GETRUNTAH

I usually love the gradual creeping in of Autumn, with a little nip in the air and the beautiful changes of colour all around. However, right now in South East UK the summer has definitely sodded off and Autumn has crept in with a damp, soggy, lack of ceremony. Still, we can always cheer ourselves up by making a fabulous, useful new handmade garment! Today Id like to share with you what I intend to rustle up over the next few months.

The reason I havent called this post Autumn/Winter Sewing Plans, is that I expect all these garments will see wear throughout the year, not just in A/W. All the pieces Im planning should be layer-able and  to be worn in a variety of outfit combos. Im all about maximum wardrobe versatility! Plus, if youre not from or living in the UK, Ill let you into a little secret: the weather here isnt really that bad. The reason why British people are known for moaning so much about it is its unpredictability. MI5 may well be onto me now.... Most other parts of the globe get way more extreme weather of some form or another, but generally most places know what to expect for their season or climate. Here, you can plan a BBQ in July and have it ruined by rain, or you can plan a Novembers day at the indoor soft-play or cinema and find it deserted because its suddenly turned bright and lovely outside. Generally, the rule of thumb is: if its nice GET THE HELL OUTSIDE, it may cloud over by the afternoon. 

When it comes to sewing, I am reluctant to state my intended projects as I hate to be tied to my plans, even if its only myself who will be holding me to account. However, Im super excited (at the moment) about each of the following, perhaps even enough to see them all through to completion! Im keeping my sewing projects for Dolores completely spontaneous and commitment-free, so hopefully I can it both ways (planned and unplanned) for a while. Heres what Ive been cooking up...

This will be my third attempt at the Wiksten Tova Top/Dress pattern. I wear my grey dress (now worn as a tunic) regularly, and Id love to have another shorter and lighter weight version. Ive got some gorgeously soft light-weight denim/cotton from the Fabric Godmother lined up and Im going to aim for a super neat finish as I want this garment to be something I keep for years and years that improves with wear. Alright, this wont be a nippy weather garment exactly, but layered with a vest or jersey top underneath and a cardi on top, itll still count! 

I still love my 1960s Breton top (pictured above) sooo much, its almost weird. Its super comfy, but also feels fairly stylish. I plan to push this magic combo further still by making an even more casual version with some stripy French terry that I was kindly given by the Fabric Godmother. 

Having recently started teaching at Wendy Wards MIY Workshop in Brighton, Im becoming better acquainted with her products and I really fancy having a bash at the MIY Collection Brightside Shrug. This is a similar shape to a lovely emerald knit shrug that I scored in a charity shop that I wear quite a lot, and something similar in a different colour would be really useful.

My first and second versions of Gerties easy knit skirt pattern have been real successes, and I like wearing both more than any other skirt I have ever owned. Im hoping Ive got some more suitable knit fabric lurking in my stash for another (hopefully black...).  

The Papercut Patterns Waver Jacket is the most recent addition to my sewing plans. I think this pattern is hasnt been out for long, and when I saw it, I knew it was the pattern I had been waiting for to make a much-needed and longed for rain jacket. Thanks to my sponsor Sewbox.co.uk, a copy is winging its way to me as I type. I cannot wait to get cracking on this one, and show you the amazing fabric I have in store for it! Until its finished, Im going to keep it a secret....

What about you? Do you have a few plans in the pipeline? Do you feel like me, in that you are often reluctant to share your plans out loud in case you change your mind? 

When I was figuring out my nippy weather sewing plans, I really should have included a plan for something like this: a warm under-garment. As much as I like my denim Tova top and as pleased as I am to own it, it turns out that nippy weather wear it is NOT! This, however, IS. 

This is my third go at the Tilly and the Buttons Agnes knit top pattern, and Im confident that it wont be my last. The Agnes top is actually very similar to my early attempts at self-drafting a knit top pattern, but its just so perfect that I doubt Ill ever return to my self-drafted efforts again. Having learnt from the fit of my previous versions, this time I used a size 3, grading out from the armpit to a size 4 for the rest of the sleeve. I knew this would result in a snug fitting garment, but as this is intended to be underwear, that was what I was looking for. When I say snug, I mean snug: I not sure youre ready for this jelly so I avoided sharing a modelled shot of this garment! 

The Agnes already has a fairly wide neckline, but I omitted the neckband in favour of a decorative elastic finish to make the neckline wider still. I did this to avoid it peeking out from whatever Im wearing on top. 

This knit fabric had been burning a hole in my stash for about the last four years! For a while I was planning to use it to make a cropped, short sleeve Jenna cardi, but A) I wasnt sure thered be quite enough, B) I think a tiny summer cardi would see so little wear throughout the year that I wasnt sure I could justify using this fabric on that project, and C) I hate wearing white. I considered dyeing this fabric red, but was worried about getting an even result so I ended up doing nothing with it.

I dont know what the hell it is, or even how to adequately describe it, other than its fairly thick with a floral design/texture somehow knitted into it. Any ideas? Basically, it looks like its designed for thermal garments. Hey, I never claimed to be reinventing the wheel here. When I realised that a warm layerable under-t-shirt would help my current clothing selection limp along til Spring, I knew where to look. 

The cotton lace elastic that I used round the neckline was kindly given to me by my lovely blog sponsor, Textile Garden. At time of writing I couldnt find it on their site so they may have sold out. Its really special stuff so hopefully theyll be getting more in soon, otherwise you could drop them an email in case they still have a stash somewhere. I applied it by gently stitching it to the right side of the garment neckline with a lightning flash stitch, then I flipped the bottom elastic part to the inside of the neckline and secured it in place with a tiny zigzag so only the lace part peeks out. The whole thing stretched out a little through handling but a healthy dose of steam from my iron did the trick and made everything sit as it should. 

The aim of this garment is to bring some of my garments back into regular rotation that would otherwise be hiding until Spring. It has succeeded in that I have been wearing my anchor applique remade sweatshirt, but sadly even this wide neckline is visible underneath my 1960s Breton top.