My spring/summer capsule wardrobe

So here it is, the culmination of the Wardrobe Architect.  A capsule collection of clothes that fit my style, my needs, and that I can reach for again and again.

I ended up with what was a fairly long list, so we may not see all of these pieces this season.  But when it comes to needs, wants, and budgets, I think this is a really good compromise.

So, for spring, I chose a few silhouettes to keep in mind.  full skirts, slimmer skirts, cardigans, skinny pants, and blousey tops were all featured.  And ballet flats with every outfit.  Which is fitting since I have about a bazillion of them.

So I made a list of each item, how many I had (and love wearing) and how many I would need to have a mixable wardrobe.

In the end I decided on my needs

• 3 blousey tops with short or mid length sleeves
• 2 full skirted dresses
• 2 slimmer dresses
• 1 easy knit dress
• 2 full skirts
• 1 slimmer skirt
• 1 knit blazer
• 1 terry sweatshirt

So, make or buy?  The only thing on the list I'm buying is the blazer, because I'm not confident enough in my skills yet to try a structured knit.  I actually already bought it, and really love it.

Next, color.

I thought a lot about this one, and tried not to just go with my first instincts.  I thought about the colors I've been wearing a lot, the fabrics that I've bought and love, and what is flattering on me.  And this is what I came up with.

It's arranged with bolder colors at the tops, nearly neutrals in the middle, and neutrals at the bottom.  At first this image gave me a little pause.  Shouldn't I be choosing crazy bright colors?  It's spring!  But this is colorful without being over the top, and I think entirely mixable/matchable.  I'm also including cream/white even thought it's not shown here.

So from here, I was able to plan specific pieces.  12 pieces to make (and one already bought) that I think will really work for me.

So back to the list above

• 3 blousey tops with short or mid length sleeves
• A loose fitting tee shirt in blush colored silk
• A silk georgette blouse with a neck tie in ochre
• a short sleeved blouse with peter pan collar in a charcoal and white stripe
• 2 full skirted dresses
• A white seersucker dress with tiny embroidered crabs in a poppy red
• An eyelet dress, color TBD but would love it to be poppy or coral
• 2 slimmer dresses
• Button front sleeveless dress in a cat print - aubergine with pink and poppy accents
• A shirtdress (I think) in a different cat print - very light putty and white
• 1 easy knit dress
• Black knit dress with a full skirt and elbow length sleeves
• 2 full skirts
• pleated flowy skirt in a dark olive silk georgette
• print skirt in black and gold - done!
• 1 slimmer skirt
• Slim skirt in a bright coral floral
• 1 knit blazer
• black and white striped blazer - bought!
• 1 terry sweatshirt
• cream terrycloth sweatshirt for lounging

So, that's a lot of colors/prints.  But when I put them together, I think it really works. This combination feels very "me." So I think this exercise was definitely a success. Now I just have to put this into practice!

Crazy cat lady

I'm steadily knocking off items from modcloth like it's my job.  This is the third garment I've made in a few months that is almost identical to something on their site.  The quirky prints in classic silhouettes is just right up my alley, so it makes sense.  But when something is so simple to make (like a dirndl), I just can't resist.

So, apart from the spinster part, I am quickly approaching the definition of a crazy cat lady.  I'm obsessed with my cats.  These are my babies, and I love them so much.  I even have a tattoo of one of my cats (who we lost about a year ago and dude, still not even close to over it).

So, when I saw this skirt on modcloth, I knew it wasn't optional.  I had to have it.

But $60 for a novelty print skirt seemed... excessive.  And I am really trying hard not to make unnecessary clothing purchases right now.  But I wondered if I could find the fabric, and I suspected it was quilting cotton.

Low and behold, I found it.  I think I googled cat frame quilting cotton.  I found it at Hart's Fabric and bought two yards.  This all went down about midweek last week, and I got the fabric delivered to me on Friday or Saturday.  Super quick!

I washed it Sunday morning (along with some other cat themed fabric I'm psyched about) just so it would be ready when the mood struck.  And the mood struck that evening around 5, so I just went with it.

I'm actually in the middle of another project, a silk crepe Colette Zinnia.  I am really happy with how it's turning out, but I still have to attach the waistband (and hem!) and the instructions have me stumped.  I feel like the hard part should be over, even the zipper is done, but I'm just at a loss.  So Sunday afternoon I decided to put it aside and take my mind off it for a few days.  Googling tells me this is a problem for a lot of people.  I may just put the waistband in the way I usually do it and skip the confusing instructions.

ANYWAY.  After I gave up on that skirt I still wanted to make one, so I set about making something quick.  And what's the quickest, easiest garment to make?  A dirndl.

Three rectangles and just a few seams.  It's perfect and cute.  This fabric was even easier because I could use the cats as reference when cutting.

And dude, I LOVE how it turned out.  I think this skirt is the most "my style" thing I've made.

And an advantage mine has over the $60 version?  No partial cats.

No cat left behind (excepting the waistband).

I'm just butt crazy in love with this outfit.  I thought about wearing a bright red sweater but I thought that might be a little TOO Claudia Kishi.

Side note about this project.  After one too many replacements, I finally broke down and bought a legit invisible zipper foot.  Do it.  Do it now.  It is so much better than those little multi-machine plastic pieces of shit you can get at Joann's.  I've used it twice and marveled at how easy it was.

See also:  Clover marking tools.  Every Dritz thing I've bought (tracing paper, pencils, and markers) has been shit.  Just go with Clover and save yourself the money.

