Violet, Grey and Black Mini-Wardrobe

My daughter's 24th birthday is this month, and when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she said "Could you make me some new clothes?".  Music to my ears!  I've had a horrible cold all weekend and haven't left the house for 3 days because I've been so sick, but it gave me plenty of time to think about what I could make.  I napped a little, sewed a little, napped a little sewed a little. 

Serena started her first professional job last year, and she works as a food engineer in Chicago.  She can wear anything that she wants to work, but she really likes dresses.  She also has a long commute to get to her job, which involves about a mile walk each morning in the Chicago weather, plus standing outside at the train station every day in the bitter cold.  So, I thought I would make her some things to make that commute a little warmer, and still be fun and appropriate for a 24 year old engineer.  I started pulling fabrics from my stash, and a violet, grey, black theme started.

Then I went to my Burda magazines for inspiration, and came across this top and skirt set from the October issue.  I made the top out of a chevron print rayon challis, and the skirt from a dove grey wool gabardine. 

I think the top is really fun and she can pull from any of those colors for her accessories.

The skirt isn't completed yet- I still need to line and hem it, but I want it to fit her like a glove, so I'm going to wait until she can try it on.

I liked that top so much, that I pulled another polyester crepe from my stash to make a second one.  Both of these fabrics were "mystery bundle" fabrics from Fabric Mart.

I think that the skirt looks fine with both.  But if she likes the skirt style, I have a dark violet wool gabardine, that I'd make a second one from.  I just love this skirt shape too.  Ignore the wrinkles- that should go away when I line it.

She wanted some dresses, but I knew that they needed to be wash and wear and comfortable.  This is a Scuba fabric that I picked up at Hancock's.  I didn't even know it was scuba, until I started working with it, and then it dawned on me- this is too springy to be a normal ponte.  Also, it didn't absorb any water when I prewashed it.  It was dry as a bone coming out of the wash.  I think she's going to like this one.

I used the Winter Street Dress pattern from Patternreview.com.  I did add some darts to give it a little more shaping so the waist would be a little more fitted.

I wanted to make a top layer in case her office is chilly.  I had this houndstooth ponte knit, and used McCalls 7026.  
This is a zip front sweatshirt pattern, but out of the houndstooth, I think it looks more business casual. It can go with absolutely everything in this capsule!  It's got some really nice design lines to it- I think I'd like to make one of these for myself.

I had another ponte in the violet/black combination, and decided to make a second Winter Street Dress from it.  I put in side seam pockets in both of the Winter Street Dresses.  That's one of the advantages to making things yourself.  You hardly ever see a ready to wear dress with pockets these days.
The scarf is a silk chiffon, that I bought a length of and made two scarves- I have one, and she has the other, so I know she can do this look!

I still have one more piece for this that I want to make and that's a full length coat.  But, I want to make sure that she'll wear one if I make it.  I have an idea of mixing some very dark purple wool coating, with a black and white houndstooth wool and some black leather.  Not sure how this is going to play out yet, but stay tuned!

 -Ann