Easy Comfy Work Outfits - Yardages

Pants                        Simplicity 9597 (Leggings... into Tubins')  Your length plus 3" most 1.25 yds 60")
Drapeneck Blouse   Butterick 3131      Flattering for shorter necks (2-2 3/8 45" or 1 3/8-1 5/8yds 60")

Jacket                       Butterick 5045      Free Flowing... Fits anyone   (2.5 yds 60")
 (shortened about 4-6 inches to go with pants, but is a long jacket for dresses)

This is a great pattern... I have used all items... shortened the jacket I am 5'2"  so took 4-6" off... just below bottom back, but used all the same sloping on edges to keep drape.  This is the jacket in picture.

Suits-Pencil skirts with easy Jackets and drapeneck blouses  - same blouse pattern quick and easy as above - Poly Poplin only 5.98 a yard... -yard for pencil skirt and any easy jacket pattern side piece from blouse for scarf.

Blouse piece layout below- (I cut multiples at a time from matte jersey)

Very quick and easy flattering blouse for me-long side piece is scarf
I cut these in multiples and put by sewing machine

I use this blouse pattern and add a little in drape.. can be matte jersey or silk -does not have to be stretch fabric

1.  Sew the legs first... you will have a right leg
and a left leg... do the hem, I just turn it up twice about 3/8 wide and top stitch... so you now have two legs...
Match your crotch right sides together back and front so you will have one long curve matching your inner leg seam... stitch

Pants - make legs to ankles and straight instead of tight-quick one pattern piece & elastic waist

Quick pants - any legging pattern with elastic waist - has one pattern piece all you need is your pants length plus hem and waist turnover and a piece of elastic your waist size.

Make the elastic circle how big you want your waist stitch first... lay over top of pants sewn together and still turned inside out...fold over the top with 1/4" turn under and top stitch the elastic circle in without stitching through the elastic and you have quickpants.  I leave a slight opening where I start at the front seam so that when I want the elastic to be tighter or looser I can easily pull the elastic through and also marks the front for me when putting the pants on.

QUICK Elastic Waist -Straight or Pencil Skirts.... Slightly shaped(sloped) to waist from 7-9" below your waistline

                                      <------------------>        plus 2.5 for back seam to be wide

whatever width you like your bottom skirt edge+seam- cut two +seam but cut your back piece plus seam and plus 1.5-2 inch for back seam kick pleat 

 to have side seams to keep your elastic waist skirt centered then cut at fold cut your shape width you want plus seams and slightly shaped to waist- elastic will do the rest.
kick pleat in back as shown, whatever length pleat fold you want... your back seam will be 1.5 to 2 inches... you will fold to one side... usually the left and sitch accross that side to center back as shown... your flap edges and trimmed seam itself can be overcast

Fabric 58-60 inch width... your length skirt plus 1.5" waist turn under and hem 1.5 - 2" your favorite style hem (hem ribbon or turn under or surge and blanket hem machine stitch)

Now you can have lots of pants and skirts in every color that cost 3.00 to 3.50 each-just go to the 'Treasure Hunt Room'...........'Value Vault' ........'Fabric Hunters Delight' or just the 2.97 Room at

click for store info in Rockville, Maryland

 Next   I will add easy Jackets with Lapels
Easy Structured Pants with Pockets
Easy Swimsuits and coverups

Printed Matte Jersey....plus Black Matte Jersey

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Blue Blue and very blue

My typical work jacket, black sleeveless cowl neck so the sheer arms of the jacket looked enhanced and two separate infinity scarves made from the width of the fabrics so they could double and lay above the cowel of the shirt... The blue was an illusion but matched the jacket and the floral was also a textured chiffon but the perfect blues... the pants you can barely see in the picture but were lightweight scuba, my usual tubins pattern and I made my earrings a little different and hand sewn the trimmed edges of the jacket and put 3 (2 clear beveled and 1 blue beveled swavorski crystals sewn in the center... a pearl with a jeweled butterfly I had in my toolbox and a small sea shell glued on- also in my toolbox of odds and ends.

My earrings hang on a sheet of plastic canvas to be easy to find.

Different textures and shadings of Royal Blue

Pants Simplicity 9597      (Leggings... made into Tubins')Drapeneck Blouse   Butterick 3131      Flattering if you don't have a long neckJacket                       Butterick 5045      Free Flowing... Fits anyone (shortened about 4-6 inches to go with pants, but is a long jacket for dresses)

Infinity scarves... Make a tube with slit in the middle turn it out  then twist so it is twisted once in the middle and sew your circle ends right sides together and flip out from the middle.  Slip stitch opening.

