I Need More Days in August, Please!

Hi!  I’m Lori.  Veterinarian, mom to a nearly 3 year old son, and wife of a dairy farmer in small town Ontario, Canada by day, and sewist since I was 12 years old by night and weekend.  I’m excited to be involved in the Sewcialists Tribute Month inspiration series.  When I think about who inspires me as a seamstress so many many amazing people come to mind it was hard to narrow things down.  But here goes!

photo credit Ooobop

Having read oopbop from the beginning, I am torn in choosing just one tribute project in Janene’s style.  Janene’s Self-Drafted Waxed Print Dress (top right) could work in the blue, green and pink floral and circle bark cloth from my stash (top left).  I don’t have quite enough fabric to guarantee her Zena Warrior Princess print placement, but I’ll give it my best effort. As a complete sucker for a halter dress, I could make this swoon worthy First Summer Dress of 2013 (bottom left) with its Liz Taylor-esque bodice, crossed back straps and the dirndl skirt Janene swapped in for Simplicity 2442’s original skirt.  Done in the parasol lawn (bottom right) I’d be in wannabe vintage heaven.  The only problem is what to wear as a bra underneath it.

photo credit Katie Makes A Dress

That brings me to Katie at Katie Makes A Dress.  Her bra and knicker making talents and her willingness to show us what they look like on, leave me in awe of her. This Esplanade Bra (top left) could potentially work under Janene’s dress for me, if I can get over my concern that maybe a strapless bra isn’t the place to start my bra making adventures.  Or there are these lingerie sets she binge made (centre) if I want to start a little slower.  I already have the Marlborough Bra pattern and I have a kit of all the bits and bobs you need to make a bra and that lovely red rayon could work if it was underlined.  As a tribute to Katie, I want to make underwear that fits and flatters. Katie’s  post about her Tilly and the Buttons Rosa Dress (bottom left) kills me when she talks about even having made her undies and drawing attention to the projection of her right boob.  That statement combined with my husband’s comment that it’s ‘good to show the girls off to best advantage’ had me calling my local Kwik Sew dealer to order 3594 and it got me thinking about making a Rosa Shirt Dress.  Or maybe making one like the McCall’s 6696 Katie hacked to have a side zip (bottom right) that only buttons to the waist.  I actually have that Heather Ross fabric in my stash.

photo credit Ozzy Blackbeard

In tribute to Lynn at Ozzy Blackbeard, a shirt dress would be appropriate given that she has made many, many, many … each one as lovely or lovelier than the last (top 6 photos). This is also the summer of the shirtdress, but choosing just one is the hard part.  Lynn drafts a lot of her own patterns which is something I aspire to one day, but for now I need to stick to things I can pull out of an envelop, make a few known adjustments to and go … which pushes this Sew Over It Vintage Shirtdress (middle left) to the top of the list.  I’d use the yellow and blue floral rayon (middle right).  It’s a giant floral like Lynn’s. She is also master of the self drafted button front shirt (bottom right).  Having made many men’s shirts before, I know I could handle it and I like the hexagonal fabric (bottom left) which is sort of similar to one of Lynn’s shirts.
photo credit Creating in the Gap

And if you have a lovely shirt, you need a lovely skirt to go with it.  My skirt making idol without question is Margo of Creating In The Gap.  McCalls 6706 is her jam.  She has made all. the. lovely. skirts. I want it to be my jam too.  I have some black and white Robert Kaufman Carolina Gingham (middle right) and I happen to have the pattern in question, so I see something like this skirt (middle left) in my life really soon (as well as the black lace top that goes with it).  I would also use some lace I happen to have (middle right) and pair it with my TNT Plantain Tee for a slightly different look to Margo.  This pink dress coat and this little black and white number (bottom) make me want to finally make a chic coat to wear in the cold Canadian winter.  A purple wool tartan is in the running, paired with some faux black lambskin for Margo’s black and white.  The pink … well, I’d need to go shopping for that one.

photo credit The Pug and Needle

The jacket I need need need to make, however, is this one  from Heather at The Pug and Needle – The Alina Sewing and Design Co Hampton Jean Jacket (top).  I’ve got the pattern and the kit with a lovely denim that has been prewashed twice.  I just need to carve out the time to make it happen.  There are so many of Heather’s creations I admire, and I always check in with what she has made and how it fits her to see if I like it before I make it.  I also love Heather’s cropped Blackwood Cardigan paired with her Ogden Cami, (bottom left).  Love, love, love them both.  I think the cami in this recycled rooster silk, or perhaps in this Cotton + Steel Cherry Fabric, (stacked bottom right) and I’d have a winner.  A nice soft navy jersey from my stash would go with either cami and several other things I’ve made in the past.

photo credit Emily Hallman Designs

And then with the dresses again.  Emily at Emily Hallman Designs has impeccable style and a love for gingham which I share.  These three gingham beauties would be welcome in my closet any day, but the green and red dresses are most my style and likely to be replicated in navy and white one day soon.

photo credit Crafting a Rainbow

Buffalo check is really just gingham by another name right???  Gillian at Crafting a Rainbow is one of my biggest sewing idols.  All the gorgeous knit dresses she makes made me believe I could sew with knit too.  And now I do.  There are two dresses of Gillian’s I need to make in tribute to her.  The first is the Lumber Jane Dress she made last winter.  I have finally sourced a black and red buffalo check with enough substance to work.  The second dress was the Groove Dress Gillian made during her tent dress experiments.  I have hemmed and hawed about trying one and if I could lay hands on the ITY she used or something equally statement worthy, then I would stop hesitating.

Phew!  That’s a lot of potential ideas and only a month to make any of them happen … I’m not sure where to start.  It’s a wonderful thing that the sewing community is so large and talented, and willing to share with each other, because it means if I ever get lost for ideas about what I want to sew, I can just check out some of my favourite bloggers and get inspired anew.