planning for fall

We are back from vacation and I'm taking a short break from selfish sewing. I'm a little frustrated with some fitting issues with the Darling Ranges dress.  Plus, I put on a few lazy pounds during our stay in the south which doesn't help fitting! So it seemed like a good idea to put that on the back burner for a little while to tackle something I'm really excited about - a winter coat for baby girl! Over the weekend, I very carefully traced the pattern, prepared my fabrics and then had the genius idea to baste together a "muslin" out of my flannel interlining. The coat will be a moderate investment of time and materials and I want it to be perfect. So I plan to take my time.

These days, I am thinking quite a lot about how to make things last. We are working on finances right now and really feeling the pinch of providing for three children with two in school. So I've been considering ways to use my sewing skills to help with household finances. I'm pondering and researching ways to sew things that will last baby girl (and myself) a good long while but still look good. There will be more discussion of that to come.

For this coat, I am planning to build in room to grow and I have some details to work out before I dive into the actual construction. While the fit for a child's coat doesn't have to be all that perfect, this muslin allowed me to test the length and fit before cutting expensive fabric. It's close enough that I can still use this as my interlining, but I could see that I might want even more length but maybe somehow less roominess in the chest. Do you have any tricks for extending the life of children's clothes?

However, I'm waiting on a new tracing wheel and meanwhile I want to make something really simple and fun. I picked up this lovely and irresistible print at Dana Willard's book signing at Whipstitch. Yes, I know I keep saying I'm avoiding the quilting cottons, but that's how they are. They're like sirens. And anyway, they really are fine for little girl playclothes. This is a Moda print, so it's much softer and nicer than others. I just love it, but it is a bit large and loud. I can't decide which pattern. She has plenty for summer wear, so we need to start planning for fall into winter. Opinions, please!