Can't...resist... pattern...sales....

I had to make a run to Hancock's Friday to take advantage of the sale on sewing machine needles(I seem to have broken quite a few when doing the costuming), and, well, Vogue and McCall's patterns were on sale. And I have an ongoing list...

But the new Vogues weren't in the cabinets yet (grumble, grumble), so the only Vogue pattern I picked up is one that has been on the list a while, 8481, which is a Claire Shaeffer Couture pattern. I like the lines and proportions, and Claire's directions alone are worth getting the pattern.

But I got four McCall's...it'd been awhile since I caught a McCall's sale.

5529; a wrap-front shawl collar jacket. I think this would look good in a soft, stable knit or boucle...not that I have any, you understand, but should I see some I'll have the pattern already in the collection.

5334; I like the shoulder-princess seams and the mandarin collar on the jacket; not so sure about that short button band. But it would be easy to redraft the front to include the buttons a little more conventionally.

5335. This one I do have fabric for...some silverish brocade I got from Gorgeous Fabrics. (Wonder how soon will I need an uber dressy jacket???) I was in a quandary about what pattern to use for it, and I saw this pattern in an ad Threads magazine and was smitten.

5592. This is the pattern I would not have gotten if it had not been on sale. I'm still not entirely sure how it ended up in my basket... ;) But 'trouser jeans' seem to be showing up over and over; anyway, I've got it.

And I finished the silk/lycra shell yesterday by hand-stitching the neck binding down. I had a revelation in that I was cutting the bias bands too narrow and finished out the one band I had sewed down, then just turned-and-topstitched the armholes. I cut the strips 4 times the desired width, plus another width for turn of the cloth...I should've been cutting it 6 times the desired width, plus a TOC allowance. No wonder I had such fits.