What have I been sewing lately? Pattern roundup

...Since the last time that I posted anything about sewing, I made some stuff.

My man here picked out this flannel fabric, end of fall last year, so I made him a good old-school flannel shirt. I got the pattern askew on the front button band, and it's a little crooked on the back yoke, but otherwise, it fits nice and looks sharp.

Looking to do something similar for myself, I found this McCalls pattern that could be adjusted for bust size. Being a DD, it's an issue for me, and having a pattern that already has cup size options made it a bit easier to get a good fit. I was inspired by the styles at Duluth Trading. On the left, I used an old calico fabric that I had in my stash forever, and on the right is a recent purchase of flannel from JoAnn's. Once again, lining up the plaid was tricky, but it's still a cute comfy shirt.

I used that same calico (I had several yards of it), and some scraps to make this apron-dress-coverall thingy. It's perfect for days when I feel like baking, gardening, cleaning. These Dottie Angel patterns from Simplicity are so adorable.

I am obsessed with bags, and I like the waxed canvas styles that Duluth Trading carries, so to get that look, I found this pattern at Colette (#ColetteCooper), and some waxed canvas at fabric.com. It was spendy, but I think it was worth it to get the look, and the durability. Haven't tested it, but it is probably water-resistent, too. I used a scrap of leather for the handle.

Used another Colette pattern - Anise - to make this cropped jacket in black velveteen (I had several yards in my stash), with vintage buttons. This was a more challenging tailoring project. It is fully lined. Not sure how I am going to wear this yet...














...but I did make this top, out of a light silky charmeuse designer fabric that I got on clearance at JoAnn's.

I used the sewstylish Simplicity pattern on the left for the top, with the intention of constructing the full suit at some point. The pattern on the right is another option that I am considering. I have some odds and ends that might work for some of these pieces, but not enough of anything to make a whole suit, so I am still shopping for this one.

Earlier last year, I made this attempt to knock off the Geneva dress on Universal Standard:

I had this nice olive jersey in my stash. I started with Lotta's Esme tunic pattern, gave it cap sleeves, and gathered the hem on one side. I wore it a couple times last fall, and getting ready to bust it out again for warmer weather. 

Making stuff out of other stuff: upcycling mens shirts

Taking my inspiration from the Cut-Up Couture book, I completed a couple projects over the weekend that took a few very ordinary mens shirts and transformed them into interesting clothes for me.

This long coat was made from two plain black sweat shirts that I got at Kmart, on clearance, for $2 each. It's really cuddly, too. The deviated quite a bit from the version that is described in the book. I kept the long sleeves, added the lapels, and did not include the patch pockets. 

front

back

This top is made from two different mens shirts, also $2 each from Kmart, and it's a little more obvious how they went together. Once again, I used an idea from the book as inspiration, but added my own touches. I had to add the buttoned panel on the front to make it fit around the bosom, and I added the ruffles on the sleeves to make it look more girly. 

Note: I draped the shirts onto my toile before cutting into them, because the measurements given in the book were definitely for a smaller person than I. I made adjustments accordingly.