Aubergine velvet flares.

 

These are worn with the cardigan dress I made a while back now. To be honest that dress is currently in pieces on my sewing table because I am not at all happy with it. Anyway its the same fabric so I decided to wear these together. 

 

To get these flared I added 4cm onto each side seam and then graded out from the knee line. Because the pink pair worked I am adding some paper into the original pattern so I can repeat this more easily over the next few months since I have several fabrics in my stash that would make lovely flares and my aim right now is lots of comfy leasurewear for lounging around this winter.

 

The pink pair a made last year I only added 3cm so I decided to go a bit further this time. After all I can always chop the extra cm off! They are made using the free pattern from here:
http://ifonlytheywouldnap.net/2015/03/06/free-yoga-pants-pattern/

This pair are quite a lot more flared than the pink even though I only increased the side flare by 1cm. I never nowadays do the yoga band waist. I just add a normal waistband because I prefer it. 

The camo bralet/ underwear is made from the free Noelle pattern. Its one of my favourite "underwear" tops - possibly because its camo!

Again I when I cut these trousers out I was praying this will not twist round the leg seams because I did have that problem with my dotty trousers and I have a constant worry this might happen again when I make jersey trousers. I used a different pattern for the dotty trousers though. All I can do really is try to keep the grainline straight and hope. Anyway they turned out fine and no twisty seams. 

To be honest I always have the same aim about this time of year - Party clothes at Christmas and sportswear in January etc etc - but this year instead of my usual dithering around and plan plan plan and make very little, I am bulk cutting all my stretch velvet out into basic items to be sewn up over the next few months. It sounds like a cop out to just sew up loads of TNT patterns but I like them and wear them and I am hoping it means I get to do other stuff as well since I will not be wasting time clearing up to cut out the same thing again and again. So I have a huge amount to sew all stored in individual freezer bags so hopefully I will not lose bits.

This should then free up time to trace some more interesting patterns - and the fact is my stash has grown far too large so if I can bulk cut and clear lots there is still easily enough for some nice and hopefully more interesting Burda magazine patterns - or maybe Patrones. 

I have yet to decide but when you own over 50 magazines and they are not being used then its time to sort the basic needs en mass I think. Normally I have great ideas and just not enough time so I end up making small amounts of eg joggers with an aim to trace a more interesting new pattern. 

It does happen but in the meantime the weather gets colder, so do I - get cold that is. And its not for ages that I actually get round to making things. And this velvet fabric needs to go. I have I have no idea how much of it I have stashed, but its too much no matter how lovely it is. It will be much better to just wear it all this winter.

 And just to think of the nice new warm wardrobe of clothing I can make in the odd free hour when normally I have nothing cut ready for sewing up. 

So this winter I will not waste my time thinking about what I would like to make - THINKING! I will do it. Or thats the plan.

I am still sometimes working from home and every day have a 30 minute lunch break. Even if all I do is get my machine out and pin something together thats a job done in the making of something and its less time wasted overall, and more garments made so watch this space because I am hoping this new way of working might just increase my productivity. I am thinking I can do hems on 2 or 3 pairs of joggers at once. Twin needle all at once etc. I tried this a few years ago and it was great but then I went back to the old way of just cutting out one or two things and sewing each then thinking! Thinking is such a waste of making time. 

So is reading magazines. Though that of course is necessary, especially when much of what you own in your collection is 70s or 80s or even 90s because they are not online. In fact recently it appears that the older 2000s Burdas are no longer online either so I cannot just google to check which issue I want anymore. Still its nice to browse magazines sometimes.

Have a lovely weekend

Bracken