Month: January 2009

Thinking about trousers

I’ve also been thinking about trousers for a good long while.

I’m in desperate need of some new jeans, as my current ones are both slightly threadbare and much too small. I did try on a few pairs in the sales, but the fit was so terrible that I didn’t feel terribly inclined to buy any.

I’ve somehow managed to convince myself that trousers are difficult, and I don’t like making them. This is patently untrue, on both counts, but I somehow never seem to get around to making trousers for myself.

Here are a few patterns that have made me want to get sewing:

Vogue 8397 – three pairs of trousers with elastic at the waist.

Vogue 8499 – trousers and a skirt.

Vogue 8561 – this pattern hasn’t been released yet, I found it on Marcy Tilton’s website.

These first three patterns are all hers. She’s developed quite a few patterns for Vogue, and they all have very interesting and unusual shapes.

I’m attracted to the plus four-like shape of Marcy Tilton’s trousers, although I think they’d probably work better in more summery fabrics, like,linens, than they would in heavier suitings or tweeds.

Artisan Pant – a Mary Ann Donze pattern for Indygo Junction. I’ve had this pattern for about a year, and I haven’t yet got around to making it. For some reason it makes me afraid that Trinny and Susannah are going to come after me, point scathingly, and accuse me of looking like a mad art teacher. Which is silly, because “mad art teacher” is probably my ideal fashion inspiration!

Vogue 2367 – this is a discontinued Vogue Men’s pattern, which made Paul laugh. He said that the zoot suit trousers reminded him of MC Hammer. Charming! I thought they’d look particularly excellent with a pair of coloured spectator shoes, but I’m not certain I’d want Paul to be thinking of MC Hammer every time I wore them…

Vogue 8367 – I have started to make a toile for these, out of an old bed sheet. I’ve managed to adjust the pleats and darts around the high waist to accommodate the odd shape of my stomach, which is a good start! I’m very short waisted though, so I need to shorten the rise quite a bit in order to avoid the MC Hammer effect with these as well.

Burda 2767 – this is a men’s costume pattern. I thought that a pair of drop-fronted trousers might be flattering, and I was thinking of putting buttons on either side of the front panel, for a sailor-like effect.

The fabric shop where I used to work now has a few really nice wool fabrics that are made in British mills. I might go and have a look, and see whether I fancy any of them for a nice pair of sturdy winter trousers.

More brogues.

You know that strange phenomenon where as soon as you start to become obsessed by something, you suddenly see it everywhere?

I was flipping through the February edition of Elle UK, and spotted these lovelies:

I wonder what colour those patent Church’s brogues are in Real Life? Once again they’re Oxfords though, so I wouldn’t be able to wear them even if I did have £190 to spend on shoes. (The Tricker’s pair are Derbys – and they also make a lovely Derby boot.)

I am very tempted to take a wander down Jermyn Street the next time I go into London. Tricker’s and Church’s are both based there, and it would be lovely to have a look at these in person.

Rowan Colourscape

Nicola came to visit yesterday, to try on the mock-up for her wedding dress. Thankfully it all went very smoothly, and tomorrow I can start cutting silk! She also came bearing Christmas gifts, which turned out to be a bag full of Rowan Colourscape Chunky. The colourways are designed by Kaffe Fassett, and mine is “Cherry”.

I had a look online to see how it would knit up, and it makes nice wide stripes. My immediate thought was to look for a pattern that’s knit sideways, so you can make vertical stripes with it. Apparently Rowan had the same idea, as this is what’s on the cover of the pattern book that goes with this yarn:

After a quick look through my mountain of knitting magazines, and a few doodles of possible shapes and patterns, I decided to just start knitting, and see what happened.

Colourscape jumper

I’ve decided to go for a very boxy shape, with a minimum of shaping that might disrupt the stripe pattern. So, it’s going to be a drop-shoulder jumper, with a deep rib and a cable up each sleeve. This is about two-thirds of the first sleeve, and I plan to keep knitting it until this ball of wool runs out. Then I can make another one the same, and work out how to distribute the three remaining balls of wool around the rest of the jumper.

The fabric in the background is a silk skirt that I bought years ago. It was on all the advertising for the La Redoute catalogue at the time, so I signed up for the sole purpose of buying this skirt. Unfortunately it’s too small for me at the moment, so I won’t be able to wear it with my new jumper. Shame, as the colours are absolutely perfect together!

I might take my knitting on a fabric shopping this week. Perhaps I can make a new skirt or a pair of trousers to wear with it instead. Of course, that means I have to finish the jumper in time to wear it to the wedding… so perhaps I’d be better off concentrating my time on the wedding dress instead!

Happy New Year!

I still can’t blog about the piece that I’m working on at the moment – it’s a wedding dress, and it needs to be kept secret for another couple of weeks!

In the meantime I will start as I men to go on, and talk to you about shoes.

Since I received the Handmade Shoes for Men book, I’ve been thinking of nothing but men’s shoes. I love men’s shoes, especially as I’m mostly restricted to wearing flats, but my feet are just too small to be able to wear men’s sizes. Also, men’s shoes tend to be boring. Men’s formal shoes are black, or brown. Sometimes patent, for really posh occasions, or occasionally you might see a daring two-tone number.

Such is the rarity of interesting formal shoes for men that when I saw Vic Reeves on Shooting Stars the other evening, I may have squealed out loud, and pointed at the television.

 

This was the best screen shot I was able to capture, but look at those lovely shoes!

The squealing was mostly because I thought they were pink, but on closer inspection I think they’re a tan/stone combination.

I’ve enjoyed the trend for women’s brogues over the past couple of years, but all the nicest ones seem to have towering heels that I just can’t wear.

My current favourites are from Top Shop – a pretty black and pink pair.

The pink’s a bit pale for my liking, but I’m sure a spot of bright pink shoe polish would soon sort that out!

Unfortunately, I already know that I won’t be buying a pair of these. The shape of my feet means that Oxford shoes don’t fit properly, and I really need to wear a Derby shoe instead.

A pair of black patent and fuschia pink suede wingtip brogue derby shoes would be my absolute ideal.

The chances of me ever being able to buy a pair of those is fairly slim, which is why I’m once again becoming obsessed with the idea of learning to make my own shoes!