Bleak Mid-Winter Sewing

It is that time of year when I decide I need warmer outer wear. It's mid-winter when the trees are black silhouettes against a gun-metal gray sky.

Winter in the southeastern US lasts about 3 minutes but I do love making a jacket or coat. Full length coats no longer really fit my life style no matter how cold it is, but I love a 3/4 length coat or even an extra-warm jacket.

So I considered the jackets I love wearing. First up is this super practical Tremont jacket. It's an interesting textured wool weave with a striped effect. I machine-quilted it to a medium-weight silk-cotton sateen blend. It's light but an oh-so-practical piece. It never wrinkles (or it's always wrinkled); it goes with everything; it resists rain.

Next is a caramel-colored, single layer wool jacket that I love. It's Vogue 8546. The color just makes me happy. It too doesn't wrinkle and resists rain, but it does not go with everything. Also the wool makes contact with my skin depending on what I wear with it and that's not comfy.

Lastly is another Sewing Workshop jacket - the Haiku II - in subdued plaid mostly navy tropical wool. It reads solid navy blue and so I wear it with lots of other items, even a pin-striped tropical wool pair of pants.

Continuing my 2019 theme of stash-depletion, I have selected a fairly heavy wool tweed. It's a remnant that Ley of Gail K had some years back. It's only about 2 yards but 62 inches wide. There was plenty to cut out a San Diego jacket, espeically since I'm adding a contrast in the front to protect my neck from the scratchy wool and just because I think it'll be nice.

There was a piece of soft black leather in my stash too. I remember buying it and I still feel guilty. It has a tiny hole in it for guess what. I finally decided that the best way to respect it is to use it.

I did not have anything in stash for lining this piece. I found this pretty piece of silk at Gail K. It's about the weight of charmeuse but not nearly as slippery. I'm hoping it will be cooperative. I'm considering sandwiching some cotton flannel between the wool and the silk if it's not too heavy.

Meanwhile I finished my 3rd in a series of PJs made from stash items. As with the others, the top is the Eureka and the pants are modified Hudson pants, both Sewing Workshop patterns.

The pants and trim are made from a piece of cotton interlock knit. It's a little heavier than the rayon jersey knit, of course, and I'm not sure I'm going to like it as much for PJs.

The top is made from a piece of cotton knit purchased at the Martha Pullen booth at the Sewing Expo. It is super soft and just right for PJs. It may be a little fragile. I've made PJs from this before and it developed runners, like panty hose. So far this one has survived two nights!

So what's on your sewing table?