Morning, you stately wolfhounds. Today’s post is all about a complete change of direction in my fall wardrobe planning.

I’ve already posted a bit regarding my fall wardrobe plan (known from this day forward as Patty the Snug Bug (PSB) early fall 2011.) It’s all hot pink with DRESSES!! I’ve gotten snagged up on two little details on that wardrobe. First, I started planning it before I headed back to work and second… I started planning it during hot weather. I have terrible amnesia every fall when it comes to cold-weather dressing. I think tank tops will work with 3/4 sleeve cardi’s. Alas, that is not the case and once I make it through our first chilly day I’m well reminded of it…

So I’ve changed my tune a bit. Here’s PSB late fall ’11… with all new fabrics! Here are photos of the fabric swatches…

Nice, huh! The top swatch is a cozy, yet flexible wool boucle that I fell in love with. Next row is a cashmere sweater from Savers that I’m hoping to restyle and a nice length of silk/rayon blend for a skirt. Third row down is some crazy silk charmeuse and under that is a varietaged sort-of sweater knit that is destined to be a dress. On the bottom left is a not-very-well-photographed drapey mustard jersey and next to that is a very cool crinkled black and white blouse-type material that I got from Gorgeous Fabrics and have been hoarding.

This fabric collection represents a hardcore return to not only traditional patty-colors (green. with more green) but also traditional patty-fabrics. Working at the shop for the last year, I’ve sewn with a LOT of quilt-weight cottons. I still love ’em, especially for casual summer-wear and 50’s dresses (fitted with big skirts…) but I have a thing for the OTHER natural fabrics… wool … silk … polyester….

As far as patterns, I’ll be making the boucle and the silk blend into pencil skirts. I think I might have enough of the black and white dots for a Jasmine from Colette.  The crazy silk print will be a very simple blouse with the longest sleeves I can swing – brilliant Taran suggested silk as a nice, warm material for winter wear. The cashmere sweater will be made into a bolero-type concoction, the mustard jersey into a drapey, Grecian-esque short sleeve top and the variegated sweater will (hopefully) stretch enough to be a kimono-style sweater dress. I’ll probably have to either get more of that to make a whole dress – I only have 2 yards – OR I’ll supplement with another knit for the waistband and a few other design details to get the variegated fabric to stretch enough for the pattern I have in mind. Why, oh, why, did I finally get my eyes-are-bigger-than-my-project tendency to buy 4 yards of everything under control? I NEED four yards!!

And with that, I’m off to bed. But oh! Wait! For any of you Minneapolitinis… alert! I was at Treadle the other day and they have THREE different varieties of super-wide horsehair braid – like, the 3 inch kind. It’s $2.50 a yard and you need a TON for a full circle skirt, but I have 3 yards of super cheap fall suiting from Hancock that’s just BEGGING for extra wide horsehair braid!

 

 

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