Challenge 7 - Mixed Prints

My tunic won Challenge 6.  Amazing!  Thank so much to all of you that have voted for me and left encouraging comments.  This challenge is wiping me out.  There are some days I am so tired of sewing or even thinking about sewing. DH is being very understanding and supportive,  so I took a break to spend some time with him this weekend.

Challenge 7 is mixed prints

Mixed prints are a recent fashion trend. This challenge was to make an outfit of mixed prints and come up with a story on where you would wear it.  This was an excuse to delve into my fabric stash and look at the print fabrics in a whole new way. I usually store fabric by fabric content or by color schemes (great for SWAP planning). I pulled  all the prints out these storage bins and piled them on the table looking for interesting and unique pairings. It was a real challenge.

Prints can be mixed on one garment like a dress of coat or you can wear separates, each in a different print. 
 
Regarding  print separates, one style blog commented that  mixing prints  was scary,  but pointed out that once you get a handle on it and start creating combo’s you have never tried before, your wardrobe combinations and permutations increase exponentially,   you can get dressed faster and you will impress your fashion friends effortlessly. Well, I appreciate her positive spin on it.

I chose to go with the separates option so I can also wear the garments in more sedate pairing with other items in my wardrobe.  My comfort zone is mixing small scale prints, in the same color way. This is a holdover from my quilting days.  I  decided to push my comfort zone a bit in the print scale dept.  But at my age,  a motley mixed print combo  combined with a bad hair day can come perilously close to "Bag Lady" look.  So I made the garment silhouettes fitted and classic and the prints current and modern. So the outfit would look deliberately fashiony,  if you know what I mean.


Here are the prints I chose.



Prints
 

 I made three garments. Which garment from which fabric?

Patterns

  Pamela’s Pattern   - The Magic Pencil Skirt,

  Vogue 8262  OOP

Burda 7073

 

 

 

Pamela's pattern Magic Pencil Skirt

 

 

 

 

Burda 7073

vogue 8262

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where am I going to wear this outfit?

 

Where am I going to wear this outfit?  The Visual Art Studio (VAS) Patrons Preview later this month.  I have taken many classes at the VAS over the years. Rug hooking, stained glass, shibori dying, and several in pattern drafting and design. My DH and I also make charitable donations to this organization, which are matched by both our employers. This bumps us up to the patron category that gets invited to art sale  previews, events that attract an eclectic crowd who dress in unique garments  and jewelry. I will probably be one of the more conservative dressed attendees. But maybe I will find some fabulous jewelry, just when someone would appreciate a holiday gift suggestion for me.

 

The last challenge was announced.  3 pieces that can be worn together as one outfit or two outfits.

Argg, didn't I just sew that.  So tired.........

SWAP Pattern Switch

I switched to Vogue 8262 as my SWAP wardrobe pattern. It includes an unlined 'Jacket", an A-line skirt and pants. All very easy to sew. I have made the jacket before and I wear it as a blouse, both tucked in or worn out. The reason for switching wardrobe patterns so late in the game; the neckline/collar of the jacket from the original wardrobe pattern doesn't work well with any collared tops. I didn't like being limited to scoop neck tops for my SWAP. I plan to make a different jacket that is not part of a wardrobe pattern. So my wardrobe pattern had to include 3 pieces that fit into my SWAP, and that were quick to sew. There are a couple more weeks to finish all the SWAP garments. One of which I will be spending in the Cayman Islands without a sewing machine. I would really prefer to be sewing summer clothes for the vacation. In particular, I have been studying a picture of a Gottex bathing suit and seriously thinking about trying to duplicate it. It would be nice if I could make my body duplicate the model's, sigh! I am trying to use up leftover 2007 vacation days, so I took Friday off and had a long weekend. I made the skirt and jacket from the new wardrobe pattern. The jacket is from a polyester print. I liked the print so much; it overrode my aversion to the fabric content. The skirt is made from a remnant of wool I purchased last weekend in St Michaels, MD. (See Mom, sometimes I do sew up fabric without aging it in my stash.)