The new fashion season

In and out of the car the other day, I caught parts of a story on "Bush Telegraph" on the different number of seasons experienced in different parts of Australia, and how far removed they are from the traditional Winter, Summer, Autumn, Spring.  This got me thinking about my wardrobe (because everything comes back to clothes and sewing, in the end, doesn't it?).  I had not got around to completing my Marfy pants, partly because I had no need for them.  In many other places, loose-fitting, white linen pants would be considered a summer wardrobe item, perhaps even a summer staple.  Not here.  Not this year.

It has been too wet.  Too many puddles.  Too much mud.  They are too long to be worn with plastic thongs.

Today I received a Country Road winter catalogue in the mail.   I was momentarily confused, seriously.  I tried to remember what month we were in.  I wondered if it was a Sale catalogue.  Why were they sending me this?  The brain moves slowly these days and it eventually dawned on me that it is March and the start of the Fall fashion season in the Southern Hemisphere.

Where I live, some years we have the Wet and the Dry.  Not always.  Some years we have the "Hot & Disgustingly Humid" and the "Hot & Sunny" seasons. 

Anyway.  Enough Babble.  I finished the pants and here they are.  I think they look much better in real life.  I got a lot of compliments on this outfit, which totally confirms my belief that the image in my head is far more accurate than the one that the camera shows me.  As I explained to my sister recently, I am a pear masquerading as a column.  These pants make me feel column-like; I just need my photographer to capture that feeling.
 

Some lifted t-shirts shots to show more detail.  I really must remember not to waste time on waist details when I never tuck shirts in.  I don't need to provide close-ups, now that I know you all blow up my pictures looking for imperfections!!  (Really, did you think I would show you all the bodgy bits of my dress?) The linen is a twill weave and I wouldn't be surprised if I found it was actually a linen / silk blend.

 

I have actually lost weight since I started sewing these, so they fall down a bit and are baggier than they should be.  Is that something to complain about?  Not really, I am sure they will fit perfectly again in the not-so-distant future.  I am not happy with the buckle.  It is just basted in until I find one that I like better. I would like to do a PR for these pants, but it is so long since I started them, I can't really remember what I did, although there are a couple of construction posts, if you are interested (here and here).  I'm pretty happy with the skin-coloured lining of pockets and yokes as the show-through is minimal.  Yay for me!

Things have been a little topsy-turvy here this year, so not much sewing has been done.  I did whip up this little top though.  I was trying to decide between a drapy, trendy-but-unflattering tank or an old stand-by Simplicity sleeveless top.  I was holding the fabric in front of the mirror, trying to decide, when I had an epiphany and decided on a cowl top. 

 

 I sat on the floor and started cutting straight away, using my tank pattern to guide me.  To work out how wide and deep to make the cowl, I just held the fabric against my shoulders in the mirror until I was happy with the shape.  This is not a highly accurate method, so I had to take it up at the shoulders and it is still a little low, but oh well.  The weight of the necklace holds it in place and I actually own a blue bra, bought in the days when I was a 14A, which is even harder to find than a 12A, and I bought whatever I could find.

What I forgot to do was lower the centre front hem and true the hem curve so that it interesected the fold at a right angle.  If you copy my bodgy method, shown in the photographs above, please remember to do this.

This fabric is a gorgeous rayon from EmmaOneSock.  So gorgeous that I knew what I wanted to do with the scraps before I even cut out my top.  A singlet and knicker set for my daughter.  The singlet is an Ottobre pattern and the knickers are a Jalie pattern.  The knickers stretch a lot, so the picture is a little deceiving...the singlet is quite fitted, not A-line.

I finally photographed them this afternoon, which she is very happy about, because now she is wearing them snuggled up in bed.  She informs me that they fit perfectly.  This makes me happy.  I was embarrased to wear knickers my Mum made when I was a child (sorry Mum), but she seems to wear the ones I make her in preference to the shop-bought ones.