PARTY SEASON – SEWING IDEAS

At the weekend I headed into London, I love visiting the shops at this time of year.  As I looked around I started to notice all the outfits that the shops were styling for the party season and I thought you guys might like a little edit. There is still time to sew something so here are my offerings for the silly season. Enjoy.

So let’s start with colour… or to be honest the lack of it!  I was surprised at how paired back it all was. On the upside, this makes it really to style it with anything you already have in your handmade wardrobe. So the three key colours were black, creams and metallics.

If you are wondering what sort of fabrics you should be buying then anything with a sequin will do! I did see a lot of knitted fabrics like the Mango set above. Failing that some sort of metallic and there was also a lot of sheer fabrics too.

So let’s talk patterns.. I saw loads of fantastic blouses with big sleeves. You can see from the picture above the fabrications varied quite a lot. I was excited to see the big sleeve back and it’s dramatic shape makes it a perfect contender for a party outfit.

I’ve got three fantastic patterns to choose from that tick all the boxes. First up is the Tuck Sleeve Top from Trend Patterns, with it’s super interesting tucked sleeve. If you fancy supervising the sleeve then the Lulu from Fibre Mood with button detail is for you. The Liza Blouse from Vivkisews is perfect if you love a blouse with lots of detailing, go checkout the line drawing to see all the seam lines.

Next up was the suit, which for trouser lovers amongst up made me very happy. These were everywhere so if you have been half thinking of making one now is the time. Lots of lovely fabrics used for these, everything from full sequins to velvet and also suitings.

I’ve got two options for each of these. One is for the time-poor maker and one is for someone who wants to get their teeth stuck into a big project. For the involved make the Jasika Blazer from Closet Core is perfection to be worn alongside the High Waisted trouser from The Assembly Line. For those with a little less time on their hands the Blazer from the Avid Seamstress alongside the wide legged trouser from The Maker’s Atelier.

Alongside the suit, the waistcoat was another piece that featured heavily in the party edits in the shops. Again this is another item that can slot in with stuff you already own.

I’ve got two great patterns, the Viviene from Fibre Mood is slightly more fitted with a bust dart and princess seams. If you are looking for something closer to a  traditional men’s waistcoat then the Miller from Merchant and Mills.

This simple dress shape was featured in the the Autumn trends and it’s very much here to stay. As you can see from above a varied range of fabrications but most of them were in a stretch fabric. So I’ve picked three knit patterns below.

First up was the Roya dress from Fibremood, the most relaxed fit of the three options I chose. Next was the Iliana dress from Vikisews as the neckline of this was so lovely. For the happy medium the Nikko dress from True Bias has lots of options including a polo neck.

The strappy dress is next up, I saw loads of these lovely simple shapes, everything from a v-neck to a cowl neck so take your pick!

I’ve three fantastic options for you. The Sicily slip dress from Maisin is perfect for the cowl neck lovers. If you want a speedy make then the Leona dress from Tammy Handmade is great as it’s a jersey pattern. For something a little less form-hugging the Summer dress from Fibre Mood is your answer.

I’ve titled this the staple dress as I feel this is a shape that’ll never go out of style and it’s one you’ll reach for time and time again.

For this I chose the Closet Core Nicks Dress, probably the most casual of the three and perfect if you want to get good at gathering. Next up is the Ella dress from Silversaga Patterns with the most beautiful neckline. Finally the Naomi dress from Style Arc with it’s interesting seamline around the waist go and check it out.