala Fabrics.
• Fabric out: 4.416 yards (3 pieces). This was the cotton lawn I used for a sleeveless blouse, plus two knits I used for the Patternreview TNT Tee contest. I think. Maybe I cut the lawn in July, actually.
• Projects finished: 5, namely the aforementioned sleeveless blouse, plus four knit tops.

More on all that later.  I still need to figure out what I'm doing next.

Stats for May-July

I haven't done much sewing during this time, but my stash has changed a lot.

• I acquired four pieces of silk and one of acetate (some from friends, thanks!) which amounted to 14.08 yards.
• I gave away a net 31 pieces/72.3 yards of fabric before the move, which presumably means a total of 36 pieces at 86.38 yards.
• In the past month, I cut one project, New Look 6387, using 1.11 yards. This is not far from done, but I do have to finish the hem, and decide on and finish the front closure.

Notes to self:

• I now have access to a dryer, so I feel like I can go wild get more washable but slow-drying spring and fall fabrics.
• I need to recheck what my stash reduction goals were, but it's less than half what I had since I started keeping a database. 
• I'm behind on my planned project rate. Part of the problem was that my stash was inaccessible for a month and a half. Not to mention it isn't realistic to get a lot of other things done around a move.
• Although I kind of wish I had more linens and cottons, the proportion of those in stash actually decreased. A lot of what I had was in colors I no longer prefer, so that's why. I'd also acquired some more silks and wools in good colors, because those were readily available where I was, but I'd really like to find some more rayon wovens and linen prints, among other things.

So that's out of the way. I hope I get more done this month.

March results

Projects:

• Schnittquelle Trondheim hoodie finished mid-March
• Neue Mode 22957 blouse finished a bit later in March
• Schnittquelle Malmedy jacket in progress
• Simplicity 1540 just cut

Out:

• 5.83 yards of fabric stash (I do count it as out as soon as I cut)
• Lots of clothing; certainly more than the 4 pieces I'd set as a minimum. Off the top of my head, among other things, I think this included: 
• RTW jeans, sort of a desperation purchase, never fit quite right (like most RTW) and had become much worse. Came with a belt that literally fell apart. They were bootcut and too long which I think is one of the worst combinations. What can I say, I was desperate, new to the area, and didn't know which stores had the best least worst fit.
• RTW gray jeans, also a desperation purchase, terrible fit, but such a useful color that I wore them a lot anyway, until I found a new pair that fit better.
• Likewise, taupe cords.
• Dark teal stockings (why? Some sort of costume I've forgotten about?) 

In: nothing.