Looking & Touching & Listening To My Fabric

I was looking for a new project to work on this morning that would help me along with the 30/30 Sewing Challenge. The projects that I am currently working on are all at a stand still and wouldn't be finished today, or this week, even if I had the supplies to finish them. So I went looking for a new project... I read back over my blog to see if there were any planned projects that were short and sweet and interesting... I read some other blogs looking for inspiration... and I did a few searches on-line. Still not having decided on a project, I did what anyone else would do. I pulled out all my tubs of fabric and started throwing everything in color piles to see if anything popped out at me. Here is what I found:

I happened to throw this multicolored, geometric printed, canvas over with the yellows and it really spoke to me about wanting to be a bag to accompany the t-shirts that I am going to make from the yellow knit (and Simplicity 1808 - ended up with this). Then I saw the light yellow cotton with brown centered, white flowers and thought it would make a great liner for the bag (finished). How wonderfully it coordinates with the black linen that is slated to be a skirt (finished) and the brown linen destined to become capri pants. Wow, I think I'm going to need to make several yellow t-shirts so that I will have plenty on hand.

For the past several weeks I have been dreaming of making a 50s inspired peplum top but the only fabric that came to mind was some drapery fabric that would hardly make the bodice... so this cute piece of cotton poplin reminded me of it's great qualities. I will only be using the New Look peplum top pattern loosely for this top.

I had forgotten that I still had so much of this peach cotton shirting left. I used some of it last Spring for a peplum top in the PR Pantone Color Contest. This was one of my favorite pieces, how could I have forgotten about it. How cute it would be as a summer top! I'm looking at the center bottom view in New Look 6808. (finished)

This lovely piece of wool was purchased for a historic costuming project but the texture was all wrong. I wonder how it will look as a summer dress? I'll work up a muslin of Simplicity 4014 and see what I think.

Ugh! Then there is this nagging piece of cloth. It's a very bossy length of grey wool that has been wanting to be a blazer and skirt. I wish it would strike up a deal with the sewing machine and just leave me out of it.

This cotton print will look nice as a fitted top over this black linen, to be a skirt.

Light blue linen, left over from my skirt project, will look great as a cloche hat with a checked seersucker lining and strap.

This purple floral and plaid insisted upon playing together but as of yet, I have no idea what the future holds.

From the top: this beautiful length of indigo purple, cotton striped burnout is fated to become a slip dress but I am at a loss as to what to use as a lining. I only have a small piece of the floral, so a hat or clutch bag (here) is most likely to be the result. I'm thinking of a bolero jacket from the blue poly on the bottom but I'm not thrilled with the texture. It's the color that is making me pair it with the others.

And we finally come to the end of my playtime for today with the object of my current affections. This very un-assuming and un-intimidating little watercolor print scrap will occupy my thoughts, attention and sewing space for all of 30 minutes (give or take) until it becomes a most adorable little 50s style neck scarf (here). The colors are so faint that you can hardly tell that it has yellow, tan and brown... tying it in nicely with the set at the very top of this post.

Wow, I'm ready for a nap! Have you planned out your sewing projects for this year? Post your link, I'd love to be inspired.