MOB style 'results'; a request for help as I need to interview a small business person/professional dressmaker for my course

I posted a number of pictures of me in various outfits and received a few online opinions. I took these photos to my sewing classes and got opinions from everyone there. The first is a sewing bee at which the average age is probably around my age. The second is my college course where I'm the oldest, probably.  These comments are relevant to the opinions gathered. 

dress 4

One dress, number 6, was a Marmite dress. Some (including my course tutor,  who felt it was very flattering), picked it out as their favourite. It's the one of all of these I don't feel good in. My husband likes it,  I can wear it, but I wouldn't choose to. Others immediately pointed to it and said ‘not that one’. Otherwise it simply wasn't included in choices made.

dress 6

Dress 4 gleaned most votes. This is probably my favourite. I've made the image a lot larger to allow the tucks at (R) shoulder and (R)waist to be seen

dress 4 - enalrge

Dress 5 was extremely popular but a bit Marmite-like too!

My course tutor loved this,  though I think that could be more to do with me having some attitude in the photo,  something she's trying to encourage in my sketchbook.  Others said they might like the dress if I wasn't standing in ‘that funny way’! It was pointed out to me that dress 4 has slightly cutaway shoulders which I hadn't noticed.

There was an age issue with the older ladies in their 70s preferring the dresses with the longer length and somewhat more flare, while some of the younger opined that these dresses had to be shorter or longer than the length these are - just not right, although my youngest daughter did like dress 1 and at the length it was.  

Dress 8 was a very popular style though many loved the style but didn't like the fabric and my daughter said it looked too casual,  although she too loved the shape.

dress 8

Dress 9 was popular and included in many choices across age groups. It fitted well. At first, that is.

dress 9

The RTW outfit I tried on was popular too.

RTW

Other issues:

• There was a comment that most of my necklines were very similar.
• They also felt I suited this neckline
• A couple of ladies, including the tutor in my sewing bee, preferred the slightly lower and wider neckline of 3 and 8, feeling that 4 was too high. Personally, I prefer the higher. Perhaps an in between length will result!
• Two older ladies picked the V neck Viyella dress but others specifically said the neckline was not the most flattering for me. Interestingly, I always used to love a V neckline when i was younger. I just seem to have moved away from them, though not deliberately.
• Length - knee length by a large majority
• A couple felt dress 9 was a bit old fashioned; I think this goes along with Marianne’s view that the skirt would need to be narrowed. My future son in law chose this as one of his favourites. He and Helen had similar choices. My husband and I both like this one.
• You can see for yourself from the comments on my post what was voted for by those who were kind enough to comment.
• There was a definite feeling, and I agreed, that I needed a sleeve.
• One woman on my course had brought in an image of a dress she thought would be good for me. The photo was taken of the dress on her mother, a skilled dressmaker, who is probably older than me by just a few years.  The dress relied on the fabric quality and some subtle shaping. It had a cowl neck. It was nice but she agreed that this type of dress doesn't work with a jacket. She did ask did I really need a jacket.

So

Jacket

Do I need a jacket?

I believe so.

The wedding is in the frozen north (!) at the start of June. The weather could be pleasant and warm - last year on the day it was a beautiful sunny day 16°C. That's very cold for my southerner future sil and most of the wedding guests and probably too chilly to want to be in a sleeveless or short sleeved dress outdoors for photos.

The weather could be much colder and it could be raining.

So I feel I want a jacket more for warmth than style though of course that's important  too.

