Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Coordinating from stash with TNT patterns

So my leather jacket completion project is moving along.  The body of the jacket is finished except for the topstitching which will require a clear mind and a steady hand.  Thus far I haven't felt up to it, so I started on the lining.  I have to say, making the lining is the least fun part of sewing a nice jacket.  But I can see the finish line so am working through my lack of interest.




The lining fabric is a silk and rayon blend from Fabricland which I think they were marketing as "dirty silk".  Here's a close up of the fabric.  You can see it's a floral jacquard weave and the right side is brownish-black, or blackish-brown, in an interesting kind of way.   The lighter side is the wrong side, and it really does look "dirty" - the dye is uneven and smeared as you can see below (the real colour is less yellow than the photo below, and less pink than the photo to the right).
The dark side looks great with my "navy brown" and buttery soft leather.

My thoughts then turned to the inevitable question:  "But what (besides jeans) can I wear this with??"  I went burrowing into my stash, where I found some likely candidates.

My first thought was to identify a suiting weight fabric and I came up with a really soft and drapey, slightly tweedy pure wool that gives just the right overall effect of rich brown but is really a complex mix, in a tiny woven pattern, of at least three different browns - one really dark and cool in tone, the second a rich red-brown, and the third is a mix of beige and dark brown.  I have just under 3 metres.  I'm going to make my PMB sheath dress (again) and a pair of wide-legged pants.  I have had great luck with  Vogue 7881 which I have made three times already.  There should be enough left after cutting these 2 pieces to make my favorite bias shell, from an OOP Vogue, 2683.  Like 7881, this is a real TNT (tried 'n' true) pattern for me since I have made the top at least 4 times (and the skirt at least 3 times).  The dress/top combo is 100% appealing to me, but the dress leaves me completely cold.

But what else to wear with these future elegant and flowy trousers?  In my silk bin, I found many possibilities, but the one that has caught my eye is a refashioning project.  My super-shopper friend found a Thai silk skirt in one of her second-hand haunts which she gave to me while extracting a promise that I actually do something with the fabric.  The skirt is a floor length, front-buttoning dirndl in an interesting print.  The colours are unusual for me since I don't gravitate towards purple, but I like that it's combined with a cool beige, black and a couple of nice pinks and reds.  There is lots to make a little shirt.  I could reuse the front button detail since it has really gorgeous tiny self-fabric loops and covered buttons, but right now I'm leaning towards the top from Simplicity 2938.  I've made this one before too.

To the left is a sneak peek of the jacket together with the two coordinating fabrics I'm planning.  What do you think?

8 comments:

  1. I think I can't wait to see pics of your leather jacket :-) !!!!!!

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  2. I think it's a nice combo, and I like the idea of reusing the front button detail of the print.

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  3. LOL! What CAN'T you wear with the perfect leather jacket! I wouldn't suggest that you swim in it but thats pretty much it.
    I love that lining, very elegant.
    I love the idea of the flowy pants, I can't wait to see what you do next.

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  4. I've made that Vogue top too, although not the skirt. I agree, the dress is just ick. I think I also have that same lining, although it's something I've had a long time, and bought from the Silkery as 100% silk. The brownish darker color looks the same, although I don't remember its being different on the other side.

    Can't wait to see your leather jacket all finished!

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  5. Add me to the mix of those who are anxious to see your finished jacket!

    And I am completely revamping my attitude about how clothes go together, and trying to be ahead of the game in shopping my closet & stash & trying to see what works together, & NOT buying stand alone fabrics that match nothing!

    I like your matchings of jacket & skirt - a LOT

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  6. I like this combination of textures and colour a lot.

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  7. Great combination that you came up with. Using TNT patterns means that you'll get to the "done" stage faster. I'm sure that you'll find all sorts of things in your wardrobe that the jacket will go with.

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  8. I love that combination of colors and textures, and the idea of refashioning a silk shirt into something that matches your own style is really appealing. I'm looking forward to seeing all the finished creations! Now I have to go against the flow here and stick up for one of my favorite patterns -- I LOVE that 2683 DKNY dress! :-) It's so comfortable and flattering (I made a muslin out of an inexpensive knit)and it looks great with boots. I haven't made it in 'real' fabric yet, partly because I want to find a sleeve pattern that would work with it.
    -Janie ('Catbird')

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