sewing plans - late winter/early spring 2013

One of my favorite sewing blogs is The Diary of a Sewing Fanatic. Carolyn is just awesome and can take these awesome designer looks and recreate them to fit into her own style! One thing she does is will post her sewing plans for a few months at a time, and I think that might be a good idea for me to try. Now I'm not saying that I may not break from this plan if I'm temped by an irresistible project, but it'll be helpful to have written down some sewing goals for the next few weeks to keep me focused, and keep me from buying MORE patters and fabrics that I'm not going to use yet!

So right now I'm working on a muslin for PANTS! I've got a medium-weight black woven with a little bit of stretch and will be using McCalls 6707:

I chose this pattern because the pants are designed to fit lower (I hate pants at the waist!) and a slim-but-not-too-slim leg. I think the side panels will be a a nice detail, even in black-on-black. So far, the muslin is proving to be less tricky than I feared in fitting and construction. 

Afterwards but in no particular order:

I'd like to try to make a black jacket out of the same material as the pants. My first thought was Simplicity 2446, but then I stumbled upon (and really, I had written down the wrong number when looking for a different pattern in the store and found this instead!) New Look 6035 and I like the easiness of the style, a little more casual.

I got this great purple lace last weekend in Boston at Winmil Fabrics, which if you've never been is totally worth a visit next time you are in Boston! I'd like to make a simple a-line skirt, probably using New Look 6053, which I used in making my lace-print slim skirt last week. Do I need that many lace skirts? Hey, lace is so on trend right now, so why not?

I've also got a nice little selection of knits to work with. I've been enjoying making camis and fold-over jersey skirts, both staples in my wardrobe. I'm also trying out a video class on Craftsy.com called Sewing With Knits, which includes patterns and institutions for two types of t-shirts, pullover hoodie, yoga pants and shorts, a-line skirt, and a dress. So far it's been very interesting and I've already picked up some great tips! More on that later.

I'd also like to make a cool, casual summer dress for the soft $1/yard grey ribbed jersey. I'm leaning towards the maxi, because they are just so cool and it's a style I'm just finding my way into. 

I've got a bunch of other great fabric finds, like this lightweight purple stripe, perfect for a top or summer dress.

And I know I'll find a pattern for it in my stash:

(Did I mention I have a little problem with buying patterns?)

We'll see how well I stick to my plans or if I get distracted by other projects!