Miss Cora Loves Liberty: Simplicity 2215

Good evening, friends! I just returned home from The Great Danielson Phoenix Adventure - a trip filled with adorable babies (well, one, but she's a doozy:- my cousin's brand new Lovely Little Kate), family bonding (i.e.: overly competitive Scrabble matches) and general Christmas merriment. It was, unfortunately, not filled with sewing. I just couldn't face dragging my sewing machine through airport security. Think of the lines! Think of the TSA agents poking the bobbin winder! It just wouldn't do.

Though I briefly contemplated begging my parents to take it on their drive out, I decided a week without sewing wouldn't kill me. It didn't - quite. Luckily, I did have a new toy to mitigate the withdrawals. My mother, in all her infinite awesomeness, gave me a Nikon P7000 for Christmas! She's the coolest, I know. The Nikon is one of the three cameras I've been dithering between for the last month - a higher end point & shoot with lots of manual options. It is amazing. If one could legally marry a camera, I'd seriously consider it.

So, what project should I shoot first? I went with a dress that's gone unphotographed for far too long, my Liberty Tana Lawn version of Simplicity 2215, a pattern previously blogged about in seersucker. I adore this dress. The lawn is an awesome vintage Liberty print, all autumnal hues of red, green, brown, and gold.

Isn't it dishy? The feel of it is even better - so soft, it's like buttah. Y'all, I might actually have a problem now. Once you sew Liberty, how can anything else possibly hold a candle? If I ever win the lottery, I will sew nothing but, I promise you now. As for the pattern itself - surprise! - I still love it. You know how I feel about shirt-dresses, after all...

First new camera shot! Isn't it great? Let's all just swoon together, shall we?

Unbelted! I like it better belted, as it feels just a little Maria von Trapp without one.

Bodice! The buttons are a light wood of some sort, which were the result of a harrowing trip to the JoAnn Fabrics button aisle. There was a lot of angst. In the end, I liked how these mostly blend in, while still giving a nature girl vibe to the whole dress.

So, that's it. New camera! Liberty! General dress love! It was a good Christmas. How were your holidays, friends? Any new sewing gadgets or great fabrics waiting for you under the tree?

Autumn in Central Park: Fall Palette 2011

Over the weekend, I designed my palette for Colette's fall challenge. I'm a bit of a seasonal purist, when it comes to color palettes. For summer, I love bright primaries, whereas in spring it's all pastels and florals. During autumn? I live for a jewel tone.

Ruby, sapphire, and amethyst are my seasonal favorites. Whether in wools, crisp poplins, or all together in a tartan print, they make me long for pumpkin pie and falling leaves. Making up a palette inspiration board was a no-brainer. Except...my inspiration focus is embarrassing, friends. You see, when I think plaids, cute coats, and wool skirts my mind goes to one person. Blair Waldorf.

Yes. My fall palette is inspired by everyone's favorite Gossip Girl villainess. I know what you're thinking: Why is a twenty-six year old woman modeling her wardrobe after a CW character? Because she has the best clothes ever, of course. She sashays around in New York in bright, structured coats and all-American layers of cashmere sweaters, tights and dresses. Feel free to judge, kittens. As it is, this season I will be sewing up Blair-inspired pieces. I may even bust out a bow-bedecked headband or two.

[Click picture to enlarge!]

Palette details:

• Color choices: It really is all about a jewel tones. I suppose you could call these colors by different names, but for my purposes they are: ruby, citrine, amethyst, sapphire, and - er - chocolate. (I know topazes can be brown, but I still think yellow. We're going with Hershey here.)
  
• Fabrics: I'm planning to use a lot of wools and cotton flannels this fall. Luckily, most of these are already in my stash. I've been hoarding cold-weather fabrics for an age now, hoping the universe would get the hint and send us cooler weather. There's also a plum circle lace, from Mood, which I planned to use in the summer, but never got around to sewing up. I'm thinking it would make a divine Peony dress, underlined with a cream voile.
  
• Garments: It's going to be all about circle skirts and basic dresses for me. I'm planning to kick my print habit a bit, by using some dreamy solid fabrics on some of my favorite patterns. Expect to see a few shirt dresses and other items which are easily layered.

Have you come up with your palette yet, or perhaps even started fall sewing? I refuse to start in on autumn pieces, until the thermometer dips below 85, but I'm loving the cozy creations appearing elsewhere.

Why, What A Challenging Season

Oh, friends. I'm so very excited. It's fall!

Well, that's a lie. Today in Austin, it's supposed to be 102 degrees. Not exactly the crisp autumnal weather one expects. But I'm sure we'll be wearing sweaters by Halloween. Surely. Only 2 months to go! Here's the thing - even if it's still hot as blazes here, we're ready for a change. We may be wearing tank tops and espadrilles, but we're wishing for wool skirts and boots. In that vein, I'm turning my sewing focus to a fall wardrobe.

Luckily, there are a few sewing challenges beginning that have this very thing in mind. There's the Colette Fall Palette Challenge, the cozier twin of the challenge held this past spring, where participants pick a palette for autumn and sew a capsule wardrobe over 10 weeks. Additionally, Alessa, Ali, and Sarah are hosting The Fall Essentials Sew-Along, whose participants aim to sew lovely fall necessities, such as warm skirts and layering blouses. Finally, to really kick fall off correctly, it's Self-Stitched-September! SSS isn't technically a sew-along, as the rules are really more of a wear-along, but it's a good time to add some much-needed basics to a wardrobe.

It may be a bit mad, but I'm undertaking all three. (Okay, the madness factor is greatly reduced when one considers how well these three overlap. I shall be sewing Fall Essentials in a Fall Palette, it appears.) There is one caveat, however: I'm starting a bit later. Like I may have have mentioned, it's a bit hot here and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. So, I'm giving myself a fall sewing reprieve until later this September. I may work up a few transitional pieces, but I'm going to mainly use this time to finish out some projects for the rest of summer. Specifically, the Austin City Limits Music Festival is in a few weeks' time and I need some ACL-friendly outfits. Over the past 10 years of attending, I've learned well. Sitting in a field for three days, baking in one-hundred degree weather, requires the most strategic clothing possible - normally light, flowy dresses and giant sunglasses in my case. Expect to see your fill of those, before plaid wool skirts take over the blog.

So, friends, are you joining in on any of these great challenges? If so, I can't wait to see your creations and self-stitched finery! Have you started thinking palettes and plans yet? If so, what sort of inspiration are you drawing on for the fall?

My first SSS '11 post will be up later this afternoon. Now, if only I could figure out what to wear...