Aug 20, 2014

My New Summer Outfit -- Modeled TODAY!



My finished project is live today -- just click here.

A confession: I had the two fabrics above sitting in my stash for a year. 

Longtime readers may remember that last August I was working on a 1920's pajama and kimono outfit for Cathy.  These were the fabrics I was planning to combine:



But when I finished the outfit, the lilac swiss dot didn't seem to harmonize with the other more muted shades.





And I could never figure out how to cut that (arguably) Moorish-inspired print into narrow trim.  So it sat.

Here's Cathy's finished outfit, which I loved (as did she).



I ended up taking the swiss dot pajama pants apart and keeping the fabric for something else.  And that something else turned out to be a shirt.  And the printed pattern became another shirt.

Add pale chartreuse linen shorts and, bingo!, instant summer outfit suitable for seaside strolling, which I hope to engage in next week.

Have a great day, everybody!



PS - If you missed it, you can see Cathy's entire 1920's pajama and kimono photo shoot here.

17 comments:

  1. Oh, Peter! You've outdone yourself! Those colours are just so great on you, esp the purple/lavender. I love your colour mixing choices.

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  2. I love how you made it work! I love how the kimono the best!

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  3. Amazing work, as per usual. The shirt looks amazing and I love the gingham undercollar.

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  4. Peter, bravo on three beautiful beach-appropriate pieces. Amazing job matching!

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  5. Peter, those shirts and that pair of shorts are beautiful! I've been reading your blog since you were cutting up thrift store sheets to sew with. I've loved watching your progress through sewing techniques. Your blog was one of the ones that inspired me to try garment sewing again! I can only hope that someday my sewing will be as wonderful as yours. PS my two favorite colors, purple and pistachio too!

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  6. That's a great mini wardrobe you've got there! I especially love the patterned top. Masterful pattern matching Peter! I noticed that the collar stand is perfect, have you gone back to your own way of sewing them?

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    1. Thanks, Nancy. It's actually just a one-piece collar (like a Hawaiian shirt or a bowling shirt) so there's no stand to fit on the neckline.

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  7. Great shirt & shorts combo. Beautiful colors & fabric. Your gonna rock the resort.

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  8. Impeccable job matching that zany pattern on the shirt, even the little details on the back collar. Wow. Oh, and I still have daydreams about those pajamas. The final fabric choice really was the best; you have a good eye. Also, people were so classy back then. It seems hard to believe that something so beautiful would only be worn at home, and that even some 1920s pajamas are nicer than the average modern wardrobe. Now people wear sweatpants for everything :(

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  9. The colour combo is lovely and I love that you re-used fabric. Did you need to do any piecing ? (I can't see any seam on the back of your swiss dot shirt so assume you may have got the fronts and perhaps the short sleeves out of your pants and had a leftover piece for the back and yoke?)

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    1. The pajama pants were huge, and I did have some additional remnant pieces. I couldn't have made a long sleeve shirt, but it was enough for a short sleeve.

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  10. Love the shades and hat in the first photo!

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  11. Love, love the color combo of your shirts and shirt. Beautiful matching on that printed fabric! Bravo!

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  12. Cathy is a very daring lady for wearing her pajamas out in the street! Beautiful outfit in such pretty colors!

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  13. To be honest, I was a little skeptical when I saw the patterned fabric but when I see it as a finished shirt, it looks great. I would imagine these are the kinds of clothes that would inspire folks to ask you where you purchased them.

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  14. I am so jealous of your time spent sewing. You do great detail sewing and the pattern matching is excellent! Your skills have come a long way in a short time.

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  15. Perfect. The pattern matching is uncanny. The palette divine. I had missed the sleepwalking narrative . . . As always, joy and wit are ascendant.

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