Monday, July 13, 2009

Rethinking workwear

For those of you who have been wodnering where I have been I can safely say I have not been sewing. I have been lurking and reading and trying to avoid buying patterns and fabrics as I had the plan to finish the work wardrobe this summer. I work at a ladies gym as the club administrator, and have a mandatory top I Have to wear along with black, none fitness wear bottoms of my choice. The top was a choice of a polo shirt in white or black (w/company logo) or a yellow button shirt with darting on the front and shaped sideseams along with the same bottoms. I had stalled in the sewing as word leaked out of new uniforms being on the way. Well, they are now here. I can't post a photo as they have yet to come into my possession, but that will happen next week.

The original plan was to make up a skirt suit out of a black wool w/white pinstripe and then a shirtdress out of a black wool with a blue pinstripe for that Nautica look when combined with the yellow shirt. The goal was to make basic black not boring. So, I chose my fabric very carefully. I have an Armani wool that I was going to tailor into a wonderful pair of trousers now that I have made the HP into a TNT for me. THese are all going to have to be rethought as the new design is a raglan sleeved polo shirt with some shaping (according to the photo, anyway ... stay tune for that!). The colour is a red, but it looks to be a blue toned red so far with white accents at the seam lines. That won't do for the shirtdress or the business suit. They are dressing me down and I am not sure that I like it!

So, I have a HP Sportive Skirt suit already half done in bamboo cord that will fit the bill. The skirt is done already, lined with a remnant of silk bought for a steal at Darrell's and the matching jacket is cut and ready to go under the machine. The delay has been due to a window repair that required the computer to be relocated into the Shop as it had the only phone jack for the DSL connection. So, now that the computer is back, I have yet to set the room to rights. (I did find an old cross stitch that has been aging in the closet though ... I pulled that out and have been playing away at that again!) I have a pair of the Razor Sharps in a cashmere wool for the winter that is divine to wear! As I haven't pressed the crease in, they can be dressed down a bit.

So, all you wardrobe mavens ... how do I rework this new wardrobe to accomodate the polo shirts? Patterns already on hand and fitted include the HP Razor Sharps, the HP Sportive Skirt Suit, the Chilled Out Sweat suit and the Skinny Jeans (which aren't so skinny at my size range!); I have a DKNY pant that I have never tried but is cut out that has seamlines in the front and back that could be sharp yet casual. But would they look good in the wool? I seem to have blinders on that all I can see for these fabrics are business clothes! I need pattern suggestions please!

Fabric list: wool (tropical weight) w/white pinstripes
wool w/cashmere w/blue pinstripes
wool (midweight) with a herringbone pattern woven in
rayon linen (very lightweight)
bamboo knit
Sophia knit

I am going to have to finish that jacket and then I figure I can start on the new special project. In the spring was the First Communion Dress, two years ago it was the Cocktail Dress that was my incarnation of the HP BOllywood for the Pilot's Grad dinner. Now, I am going to work on a dress for me again! My company holds it's annual conference each year in the summer. The weekend ends in an invite only event knwon as "Top 500". It is for the top sales people in the company and for select others that have been nominated by their home clubs. Not being a sales person, my GM nominated me to go. The big finale of the event is a Hawaiian boat cruise on Lake Ontario. Thanks to MaryBeth, I now have seen the Decades of Style pattern line and fell in love with this dress pattern ... it is a 1940's wrap sundress that I have to have!!!! In the right print this could be nice Hawaiian as opposed the probably prolific tacky style that will prevail on the cruise!


I may have to play with the back a bit if I can't find a bra to go with it, but that won't be a problem. I've already warned Darrell that I need the right fabric and he is waiting with a "classic linen print" for me. Can't wait to see what it is like! I never have issues with his choices! If I do get the linen, then I may just enter this into the Threads Linen Challenge! I am thinking of trying a French seam or a Hong Kong finish or some other treatment I have never tried. Why not push my limits a bit more, right?

So I await eagerly the wardrobe advice, ladies! Maybe later we can talk about the shoes already residing in the Closet to supplement this wardrobe in the making ...