A busy bee

I have been so, so busy lately. I have not even had time to think about writing a proper post other than for the knit-along, and I am so behind in my feed reader! So in no particular order, I'm going to do a short list of things that have been on my mind lately.

1. Okay, I admit this one is in the correct order. First and foremost on my mind has been wedding preparations. June 17th fast approaches, and even though we're planning this to be as low-key as possible, there have been all sorts of things that have come up along the way, including craft projects. I'm going to dedicate a post to it all soon, but I thought it would be worth mentioning that today is the very first day couples can apply for a civil union license in the state of Illinois. A historic day for our state! (We'll be getting our license next Friday.)

{source: Nancy Stone, Chicago Tribune}

2. I have decided I might be ready to try shorts again. Maybe. I think the last time I wore shorts was when I still thought it was okay to wear opaque tights with cut offs. Suffice it to say that was (fortunately) many, many years ago. This time I'm thinking 40s style, with more modest coverage than you typically see in modern shorts. Now I haven't sewn pants yet, but shorts are just short pants anyway, right? Why not start there, seeing as it's almost summer? I have been wanting to buy Wearing History's Smooth Sailing pattern for ages for the trousers, but think they'd also be splendid as shorts. I also like the shorts from Lauren's Sailor Girl Playsuit pattern (Casey made a lovely pair that look very versatile). I did buy the vintage pattern below, which has three styles of shorts. I like view 3 the best. I think I may like the pleats in view 1, too, but I would definitely start with view 3. I don't have the pattern in hand yet to know how "Simple to Make" they actually are, and I'm wondering how they would look without a cuff.

{source}

What do you think? And what would be a good fabric selection for shorts? I'm thinking solid colors, and something machine washable. Cotton twill? A linen blend (I'm thinking a blend so they wouldn't wrinkle when I sneeze)? I am still pretty much a dunderhead when it comes to selecting fabric, I admit!

3. I have two sweaters going at the same time on my needles. After finishing up Briar Rose (pictures later today!) and the black sleeveless shell I wore at VLV, I was desperately in need of some knitting that involved a) color and b) something other than stockinette. One is red and a vintage-inspired modern pattern, Henrietta Maria. I'll be reversing the original color scheme and am making a couple of minor alterations to better fit my vintage aesthetic, which mainly involves adding a bit of length to the body and the ribbing and knitting slightly longer sleeves.

{source: Cotton Gin & Tonic}

The other is robin's egg blue, the vintage pattern It Cannot Fail to Please from A Stitch in Time Vol. 1 that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, modified to work in DK weight yarn.

© Arbour House Publishing

Both are distracting me from working on any sewing projects whatsoever. (When I'm busy it's so much easier for me to contemplate sitting down with a knitting project than a sewing project.) I'm knitting both in Cascade Ultra Pima, a DK weight cotton that I have fallen in love with. It's lovely to knit and comes in a great variety of colors, both major pluses in my book. The sweaters will be short-sleeved and should be weather-appropriate for all but the hottest and muggiest days, I'm hoping.

4. While I haven't talked about it, I have not forgotten about my Handmade Vintage Wardrobe Challenge. I just haven't had the time to blog about it or give it much thought! But both of my current sweaters fit into my challenge color palette, as did Briar Rose and the two sewing projects I finished for VLV.

I desperately wanted to participate in Sunni's Ginger Sew-Along and turn Ginger into a pinafore with some navy gabardine in my stash, but I couldn't get it together in time. I hope to tackle that after the wedding, even if my wool-blend gab is less than weather appropriate at that point. By then I should be able to focus more on sewing, too. I have so many ideas in my head that I haven't been able to explore due to lack of time!

5. We went camping in Wisconsin over the long Memorial Day weekend and while we met with some rain on one of the days, we did not wash away in the major storms that hit Illinois and Wisconsin. I'll post pictures of our trip in the next few days, but here's a preview!