Fall Planning......Maybe?

I'm having a horrible time with planning fall sewing this year.  Here's the problem, I'd like to look put together and feminine but it gets too damn cold here.  As the temperature drops, taking my body temperature with it, my outfits will revert back to "pile as many things on as possible to keep warm." Really hard to look feminine when your proportions are circular due to the 3 + sweaters swathing your body.  Winter footwear is also a challenge once the snow starts falling. I love a high heeled bootie as much as the next girl. but I'm not going to risk a broken bone prancing around on ice in such footwear. Oh cold weather, we have such a dysfunctional relationship. I love how you indulge my need to cover myself in hand knits, but why you gotta mess up my shoe mojo?

Due to all this, I've been spinning my wheels for the last month, mostly sewing summer items and hoping inspiration will strike me. Or lighting, cause that probably would convert me from being a lizard human to a real live mammal. Mmmm actual warm blood. Well I didn't get struck with inspiration so much as being presented with a sew-a-long format that stopped me from making everything terribly complicated.  What, totally paralyze myself by imagining all the possible negative outcomes? I never do that! *cough, lies, cough *  What sew-a-long am I talking about? Well it's Sarah's Fall Essentials Sew-a-long.

Despite it being the 4th annual, I confess it was something completely off my radar. Oh internet how is it that you manage to hide secrets from me when I'm on you for hours every day? Stop being coy!  But anyway, back to the sew-a-long.  My brain latched on the fact that there were seven clothing categories. Surely I could think of one of two things for each. Then I could get a few garments made up and see if they actually got worn once the indoor temp returns to 68 degrees. It's like a testing phase for my "make Winter Heather pretty" plans. I hear Winter Heather laughing at my nonsense as she pulls another quilt over her head.  Hush up you! Why don't you go play in your blanket fort and let me do some planning. I'll have Froggie make a pot of tea and we all can have a cookie break after I'm done.

Here are my planned garments by categories.

Fashionable Foundations
1. Black denim pencil skirt.
Anyone remember how I was gonna make one during the summer?  Yeah, hasn't happened yet. I blame those cotton sateen prints that distract me with their charms.  Must decide between Betsy and Burda 127 patterns.

2. Wool circle or pleated skirt. Pattern undetermined.
I'm not sure if a wool skirt will be warm enough for my cold cold reptile blood. However I have a shit ton of wool in the stash, almost of it gray. There's more than enough to sacrifice some on a garment that may or may not get worn much. Who knows, if I can find some of these magical fleece lined tights that my Canadian friends seem to be hoarding, a wool skirt might be nice and toasty. Hey Canadian friends, hook me up with some super warm tights. I know you need them too but Winter Heather is so cold.

Chic Chemises
1. Ysolda's Chickadee out of stashed yarn.
Knitting was the one area where I wasn't mentally blocked about my fall wardrobe.  I know that Winter Heather loves cardigans with color work on the yoke. Basically if you knit one in a color Winter Heather likes, then it will get worn on heavy rotation.  I'm making the body on this one red which will thrill her.

2. One or two long sleeve Nettie's
I'd like to make one with a scooped back for the transitional weather before listening to Winter Heather and making Nettie's with max neck coverage. Darn drafts making Winter Heather sick. Maybe I should put a turtle neck on one. Hmmmmm.....turtle neck.

3. Vogue 8747
I loved this blouse on both Katie and Elizabeth.  The fitted shape also seems like it would look equally good tucked into a skirt or left out over pants.  I'm planning on sewing up a white one in some stashed blouse weight to start.  If I like it then there are plenty other fabrics in the stash screaming to be made into blouses.

Fabulous Frocks
1. McCall's 6696
Yup I still want another of these despite my hand sewing PTSD. Besides this time I'll top-stitch everything and my fingers will be free. Freeeee!  I've got some nice "gray denim looking but has to have wool in it because I made stuff with it already and it washed funny" fabric in the stash. Wow even I can't believe that last sentence.

Underneath it all
Not committing myself to making any undergarments.  If I do change my mind then the hard drive has plenty of underwear PDF patterns lurking in it's downloads folder. Sigh, so hard not to buy patterns.

Tender toesies
1. Hand knit socks
I always have some socks on the DPN's, the current pair is 3/4 done.  Socks aren't a high priority since my sock drawer is still pretty full. Thank you yarn companies for that merino/nylon blend that wears like iron. So if I get a pair done during the sew-a-long, then great. If not, no big deal.

Those Cozy Nights
1. Laura Lounge pants (From Maria Denmark but I don't see the pattern on her site right now.)
Not a high priority need either, but it's not like anyone has to twist my arm to buy more Lillestoff. There can never be enough juvenile print lounge pants.

Baby it's cold outside
1. Ottobre coat
If this looks familiar it's because that's the coat pattern I made for my sister.  It's almost winter again so it's time to make my version. Though if I crank this out before 2015 I'll be ahead of schedule and receive some sort of bonus from my frog overlord. Cookies? A girl can always hope. I have no less than 5 different wool coatings in the stash cave. Don't judge me!!!  Right now the yummy, yummy red wool has been dug out for this project, but I reserve the right to change my mind.

2. Hand knit berets
I need to get off my duff and knit a red and a blank beret to coordinate with my coats. Considering a beret takes a few days at the most, I can only chalk up my inertia to being easily distracted by shiny things. Or maybe froggie is has been smacking me with the "forgetful stick."  A frog has to get his kicks somehow.

So those are my Fall Sew-a-long plans for now.  Do you think I'll stick to the list or veer wildly off like I usually do? Darn bossy lists, who do they think they are? What's that list? You made Froggie the manger of all Fall sewing? Uh oh, he's gotten the efficiency cattle prod out. No Froggie, No! *Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzztttt*