Pattern Work: Fabric Choice for a Test Garment - Who's Sukey?

I'm altering a new-to-me shirt pattern and making a test garment for the pattern from this pretty "Mums and Marigolds Birds and Berries" fabric. I've named my newest shirt creation "Sukey" in honor of the fabric's designer, Susan Winget. I love that Susan nickname. It's rather old-fashioned like the fabric itself.

Vintage Flared Trousers - Alley Cat Inspired - Betsey Johnson - Mid Weight Denim

Back in the early 70's - We sewed  flared trousers with front pleats and high waists.
Designer Betsy Johnson's Alley Cat label exemplified this look. I was in high school then, and I sewed a lot of  Alley Cat patterns.

McCalls 6403 - May be out of print, but several online vendors still sell this pattern

It's really fun to recreate this now vintage look, by altering a favorite trouser pattern, I've used for five or six pair of long pants and shorts. Back in August I created my first flared leg version - Floribunda Bouquet's black linen  pants. I found myself reaching into the armoire for those cropped - ankle  pants again and again in the late summer and fall. In my Enchanted by Sewing audio podcast  for August, in the techniques/technicos section, I talked about how I added the flares. You can listen to this 'cast directly on the web, or download it from iTunes.

http://enchantedbysewing.blogspot.com/2016/08/ench-by-sew-46-ready-set-sew-sewing.html

McCalls 6403 - Pleated Front Trousers

Made up in mid-weight denim  -  Full length - Flare added at both inseam and side seam
(Yes - I hope to take a bigger photo and update this posting)

Ench By Sew-36: Fiona, the Irish Laurel Dress

Dress creation brings out the romantic in me. When I looked ahead to my summer sewing, I thought if I could sew only one garment for the season, it would be a dress. Fiona, the Irish Laurel dress, satisfied my yearning to design and sew the perfect summer frock.

Hey let’s listen to the show! To do that you can either download the ‘cast from iTunes - Click on this link to iTunes  , 
*OR* listen directly on the web, by clicking on this link
* * *

This dress was a very satisfying project for my arty romantic style. 

In between sewing summer essentials - shorts and tees - I worked off and on to determine what design lines spoke to me about summer, mock up a miniature sloper pattern to test my ideas, draft a pattern from my sloper, and then finally to sew up Fiona, while summer was still on!

* Pensamientos Primeros - Thinking through my idea for this summer dress
     - Part 1 - Planning Fiona
        - Part 2 - Farewell to Summer Romancing Fiona, the Irish Laurel Dress  

*Technicos - Pattern Drafting and Kissing Zipper using a Prick Stitch

*Pensamientos Finales - Fiona's Design Lines have roots in my own history

Finians Rainbow was a modern American fairy tale. It expressed late 1960's dreams for racial harmony and folks coming together. Fred Astaire (Finian McLonigan) and Petula Clark(his daughter Sharon) added in the romance of America seen, and idealized, fresh from Irish eyes. The story of Finian's determination to plant himself a crop of Irish gold, intertwined with romance of countryside and a new happpily-ever-after love for Sharon draws me in as well today as it did when I was a kid who'd only recently arrived in a new place myself. Any wonder that the movie's costumes inspire my pattern work and sewing today?

Visit Me Encanta Coster/Enchanted by Sewing - my regular sewing blog for other summer sewing I enjoyed along the way... in between time spent bringing Fiona to life

Gypsy Rose Lee Tree Gown - Enchanted by Charles James

In my recent Enchanted by Sewing audio/podcast "Enchanted by Charles James",
I talked about seeing this gorgeous "Tree" gown designed to highlight Gypsy Rose Lee's curves.

Listen to the show, then see what they've got to say about this beauty in the Metropoliton's Collection.

Enchanted by Sewing - Enchanted by Charles James http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2015/08/ench-by-sew-35enchanted-by-charles.html

Tree Gown at the Met http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/159583