Monday, April 29, 2013

Spring Colors

I had a very pleasant vacation in FLA, This is the "Where’s Waldo" view from our 19th floor condo.



The lovely view from the upper  floors was offset by woefully inadequate elevators. There were 20 minute waits during check in and peak times when everybody was going to or coming back from the beach. Is that normal in high rise resort hotels? It was the first time we have stayed in one. I thought I would return from FLA with lots of motivation to sew spring clothes, having just enjoyed warm weather, bright colors, and being well rested. It didn’t work. I dithered away valuable sewing time looking through  my pattern and fabric stashes, but nothing inspired me. I think my problem came from having too many fabrics and patterns choices.

Mid-month I read about the Pattern Review.com "2013 Spring Pantone Contest". The rules: Sew a two-piece outfit for a woman or a man. The two pieces must be able to be worn together. And the 2013 Spring Pantone colors must be the prominent colors in the outfit. 


The contest gave me a  specific goal  combined with some room for creativity. The teal, green and orange colors are my summer “go to” colors and I had some in my stash. I was inspired.  I have an actual Pantone color card set. When  the contest picture above is printed on the home printer, some of the colors do not quite match the same numbered color on the Pantone cards. Just for fun I took the cards to my local Jo Ann and Hancock Fabrics stores. Not surprising, they don’t appear to subscribe to the Pantone service and are out of the color loop. There was not much selection in the colors above.  The colors I chose for my outfit were Grayed Jade and Nectarine


 Because I was starting a bit late in the contest sewing time, pattern choice was driven by ease of construction. New Look 6194, a cute cropped jacket over a fitted top caught my eye.

 

The top is a simple shape, shaped hem, and front and back darts,. Bias bands are used to finish the neck and armhole openings.  I liked them on the armholes, but not on the neckline. I think I will use a bias binding on the neckline next time for a more controlled finish. The fabric is a tie dye print poly. There is supposed to be a zipper in the side seam, but with the light weight fabric and my shape, I am able to pull the top on over my head without a zipper.




 
The jacket is supposed to be lined to edge using  the garment pattern pieces to cut the  lining.  My first thought was this would be  easier/faster to sew than facings and a turned up hem  combined with a lining.  But I  remembered my personal experiences with lined to edge jackets.  If the cutting and sewing is not super accurate, there is the potential for the lining to be smaller or larger than the outer fabric.  So I drafted  facing patterns and added hem allowances to the garment  pieces.   A bit more work – but a better chance of a good looking jacket. Also there was no ease in the lining, so I added a center back pleat.
Lining
The back neck edge did not lay flat on my upper back. I have some curvature there.  Adding a couple tucks took care of that.
Back Neckline Tucks
 
 
 

19 comments:

  1. Fabulous outfit in great colors that remind me of the colors of the seashore. I agree completely about JoAnn's being out of the color loop completely. I would love to know where I could acrtuallty find fabrics in the Pangtone colors and actually wrote to Pantone about it but never got a response. Love your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You look wonderfully spring-y in that great outfit. You really pulled this one out just in time. I understand about the too much fabric and pattern dilemma. I am just starting to combine my collections and the process can overwhelm me. Thanks for showing your results and help me focus on one project at a time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Those are really pretty colors and fabrics, and you made such a great set of outfit!

    If you don't mind, can you explain a lil bit further what you did when you said: "So I drafted facing patterns and added hem allowances to the garment pieces." Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gorgeous...as always. Love the color choices.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Although I personally are not too fond of the colours, they suit you very well! Make your eyes brigther and let your skin glow. That might be a bit due to the vacation as well! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great outfit and the colors are great on you. Those tucks are nice design detail.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like all those spring-y pieces and I really like the tuck detail you added to the neckline, it's great when fit fixes can also add a bit of detail.
    I can tell you if anyone had to wait 20 minutes in Hong Kong for an elevator there would be total chaos!

    ReplyDelete
  8. So love the colors you chose!!! I like your sewing changes for your jacket and the tucks at back neckline are a nice sewing design! I like the New Look pattern top and jacket; I may have to try this one myself.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great colours and a fun outfit. Good luck with the competition.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You are so well put together. The tones and the shapes you've chosen work together effortlessly.
    All the best with the contest!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ooh, great colors on you! This looks perfect for spring or summer. I totally know what you mean about feeling uninspired when you have too much fabric and too many patterns. It's hard to find a starting point!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lovely happy outfit. Good luck in the PR contest!
    -Sewingelle

    ReplyDelete
  13. What great summery colors! They suit you perfectly. And i like your simple solution for the gaping at the back on the jacket neckline. I have that problem some times, I'll need to remember that.

    ReplyDelete
  14. So lovely on you! I particularly like your 'rounded back fix' - definitely my sort of fitting solution! ;D

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love a softly layered look. The colours work incredibly well - you are an artist at heart!

    ReplyDelete
  16. A 20-minute wait seems crazy! I love this outfit -- definitely looks like spring. The tucks on the back of the jacket are a great fix.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Audrey, I just love your entry. It sings out Spring!

    ReplyDelete
  18. You look very "on trend" as they say these days! I love your outfit, and I would have passed the New Look pattern right by if it hadn't been for your post.

    Where did you buy your Patone color cards?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ooo, I love these colours! And the jacket details are very cool. I've never seen neckline tucks like that before.

    ReplyDelete