SWAP 2012

I am going to take the plunge.

This SWAP starts on December 26 AND you can make 2 garments ahead of time. Sew I feel A Plan coming on.

I have 2 skirts cut out and raw edges serged and one is partially sewn. Of course I may have to put them aside to make sure I get the holiday attire done on time, but then onward and upward!

The skirts are from this TNT:



View C.

I tried view B and I swear it was like looking in a fun house mirror. I was suddenly 2 feet shorter and 2 feet wider. Really scary.

I have a pretty decent working pants pattern based on this:



But have yet to finish the last test pair. And I really, really need to because I am down to one pair of dress pants for work now. Fortunately, I can wear nice khakis, but I really don't want to. I am far more comfortable in dress pants and skirts that look like part of suit.

In fact, (a topic for another day) I am completely enamored with the high-powered-attorney* look right now. (*Named/managing/ senior partner, big law.)

So the rules for this SWAP call for 7 items from this list:

Button Down Shirt w/Collar
Blouse or shirt (collar is optional)
T-Shirt
Vest
Overshirt
Dress
Jeans
Trousers
Shorts or Capri Pants
Skirt
Jacket (jean jacket, windbreaker, hoodie, etc.)
Coat (suit or sport coat)
Overcoat or Raincoat
Bathing Suit & Coverup

And 4 items to be made twice, or 1 item made 4 times, for a total of 11.

I am bound and determined to tailor my first suit jacket in the very near future and both of the aforementioned skirts have plenty of fabric left for the matching piece. So that will be another item. Hopefully I will be closer to the 8 hour jacket than not so I can make 2!

I have wanted a simple trench type coat in a fun color for YEARS. I have some sateen in the stash that is a good weight for an overcoat. One fabric is a muted rose, the other a nice teal blue.

Overall, my sewing pattern stash runneth over but I want tops that are A. business like but B. absolutely, unapologetically feminine. That means no standard button down shirts (which I currently live in).

I will have to pick some patterns for this.

So where are we on the count?

2 skirts (in process)
2 pants
1 coat (tailored suit jacket - maybe 2)
1 jacket (shirt-jacket or moto-inspired or cardigan style - have to look through my stash)
1 button front, tie neck blouse
1 gathered neck blouse similar to this



or maybe something similar to this converted to a top



or 1 blouse or shirt to be determined
1 skirt in the same fabric and the blouse or shirt above:


(The blouse pictured above does not come with this pattern. Kudos to them for styling this skirt this way because I fully plan to make a 2-piece dress!)

1 overcoat (tentative, based on the tailored jacket. I may decide I am not up for a trench coat after that, easy fusible methods or not!)

I like the classic, knee length version (without those fake flaps!):


(Hard. Basically it is a long tailored jacket.)


(Easier. But I don't think I have fabric on hand for this.)

Skirt, Pants, Coat, Jacket, Overcoat, Button Front Blouse, Other Blouse (okay. whew. I do have 7.)

Now the repeats. I have to narrow my choices above and pick which other 2 to repeat. I guess I could make 4 skirts, two from the first pattern and 2 from the second. The pants are already a planned repeat. I do love tie neck blouses. Maybe the tie neck blouse in the 2-piece dress fabric and a different fabric.

Good. Narrowing the field.

Now the second part of my personal challenge is to NOT buy any fabric for this, but "shop" from my ridiculously out of control (but sadly, poorly coordinated) stash. The 2 skirts are good fabric colors to mix and match (thank goodness!): navy blue and medium gray. I may be able to eek both pair of pants from the left over stash fabric. I am pretty sure I would even have enough of the gray to make the tailored jacket as well. If not, black or charcoal pants will work as well as gray.

Even if I "fail" at finishing the SWAP, at least I will have some kind of plan and progress for the first few months of 2012. (The end date is April 30.)

...I am looking at that blue-green chiffon and seeing a blouse that could (in theory) be worn with either the navy or the gray (this is a tropical weight wool blend whose color it is on the cool side and about the same tonal value as the periwinkle blue in the chiffon)...I do have some navy Bemberg lining in the stash that could be the underlining...

I think I had better go to bed now! I could be here planning all night.