Cape-along-ing. Longing for a Cape?

Recently, I joined the Great Cape Along over at the Monthly Stitch. I'd been looking for something cool like that to do online, and I do love a cape.

Of course, I don't actually need one, having made one a couple of years ago from Burda Pattern 7619 in a beautiful blue plaid wool I scored from Mood Fabrics. A Carolina Herrara fabric and it's still there.

It has a beautiful navy blue satin lining (from either Mood or Fabric Mart) and some silver buttons that I may have lucked out on at Joann's, but probably came from a yarn store somewhere.

But, it occurs to me that I probably need a Sherlock cape coat. You know, the type that is a coat with a little shoulder cape.

Papercut patterns down under in New Zealand has something really cute and I have some cotton velveteen that I think will suit perfectly. It's supposed to be a chocolate brown, but is more of a mauve-y dark taupe. I made up a mood board over at Pinterest.

I really like the old Vogue pattern--so witchy!  I found the image just the other day. I found the image of the green plaid one a few years ago--it looks like it is made from the Vogue pattern doesn't it? I love these little instances of coming-together!

Right now my plan is to add a shoulder cape to a double-breasted jacket pattern I already have, dye (urp!) the cotton velveteen, find some lining and go from there. But, if I can get my hands on that Vogue cape pattern, plans will change!

A few current Projects

I always have at least one sewing project going, oftentimes several. More if you don't count the ones that don't count anyway like the green Art Deco frumpola thing I started last summer. Or the corduroy corset I started, oh, three-ish years ago (no pics at the moment.)

 

   Last fall I bought a piece of very drapey blue knit from Mood Fabrics--I think. Could've been Fabric Mart. The color is great but it was thinner than I anticipated.

The variegated side is the right side but the white really washes away the blue which is a gorgeous cerulean color. And the edges roll up in an almost unmanageable way.

But I am clever! I get ideas! There is a madness to my method! (Of this I was informed last night.) And my mad, clever idea was spray starch. I love spray starch, so I dug it out of its cobwebby corner of the laundry and used it to flatten the raw edges of the fabric. It worked like a mad dream.

I found a pattern in one of my Burda magazines (I should organize those onto Pinterest somehow) with a draped cowl neckline. This fabric is just screaming to be made into something with a cowl neck.

Burda 10/2012 118B

We were in Boston in September and I picked up the October Burda at this kiosk in Harvard Square. It's in French. I do okay with my French and I do okay with figuring out how a 5-pattern-piece garment goes together, but I did not manage to figure out that there are supposed to be little tiny zippers in the sleeves until just now when I went searching for this image. Oh, well, the fabric is too light for that anyway.

It's almost finished, it just needs the sleeves attached and the hem (l'ourlet in French) stitched up.

But I put it aside along with the corset and green thing (and a few others that don't really count) because it has really been too hot to contemplate long sleeves.

I dug out a piece of black cotton jersey, medium-to-heavy weight, that I bought to make some t-shirts with. Of course, I already have about four black t-shirts, so I decided on something more fashionable: A maxi-dress.

The one pictured on the bottom of the envelope has a kind of cross-over halter top. I never wore halter tops until a couple of years ago when I discovered multi-way bras. Now I want some halter tops.

Unfortunately, I only have a yard and a half of this stuff. It's wide, but not that wide. Fortunately, I have a plan B.

Vogue 8379

I love a wrap dress, and I NEED a nice, plain, comfortable wrap dress. But a mere yard and a half won't cut it for this one either. 

 

Renfrew for T-shirts

Plan C is more t-shirts. I haven't tried this pattern out yet and I also have a Hot Patterns t-shirt pattern that I think would be a good one. But I really don't want to clutter up the dresser with more black shirts.

So I'm going onto Plan D; a maxi skirt. I am just going to use the skirt portion of the Simplicity maxi-dress pattern, add a waistband, maybe stick some elastic in there, maybe a nice high slit. We'll see. It's on the cutting table and I'm excited.

Well, that's all for now, dear readers. (I should say 'dear reader' because I am sure the only one is the friend who asked me to send her the link to my blog).