• The jacket can be plain or lace. Plain, that is solid dupion silk or a lace outer layer, over the silk or a finer layer.
• I'll have a look at all of my jacket patterns
• I'm thinking princess seams or cardigan style.
• I have a new Knipmode pattern and the Morris blazer new to me.
• I have a number of jacket patterns,  many of which are not suitable,  I feel
• I need to look through all my jacket patterns some of which came free with a magazine s

I haven’t absolutely decided on a dress style, by the way.  Dress 4/5 and dress 9 are the frontrunners of these styles. Dress 9 has the advantage for me that I have already made it and have further altered the pattern since I made it. I'd need to draft a sleeve. Of course, my tutor might not find that ‘acceptable’ for the course if I haven’t made the pattern from scratch, but that doesn't stop me making the dress. I could also make a version similar to 4 with cobalt crepe which would probably work with the slightly more draped elements of that dress. We’ll see. I have to really ration my time.

For the course, I have to ‘interview’ (could be by email etc) someone who runs a small business, preferably mother of the bride type, I think. I don’t know anybody. Does anybody know someone who might be willing to answer a couple of questions? Or know of an article or blog someone might have produced? This comes about because adult education funding is dependent on working opportunities and seems set on thinking that everyone wants to set up a business. Any small dressmaking business would do, I think. Naturally, I have no plans whatsoever to move in this direction!

Happy New Year! and sewing goals for 2016

In my post about hits and misses I had some forward thoughts. I wanted to make them clearer for me.

The next 5 months is taken up with wedding sewing.  At the same time, I need to complete my textile course. Fortunately, my mother of the bride outfit is my course project. I'm not getting on with any of this in the way I should be. Only 5 months left, well 4 for the course.

I won't be sharing any wedding sewing plans until after the event. I have a lot to do and will be visiting London next week to look at fabrics. I already have dupion silk for my MOB outfit but need lining, overlay if I'm going to use one, lace ditto. I don't have the design sorted out in my head - and I have to submit next week!!  Help!! And I'm not completely sure about the silk. 

I have some nice black fabric to make my middle daughter a dress for work. A nice simple shape so I might fit that in the next few weeks. She's visiting in 3 weeks and it would be great if I could have it done. I'm not going to pressurise myself though.

I've been pattern cutting but really don't want to make my own patterns (and I'd actually prefer to use a commercial pattern altered to fit for my MOB outfit than make one as I'm doing for the course; oh well) My experience will make it easier to modify commercial patterns to fit and perhaps change some little details on them. I’d really like to develop some basic well fitting shapes as a starting point for those variations.

I would like to have joined in a SWAP but timings don't suit,  sadly. Maybe next time.

This year my plans included making myself some well fitting trousers and I didn't manage, despite a lot of trying. So 2016 is the year! Unfortunately, the PR pants competition doesn't fit in timewise. I find a little pressure is helpful - too much,  of course,  not so! If I manage,  and I should,  I need a few pairs of different styles,  including jeans. I have put on weight through inactivity and complacency and must lose some in time for the wedding - this will also help with trouser fitting,  I'm sure and of course with general health. 

I also want to make a smart casual jacket. I don't know what pattern yet. This jacket will be able to be worn with jeans as well as skirts. Last year I made a black linen jacket but it's too sloppy for my liking. It's also too long. I also feel its raglan sleeves didn't really suit me. I'm currently thinking a collarless slightly fitted blazer style might be the one to go for.

Lastly,  I'd like to make myself a dress for next Christmas! Hopefully in a new home? Hopefully my plans for 2017 will include home dec projects for this new home. We'd love to have a house built to our specifications but first need to find some suitable land, which isn't an easy task.

We're hoping to downsize next year so that makes the need to reduce fabric and pattern stashes even greater. I just need to donate quite a bit of fabric that will never get used - and likewise patterns that I'd never have bought, that I've got free in magazines. I thought my daughters might like some of them and thought my youngest might want to make some but I can't hold onto them for ever. I have just too many.

So a very busy first half of the year with lots of wedding related sewing which I have to achieve then a second half of selfish sewing, just 3 items so surely achievable!

I also wanted to say that I am very grateful to those of you who visit my blog and I'm especially grateful for the helpful comments I receive. I'm happy to receive constructively critical comments. Please keep on visiting and keep on commenting!  Thank you. 

Happy New Year!