What's Black and White and Red(dish Orange) All Over?

I'll give you a hint...it's not a newspaper.  Remember that elementary school joke?  Anyway.  This is my signature style for Project Sewn.  I'm still figuring out exactly what my signature style is.  It's been evolving since I started Dressing Your Truth (not an affiliate link, but I get a reward) six weeks ago.  What I do know and have always known is that I like to dress my own version of comfy casual. My definition of comfy is great fit, distinctive/bold, and classy.  I also need to be able to chase my children.  I'm not a fan of plain t-shirts (on me), even for every day.  I like to feel put-together, but not overdressed for a stop at Walmart.  I'm going to keep the rest of this short and sweet because there's looooooots of stuff to say after making an entire outfit and I'll probably do a full post about each piece.

The Coat

I've had the pattern and fabric for the coat for over a year.  Houndstooth is one of my favorite patterns. The wool is fairly thin so it also works well for days that aren't the dead of winter.  It was originally to be a weight loss reward last winter, but that didn't work out.  Then I was a little disappointed that I couldn't make it for this winter because I was going to be too pregnant.  That didn't work out either and I decided I deserved to have the coat regardless of weight loss.  I totally love the collar.  That top flap usually lies in a straight line but you know how it is when you try to take pictures...

The pattern is Butterick 5685.  Not so bad as patterns go, but there are a couple of changes I would make.  I'll go over that in another post.  I chose red for the lining because...well, why wouldn't I?  I stuck to the pattern pretty closely

The Top

The level of excitement I felt when I found the right color of orange fabric was almost indecent.  Until Dressing Your Truth I never would have worn orange.  I thought I couldn't pull it off.  Look at me now, pulling it off and being fabulous about it.  :)  The pattern is McCall's 6513.  I had to raise the shoulders, reset the sleeves and play around with the crossover bits on the front to achieve the right fit.  I changed the sleeve length simply because I like them better as 3/4 sleeves.

Bathroom selfie!

The Jeans

Yay jeans!  I have a weirdo lower body.  I've come to grips with it.  Really, once you have pants that fit properly it's easy to appreciate what you're born with.  The jeans pattern is McCall's 6610.  I did some heavy altering thanks to the Sewing Designer Jeans class on Craftsy.  By "heavy altering" I mean I shortened the rise, changed the waistband from straight to modified contour, slimmed the leg, made a front crotch adjustment, and changed the shape of the front pocket.  Easy cheesy, right?  Suuuure...

There's my bum in well-fitting jeans

To add contrast I used two strands of metallic silver thread for the topstitching.  I love all things sparkly, so I added some bling to the pockets.  I used a pre-made rhinestone design to begin with, then extended the design with more loose stones because my butt needed more shine.  Obviously.

There's a close up of my bum in well-fitting jeans

There were a couple of other fun touches I added.  The pocket bags came from scraps of a tropical print I used for who-knows-what.  I can't even remember except that I used some for the Origami Butterfly Wreath.

As another unique touch I squared out the stitching on the fly rather than use the half oval.  I also squared off the pockets.  To secure the fly facing I made three rows of bar tacks and repeated that design in other places where rivets would generally be used.  It all ties in pretty well, I think.

So there you have it, my signature style.  The fit is so perfect I feel like I melt into it.  The color is bold and the design is simple, but distinctive.I could go almost anywhere in my daily routine while wearing this get-up and feel perfectly comfortable.  I'm calling it a win.

Linking up: