Artisan's Square has a challenge thread titled
6PAC - six piece autumn collection. Normally I sew whatever makes my heart sing at the moment, so I end up with a lot of this and that in my closet. I decided to try a little discipline.
The first part was the brown (yawn) column posted
here. Then I moved on to something fun - Marcy Tilton's knit jacket posted
here. Love, love, love that little jacket.
Then I was stumped. What next? Problem solved - I went back to Gail K and bought more of the ponte knits that I used in the jacket. Hooray for retail solutions!
From those ponte knits, I made another eDress and Ann's tank top, also from The Sewing Workshop (TSW). Wow - knits are so fast!
For this eDress, I shortened at the shorten/lengthen line about 5 inches to create what I think is a more flattering length for me. My first
eDress is a maxi dress.
I used Louise Cutting's rule of thirds - measure the distance from the crease in the knee to the floor in bare feet. Best lengths are one-third up and two-thirds up. This eDress is 12 inches off the floor on me.
The tank top in TSW's Ann's Cardigan and Tank pattern was almost too easy. I followed their instructions completely, leaving all the edges raw and simply top stitching 3/8 inch from the edge. I did raise the neckline in the front a bit and I'm glad I did.
So the 6PAC is currently a 5PAC:
- Brown cotton-Lycra mimosa pants.
- Brown cotton-Lycra top from sheath pattern.
- Solid gray and solid brown ponte knit Marcy Tilton jacket
- Solid gray and solid brown ponte knit eDress
- Solid gray Ann's tank top
'Course I am not proceeding quite so smoothly as this might indicate. I also went off in another direction, making that classic Marcy Tilton skirt, the one with all the bias bits (future post) from a yummy brown and white linen pin-stripe.
But it doesn't go with the ponte jacket, so I'll need to make a matching Louise Cutting jeans jacket to accompany it. Eeewwww - maybe too matchy-matchy.
I'm realizing that a 6PAC or any of the sewing-with-a-plan variations require balancing statement pieces with the basics, as well as avoiding boredom and matchy-matchy. And there is a test at the end - how much will I wear these pieces?
Another learning experience inspired by fellow sewers.
After a half century of sewing it still happens. Often when I least expect it. 
Artisan's Square has a challenge thread titled 6PAC - six piece autumn collection. Normally I sew whatever makes my heart sing at the moment, so I end up with a lot of this and that in my closet. I decided to try a little discipline.
From those ponte knits, I made another eDress and Ann's tank top, also from The Sewing Workshop (TSW). Wow - knits are so fast!
The tank top in TSW's Ann's Cardigan and Tank pattern was almost too easy. I followed their instructions completely, leaving all the edges raw and simply top stitching 3/8 inch from the edge. I did raise the neckline in the front a bit and I'm glad I did.