Rayon Chemise to wear under Chiffon Dresses

 Simple Chemise Pattern made with drapey Rayon

Used large Flat Straps to hide Lingerie straps and extended length to go under ankle length long Chiffon Dress

Used Bias to finish edges of top of Chemise and made wide straps to cover under garment straps.

Attached rayon seam binding and hemmed bottom.

Holiday Outfits

Made From G Street Fabrics 'Treasure Hunt' Room-2.97 yard

Scarf is just a leftover strip of fabric from another black glitter woven fabric with an accordian pleat - found in the 'Treasure Hunt Room' 2.97 a yard

The Red Jacket is the Free Flowing Cardigan Pattern:
Shortened 6 inches so it can be used with dresses or pants.  I am 5'2".

The dress is using one of my old faithful easy-quick dress patterns, but this Flowy Ribknit makes it look different.

Adjustment of neckline to make it higher, since the fabric was soo stretchy and I was going to use the infinity scarf-turtle neck look

Silver Glitter Rib Knit Found

This looks like a turtle neck, but the dress has a regular neckline with a bias strip top band and there is an infinity scarf made separately from this pattern:

Gold and Black Glitter Chiffon with Gold and Yellow Glitter Sweater Knit for Shirt and Gold Glitter Poinsetta Pants on Yellow

Beautiful Gold Cut Velvet Burnout and Sweetheart Neckline Black Glitter Knit with Black Stretch Lace Attached Tunic and Crepe Stretch Pants

The Top is the freeflowing Cardigan, the Pants are my regular 20 minute tubins'  The top is made by combining two patterns and sewing the front body piece of lace onto the glitter knit cut from the sweetheart neckline top.  I was able to leave the scallop edge on the bottom of the tunic and made little slits on each side of the lace.  The pieces were only sewn together at the sweetheart neckline and the side seams so the lining was shorter and let the lace show well at the bottom and the neckline.   Sleeves were the glitter knit without lace, but the back of the shirt was attached to the glitter knit at the lower part of the yoke.  The 'Lacy Look' for the holidays and evenings.

Old Faithful 20 minute tubin' pants by using this comfy pattern and making the legs wider so they are not tight like leggins....Can look professional but be leggin comfy at the waist.

Tops and Jackets Quick and Easy

Using this pattern collar and

I like the big collar on simplicity 8162, but the simple set in sleeve line of Kwik sew 4069

This cowl neck hangs just right and can make this really quick!

I made a couple of these before I went to work in the morning when I wanted something different to wear

Nothing Like the Feel of a Silk Blouse and the comfort of my matching Tubins

This shirt does not require stretch fabric, and is quick and easy, I did the neckline by turning under twice or putting a thin bias strip around the neck in these two different shirts above...

Made with 3/4 length sleeves and the yellow and

 gray made with long sleeves... quick pattern, just use front and back and turn under at neck or use a small rolled bias strip...These two blouses were silk so hmmmmmm so sweet to wear..

The Pants are the usual tubins with elastic waist... 10 minutes to cut/multiples and 10 minutes to sew each pair of pants... yes that is right, in an hour you can have 3 pairs of nice looking pants to wear to work, that are comfortable and professional looking...

The Jackets are the usual jackets adjusted to 6 inches shorter on the pattern for easy pants wear

These are the type of free flowing jackets I wear most days, and carry for swimsuit cover ups out of lacey fabrics

One of my favorite new outer coat patterns, below:

 

I first used this for a similar Jacket...

I decided later this wasn't good enough, so I got a small piece of fabulous fur and added it to this

After The Test Jacket, I Made this Little Over Jacket for a simple Dress and Used the Selvedge for Trim... and made a fringe at the bottom to match all of the leftover fabrics... but it was quick...

The selvages on this boucle type fabric had a line of metallic, so I couldn't throw the edge away.  I took it and used it as trim down the front and then made a fringe out of the fabric itself for the bottom... Such fun

This is one of my favorite quick dresses, but right now I am
making the Tank with capri length leggins and my bathing suits with a chiffon overlay for BEACH   yeh!!

Bathing suit one piece with chiffon wrap...Love this... using a bathing suit that I wear to adjust the pattern and I am thinking of trying a couple of beach hats for fun, vacation is coming up, so I am making my annual tote luggage to have room for my kayaks and beach toys... and loving the chiffons at work with the prints for wraps and jackets.

Pictures to follow....

One of this years sets will be red bathing suit. red capri, and red tank and printed chiffon of red and gold...
and perhaps a blue set of the same I like the print soo much..

