The Best Laid Plans

My plan is to sew everything I wear, including underwear.  Ridiculously ambitious? Yes.  In this regard, I prefer the cheesy self-help-ness of “Always aim for the Moon, even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars” to Robert Burns’ more poetic (and rather more Scottish):

The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men,
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!

(Read that aloud.  You will find the meaning clear.)

I am fairly boring in how I dress, and very much have a uniform.  My uniform has developed, mostly sub-consciously, because I prefer comfort and practicality to style, and I don’t like fuss in my clothes.  I tend to do odd things, like leap stairs four at a time, and I need my clothes to permit me to do that.  That’s not to say I won’t be distracted by, and covet, the pretty, the impractical and the down-right unsuitable (for me).

This is what I plan to make in the near future(*):

(* “Near Future” means the next 12 months or thereabouts, perhaps longer. I can re-assess this plan.)

Clothes

Tops

• Colette Sorbetto tops, with sleeves.  I rarely wear sleeveless tops. But maybe a few sleeveless ones as well.  I do live in Australia, after all.
• Alma tops: cap, short and long sleeves.  They’re gorgeous and seem almost perfect for work.
• Waist coats (vests): work ones and casual ones.
• Transitional warm outer (vest and jacket of sorts): I want to make Views B and D from McCalls B5394.  A is just silly.
• Button-through shirts (long and short sleeves).  I am going to get these to work for me.  I have signed up to the Craftsy course The Classic Tailored Shirt.  I listen to it while sewing other things.  This counts! (You know, learn by osmosis.)

McCalls B5394

Bottoms

• Running shorts (I think I can draft my own pattern for these! But it’s gonna have pockets. Oh, yes indeed. In which case, | will follow Rachel’s tutorial for in-seam pockets.)
• Thurlow shorts
• Thurlow trousers (a work pair and a casual pair. I told you this was an ambitious plan.)
• Other trousers: Maybe the Colette Clovers? I do not yet own this pattern.
• Leggings: I like this leggings pattern a lot. I would not, however, make them in white. Lordy me. No, no, no.  I do not yet own this pattern.

Ooh La leggings by Papercut Patterns

Dresses

• Wrap dress (for work). Currently I have this pattern and it’s half cut out, but I’m not quite persuaded. I might need a different pattern.
• Sewn Square One Go Anywhere dress. This could be an excellent work dress. I do not yet own this pattern.

Go Anywhere Dress by Sewn Square One

• Tshirt dress (casual). I can modify the Renfrew pattern to make this work for me. Of course I can.
• Tiramisu dress by Cake Patterns (work and nice-casual, me thinks). I am patiently awaiting the arrival of my pre-ordered pattern.  It might replace the Vogue wrap dress pattern!  (It’s okay. I know it’s only a fake wrap dress.  This is probably safer for me anyway: see “leaping stairs four at a time.”)
• Eva dress (for casual days at work and for “occasions,” whatever they be).  I like that Your Style Rocks issue their PDF patterns in large format size for printing at the copy shop.  FYI – it costs $3.69 per A0 sized page at Officeworks.  You can organise it all online (upload file etc) and then go into the store to pick it up (or have it delivered to you).
• Sewaholic Cambie dress (for those “occasions” again; although I think I am suffering from Cambie fatigue. There are too many on the internet and I’m not certain I want to make this anymore. At least, not as certain as I was. I think. I’ve put off buying the pattern, again. I need to mull some more.)

Eva Dress by Your Style Rocks

• The StyleArc Mia dress. I know this is irrational but their faceless drawings really put me off. I have not yet been able to bring myself to buy the pattern because of that faceless drawing, and also because there are no pictures of the pattern sewn up, only line drawings. Makes me nervous.  They also have a heap of trouser patterns that I am tempted by (particularly the Willow Pant and the Katherine Pant. But that faceless drawing. Eek!)

Look – it’s creepy. (It’s so creepy, I almost can’t bear to put this into the post. I’m going to shut my eyes and scroll down.)

Mia Dress by Style Arc

Other non-clothing things

• Luggage tags
• Zipper pouches
• A pencil wrap for my partner (button holing practice!)
• More bags. Lots of bags.

Will I succeed in making them all? Undoubtedly not. But I’m gonna have a hell of a time trying.