Recent Purchases and Jackets
I can't believe it - I have not even told you about my existing purchases and plans when I have again, just today at lunchtime, gone out and instantiated yet another plan that had been sitting in the back of my mind for the last few months, uninitiated because then it would become something that sat in my room forever. Probably on the floor. But hopefully I will compile some information on that soon. I really need to make my website you know. Here's the gist of the website:
The site will be useful over the blog in that I will be able to keep all information about a particular item of clothing together, even though I may write about it, from concept to finished photos, over months, or, in some cases, even years (!). Thus, I could post a picture of the material, then some ideas, then the development all over time and as it grew people would be able to read through the progress. Currently on the blog, I am wanting to instead wait until everything is fully underway and completable in the foreseeable future before starting writing, and then it doesn't get written until afterwards, or not at all. With the website I would be able to gradually build up at each exciting stage ;). Also, it would be useful to me, to have all my ideas for projects and resources referenced on there.
The pages on the garments would have headings similar to those in the polka-dot skirt entry, and there would also be a gallery, where there are pics but not writing, which is usually the most interesting part.
At any rate, this next bit is about one of my recent purchases and theoretical plans. Strangely less advanced than the one I will post tomorrow, even though I actually have a pattern for this one.
So, we went to buy my fiancee some jeans last week, and this involved going into clothing shops. I looked in a women's shop next door to the one he was in, and browsed the suit-type jackets and trousers - I have been wanting some smart suit-type wear for some time now; it just seems right. There was something of a sale on and I was looking at things that were reduced. Jackets were still at a minimum $150, often more. And these were not even from a proper suit-selling shop, but just a fashionable clothes shop, so one might assume that the quality would not be as high as a suit from the appropriate shop. Obviously well-made things do not generally sell for $150 if they are as complicated as a jacket, but this was the lowest, sale price as well, and I am not looking for something spectacular.
Now, I haven't made any jackets (although I am trying) because they are tricky. And I don't buy patterns because they are expensive. But things are much easier to make with a premade pattern cos you don't have to make a working pattern first. But if nice jackets are that expensive, and, if the quality is similar to other similar shops, I can probably make something better for a lot cheaper, then I might as well! Even an expensive Vogue pattern ($25) - usually the nicest, hardest to make, best fitting patterns - and 2m of nice material - say $25/m - is a lot cheaper than the cheapest, on sale, possibly badly made jacket.
So this is the pattern I got:
Normally $25, but on sale half-price. I like the shape of the neckline, ie. the inside line of the collar.
Now, since it was half-price and I was already going to spend $25 anyway, I also got this one:
I like military style jackets but they seem hard to make. I thought G would like it too, and it was longer than the other one, so the two patterns provided different lengths of jacket thus providing greater usefulness.
You can probably go to the Vogue site and look up the pattern numbers for more information.
I was also looking around for material at the same time. This one was normally $18/m, but down to $8/m I think. Good deal! And it is 55% linen, 45% rayon, which is a good mix. More natural fibre, and my favourite synthetic. (Rayon invented to be like silk - so that is good. I approve. Better than polyester, etc.)
It wasn't really the formal jacket type material I was going for, in fact not like it at all, but it did seem jacket-y and good value and good material. It feels really nice and I think it would work for a jacket. Of course, I can get more material later and make a plain black one for instance, or that rough, woven wool that sort of looks ugly but works great in jackets and "English" things. (Like in the photo of the jacket in the first pattern, that can't be seen very well...) I could even use suiting! ;) I think I have some pale fabrics at home I was going to use for trousers, but pale is not could for trousers if you don't want to emphasise, umm, larger areas. :) Even if they're not that large, if they aren't small they become large in light coloured trousers.
Ruler for scale. Remember, it also feels nice - linen-y, soft and smooth to some degree, and cool. But also warm to some degree, but cool to the touch. I'm not sure what aspects of the material are influenced by the rayon, bceause it is hard to get rayon, at least that I have noticed. Just like it is hard or impossible to get all good materials here! Even rayon!
The site will be useful over the blog in that I will be able to keep all information about a particular item of clothing together, even though I may write about it, from concept to finished photos, over months, or, in some cases, even years (!). Thus, I could post a picture of the material, then some ideas, then the development all over time and as it grew people would be able to read through the progress. Currently on the blog, I am wanting to instead wait until everything is fully underway and completable in the foreseeable future before starting writing, and then it doesn't get written until afterwards, or not at all. With the website I would be able to gradually build up at each exciting stage ;). Also, it would be useful to me, to have all my ideas for projects and resources referenced on there.
The pages on the garments would have headings similar to those in the polka-dot skirt entry, and there would also be a gallery, where there are pics but not writing, which is usually the most interesting part.
At any rate, this next bit is about one of my recent purchases and theoretical plans. Strangely less advanced than the one I will post tomorrow, even though I actually have a pattern for this one.
So, we went to buy my fiancee some jeans last week, and this involved going into clothing shops. I looked in a women's shop next door to the one he was in, and browsed the suit-type jackets and trousers - I have been wanting some smart suit-type wear for some time now; it just seems right. There was something of a sale on and I was looking at things that were reduced. Jackets were still at a minimum $150, often more. And these were not even from a proper suit-selling shop, but just a fashionable clothes shop, so one might assume that the quality would not be as high as a suit from the appropriate shop. Obviously well-made things do not generally sell for $150 if they are as complicated as a jacket, but this was the lowest, sale price as well, and I am not looking for something spectacular.
Now, I haven't made any jackets (although I am trying) because they are tricky. And I don't buy patterns because they are expensive. But things are much easier to make with a premade pattern cos you don't have to make a working pattern first. But if nice jackets are that expensive, and, if the quality is similar to other similar shops, I can probably make something better for a lot cheaper, then I might as well! Even an expensive Vogue pattern ($25) - usually the nicest, hardest to make, best fitting patterns - and 2m of nice material - say $25/m - is a lot cheaper than the cheapest, on sale, possibly badly made jacket.
So this is the pattern I got:
Normally $25, but on sale half-price. I like the shape of the neckline, ie. the inside line of the collar.
Now, since it was half-price and I was already going to spend $25 anyway, I also got this one:
I like military style jackets but they seem hard to make. I thought G would like it too, and it was longer than the other one, so the two patterns provided different lengths of jacket thus providing greater usefulness.You can probably go to the Vogue site and look up the pattern numbers for more information.
I was also looking around for material at the same time. This one was normally $18/m, but down to $8/m I think. Good deal! And it is 55% linen, 45% rayon, which is a good mix. More natural fibre, and my favourite synthetic. (Rayon invented to be like silk - so that is good. I approve. Better than polyester, etc.)
It wasn't really the formal jacket type material I was going for, in fact not like it at all, but it did seem jacket-y and good value and good material. It feels really nice and I think it would work for a jacket. Of course, I can get more material later and make a plain black one for instance, or that rough, woven wool that sort of looks ugly but works great in jackets and "English" things. (Like in the photo of the jacket in the first pattern, that can't be seen very well...) I could even use suiting! ;) I think I have some pale fabrics at home I was going to use for trousers, but pale is not could for trousers if you don't want to emphasise, umm, larger areas. :) Even if they're not that large, if they aren't small they become large in light coloured trousers.
Ruler for scale. Remember, it also feels nice - linen-y, soft and smooth to some degree, and cool. But also warm to some degree, but cool to the touch. I'm not sure what aspects of the material are influenced by the rayon, bceause it is hard to get rayon, at least that I have noticed. Just like it is hard or impossible to get all good materials here! Even rayon!
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