Fall Moto jacket

I hate to admit it but summer is over. We went golfing today and there were deer on the course and red leaves here and there in the trees.

I have made my first fall jacket.

For a change, and because of the wider leg pants that are coming our way, I made a boiled wool version moto jacket.

Here's the pattern:

It's a nicely drafted pattern with a slightly longer, as in below waist, length and an interesting back. The only real change I made was to use my own easy way method for welt pockets (remind me to detail that when I have more time) rather than  small and fussy pattern pieces that IMO don't account for turn of cloth.

Here are some detail shots:

And some shots on me. 

Note I didn't include the snaps because I wanted to wear this several different ways and snapping and unsnapping I felt would be a nuisance. Plus there was enough body in this collar for it to stand close to the body without the snaps.

I will probably wear this with pants or a grey dress but since I haven't made those yet this is what you get. I have also left the pictures large here and foliage heavy because these were taken in my daughter's back yard, which I love - it opens right onto a park strip.

I wasn't sure how much I would like this jacket. I was worried it would be too much on my middle but I actually am pretty happy with it. It makes me feel somewhat cool and since I am not the least bit cool, that's a good thing I figure.

I have currently 8 other pieces of grey shade fabric on the line or in the dryer and as I sit here at my picnic table. I wonder what I should make of them all.

Occasionally I get up and reach up and feel them as they wave in the breeze and try to figure out what they want to be. I guess we will see.

Fall is starting, at least the sewing part

There is a moment every year in August when I open my door and I can smell Fall. This doesn't mean the days can't still be warm, but it does mean that the change of seasons is in the air. When happens I know it is time to put away all my unfinished summer sewing projects and start thinking about fall.

I have a dilemma.

I am thinking about nothing but dresses at the moment but at the same time I know my skirt wardrobe has just about hit its expiry date. There are two black gab skirts that can and should be updated and shortened but the rest really shouldn't see the inside of a classroom this year.

That's the thing about skirts. Your old regular straight skirt is a classic and you can wear it to death. That's what's happened here.

I need a plan. Starting Tuesday if I finish all my summer term marking, I have some sewing time opening up.

I have decided that the thing I should do is this:

Two skirts, one dress, two skirts, one dress. Repeat until I get those dumb skirts out of the way.

To give myself a boost I am going to try some new Vogue skirt patterns and on the TNT attempt to add one cool designeresque feature to keep my interest. I have some wild silks I mistakenly thought might make cool coat linings (that impulse to be completely gaudy, clashy every time I opened my coat has passed) that I might put inside some of these old skirts.

I figure I should really rip through my skirt sewing this way, because really all I want is some new dresses.