With the new Gauze we got in I am going to make a Red Gauze Dress with the stripe in the middle to be the Yellow Gold Gauze to go with this set---I may not make it as Full... The stripe is the attraction and I don't want it to blow up in the air when I am on the boardwalk...LOL

Multiple Cutting

So, I am using today to cut as many things out as possible.
I am going through my stash and laying out all the things I would like to make the same thing....
My ususal Jackets first...Fuschia Lace.. cut with scallops down the front... Baby Blue spider web lace... Royal Blue tufted chiffon.... Bright Coral Plaid Chiffon and Black with Metallic gold tufting... Gray green puffy chiffon.... all cut out...
Pants....
And TOPS...
And Lastly Dresses.
I need to do a cleanup and resort... so My sewing Table will be clean except for the stacks of  items cutout today... This is the plan and I will take pictures as I accomplish it.  After this and making one outfit... I will pull out all the Christmas presents stash and line them up... Then I can sew many things this week.
Conclusion:
Saw the Grandchildren a lot.... cut out 6 Jackets... Sewn...NONE...
Will not sew the jackets until I cut out the pants and Blouses...

Those are Magazine storage boxes with patterns in them on the top shelf... a bent paperclip shaped into a hook holds the plastic canvas sheet - holes are just right for the earrings to slipped through and backs holding on.  Bracelet storage will be added to my next blog after finishing these outfits.

But here is a sampling of the materials of the Jackets and scarves because as always ... Made the earrings... first..

The Colors of next weeks outfits... earrings made... fuschia and blue beaded bracelets for accessorizing scarves...

At Least Step one is done... and Jackets are cut out...I will time how fast I can do one jacket if it is all cut out... We know if I cut out the pants, they are 20 minutes each.   I will time the blouses also.  Give me a week and half and my plastic canvas hanging earring holder will be full.  The scarves will be the same as the earrings but intertwined with other colors that are in the blouses.  The black ones you see are black and bright gold, and I think I have some gold fabric in my stash so that should be a twinkling outfit...

Kimono Jacket and Skirt set

Bought this pattern from Etsy... but I did not look like this in it... I am not small and it was unflattering..... so I started changing... it... layering lace and appliqueing .
The original pieces of fabric were not specific for this pattern, so I did not have  enoough of the colored lace to do a whole blouse or jacket... I thought this would work..???
I don't like 3/4 sleeves so I doubled the width of the trim on the trim view... and then I layered white lace to give the impression of set in sleeves.... ( I have rounded shoulders and I knew better than do something without set in sleeves...)
The back didn't look right so I added appliques on the layered lace down the middle to try to not focus on my size...

Layered with lace and then appliqued with overlay from the skirt fabric
Now for the Tier drop skirt out of yellow and I feel I will probably layer lace at the ends of the tear drops...

I also found this pattern on Etsy- The skirt will be yellow like the yellow in the jacket using the view that is pink on the front.
Thinking overlays of lace somewhere on the tear drops.
This outfit is totally experiments.. The blouse will be a faux silk white brocade but I am using a pleater board for the first time... not sure of how I will make the blouse front exactly...but all of the fabrics except the white lace came from the 2.97 room....  The white lace came from the 25.00 eveningwear table on sale.

Did the skirt...  layering just the lace flowers on the teardrops... alternating the colored lace flower and then the white ones.

Cut Out part you want to applique, used ultra hold bond but you should use lite, because the heavier ultra hold gums up your needle if you do the satin stitch with the machine around the edge as I did.  I added the venetian lace around the bottom of the tier drop skirt after I made the skirt itself and then did the applique.

I pinned on the upside down scallop of the lace from the jacket and alternated tierdrops.

I appliqued the lace around the edge with a tiny satin stitch being careful to not interrupt the edging of the venetian lace trim and then quilted lightly through the lace and tierdrop corner so it would lay flat nicely.

The end result of the bottom of the skirt is here, but I still am not sure about the outfit itself... Feels like I should be dancing or something.  I still have the blouse to do which I felt this satin charmeuse white damask type would be another great experiment with some pleating from my new pleater board.... pictures to follow.

This whole outfit is just one experiment after another.... BUT FIRST  I have to be Rosie the Riveter for Holloween and I have to make the Little Alphabet Tote for my little grand-daughter out of Pur Pel Vinyl with letters and numbers on the outside...

This Outfit started out inexpensive.... 2.97 a yard... BUT.. the white lace overlay came from the 25.00 a yard lace Evening Spec. table...(yard and half of the White Lace- admitting there is some leftover for appliqueing on other things) and the Venetian Lace edging was expensive too... (also had more than needed-to be used later).....BUT... it seemed important at the time....and the pleater board was expensive, but I am going to experiment with it on this blouse and then use it on little dresses for my grand daughter-that is the plan.