Two Birds, One Stone.

I had big ideas for Rochelle and Tasha's September SAL, Fall For Cotton. I'd narrowed down my patterns and started dreaming about the fabrics I'd use to sew.  Then, Mike and I made a big decision and started loading our belongings into boxes. All the yarn, all the fabric, is packed and stacked in moving boxes in our living room while we wait to close on our new house in the suburbs.  There has been a good deal of stress. A fair amount of mixed emotions. And, a lot of anxiety over this change. That's not to say there hasn't been excitement and anticipation; the dogs, in particular, are overjoyed to learn they will have a yard. We will have much more space than we do currently, which means a designated sewing/knitting area. And, Mike will have 1/3 the commute he has endured since we moved to Chicago.

I couldn't handle any more "new" happening in my life. I decided to turn my attention to older projects, tying up loose ends, if you will. 

Early summer, I was fabric shopping when I fell in love.  I was certain I needed to make something with the fabric the instant I saw it.  I just didn't know what. A dress? A blouse? Shorts? Or, perhaps, all of the above? I purchased 6 yards of fabric and turned to my pattern stash. I chose a dress, a blouse, and a shorts pattern. Then I selected a coordinating blouse and skirt pattern and complimenting fabrics to pair with the separates I intended to make. 

I made the dress promptly. Later in the summer,  I set to work on the remaining projects I'd planned. Then, I ran into a snafu with my shorts. Progress stopped. My original goal was to finish my capsule wardrobe and post these projects in a series to show how one fabric works in variety of situations. In order to follow-through, I need to get these garments completed before it's too cold to photograph shorts! 

Coincidentally, all of the fabrics I'd chosen to work with are cotton. Rather than not participate in Fall for Cotton, I decided to use it as an incentive to get this outfit finished. 

My favorite element of this blouse is the rolled tie collar. The pattern instructs the sewer to hand baste an enclosed loop of fabric at the top of the button band. This little piece helps the ties to lay beautifully crisscrossed at the neckline without a bulky or unruly knot. I took great care to match my plaid on the side seams and across the button band; I'm very pleased that I spent the extra time to line them up. 

There's a mash-up of eras represented in this ensemble: the fabrics are contemporary, the skirt pattern is from the 70's, the blouse pattern is from the 50's, and, my best guess is, the buttons are from the 40's.  I planned this to be a summer outfit, but it was cool yesterday, so I put on some tights and my Grace cardigan; this is easily transitions into a fall weather appropriate look! BONUS! 

In addition to the quickly approaching SAL deadline, I had extra motivation to get these garments sewn. Sunday afternoon I had the pleasure of gathering with some incredibly talented ladies (Around the table L toR: Me, Mari, Sally, Debbie, Gail, Meg, Narayani, and  Liz).

We shopped for fabrics at Textile Discount Outlet,  and got to know each other better over lunch after we swapped patterns and fabrics. It was my first meetup. I had a wonderful time and am looking forward to future gatherings and adventures! 

And, there you have it! I know, this is a whole lot crammed into a single post.  I want to send a HUGE thank you to Tasha and Rochelle for hosting the SAL! There's still time to participate, if you'd like to join the fun! See the challenge rules and deadlines: HERE. Also, if you are looking for some wonderful blogs to follow, I will vouch that all of these women are as delightful as they are talented. 
CHECK THESE LADIES OUT! 
Meg 
Mari
Sally
Debbie
Gail
Liz