So, the details

Project:  Cat portrait skirt
Pattern:  None, just a n easy dirndl.
Fabric:   Cats in Frames from Hart Fabric
Notions:    thread, interfacing, invisible zipper (I just shortened one I already had, hence a black skirt with a lavender zipper!), hook and bar or a large-ish button.
Skills involved:  Geez, this one is so simple.  Almost none.  Gathering and putting in a zipper?  And if you were really worried about the zipper you could do an elastic waist.
Changes made:  N/A.  Actually I was planning to do a button closure but changed my mind at the last minute.
Fuckups: None!  The perks of not working with a pattern I guess

BRB, scouring modcloth for another piece to copy.

Look what's new at ModCloth!

Great minds, I guess?

ModCloth version:  $79

My version:  I'd say under $15

I haven't worn this one in a while.  I've found that my skills have increased so fast since I started making clothes, and when I go back to the first few things I made, I they just don't feel as good as the newer stuff.  Maybe I'll wear it tomorrow!  Still, it makes me want to take mine apart and make it gathered instead of pleated.  I think it would be way more flattering than the irregular pleats, which I was never a huge fan of anyway.

A $5 dress

Don't you love these projects that come in at crazy cheap prices?

I bought this fabric at the weirdest store in my parents' town.  They have the most random stuff.  Gift bows, dishes, tinsel, tools.  I don't even know what to call it.  But my grandma told me I should go there for fabric.

I didn't have a ton of luck.  They did have a lot of old fabric, but I felt like for the most part their prices weren't great.  Once I went to get the two things I did find cut, I figured out that the prices are merely a suggestion.  Also they're terrible at measuring.  I told her I wanted 5 yards of this but I would take whatever they had.  She said they had under 3 yards and charged me like $1.50/yd for it.  Grand total $4.50 plus tax.  But after making this dress I still have over 1 1/2 yards.  I think it probably was closer to 5 when I started!

Anyway, as soon as I saw this dress I knew what I wanted to do with it.  Well, I knew I wanted to do one of two things.  Either a vertical striped bodice with a horizontal circle skirt, or a bodice cut on the bias.  I decided to try the bias since this fabric was so cheap, and if I couldn't figure it out, so be it.

Well, it took me quite a bit of time, mostly because these stripes are not totally consistent and don't match exactly.  But after an hour or so I had the bodice pieces cut.  The funny thing is, I was looking and looking for a pattern that would work, and I thought I would have to really alter one I already had.  Then I noticed my halloween costume balled up in the floor of my closet and realized this pattern was PERFECT.  It was made to be cut on the bias, and I love it.  This made the cutting a lot easier for me, although there was still a bit of work to do to match up the stripes.

So here it is!  I was happy when I looked at the weather and realized it would be perfect for today.  I didn't line this as I wanted a cool, breathable summer dress.

I am having some unfortunate issues with dart bubbles, which is usually not a problem for me.  I'm going to try to fix it tonight.

Check out those perfectly lined up stripes though!

The back is also a vee, which is really cute.  I love how this pattern sort of slopes off of the shoulders.  It's perfect for this fabric.

I only used the pattern for the bodice, and just did a dirndl skirt.  The pattern also calls for a dirndl.  But it's LONG and FULL which I wasn't looking for.  This silhouette is much nicer for me.

I'm trying to decide what to do with the rest of this fabric.  It's pretty distinctive so I'm not sure I want another real piece of clothing.  It's SO soft though.  Maybe pajamas?  Or I might say fuck it and just do a shirt.  Everyone knows I sew a lot of my clothes anyway, so it wouldn't be a shocker.

I'm a big fan of this dress.  Weirdly, none of the stripes are colors that I particularly love (or love on me) but I'm really drawn to it as a whole.  Brett said it looks like a grandma's couch.  "Not your grandma, but A grandma." I like how he clarified because he knows my grandma is too cool to have a couch like this.  I'm not sure he's converted yet.  But he'll have to get used to it, because I can see myself wearing this a LOT this summer.

Project:  Bias stripe dress
Pattern:  Vintage Vogue V8789
Fabric:   Some old soft cotton?
Notions:    thread.  It calls for a 12" zipper at the side.  I eliminated this because there's enough ease to pull it over my head
Skills involved:  Cutting on the bias, matching patterns, gathering, putting in a zipper if you're not shaped like a triangle!
Changes made:  Eliminated zipper, self drafted (too strong a word. I cut out some rectangles) the skirt to eliminate some fullness.  I was originally planning to put the zipper in the back, so I split the skirt in the back and sewed it all together with the back open, which I think made the gathering of the skirt quite a bit easier!
Fuckups:  I originally sewed the skirt on inside out.  That was fun to unpick!  Other than that, no mistakes!

Lighter than Air

This is another garment that I am just so proud of. Because this didn't really have any new skills hat I haven't used before, I really focused on quality and finishing. There were times when I would see the end of a task (ironing pleats!) in sight and get so excited, only to realize I had to do the same thing to the lining. Argh!

But! All of the hard work was definitely worth it. This is the first thing I've made that to me, doesn't feel home-made. And it actually feels pretty expensive!

When I found this fabric, I thought it looked familiar. Then I came back across this dress on modcloth and realized why. 

It's adorable. It's $80 and it was sold out in my size.

So I snapped up some of the fabric (from superbuzzy.com), and thought about what to make. I chose a fairly simple knee length dress with a pleated skirt and cap sleeves.  The pattern called for a lined bodice, but I also lined the skirt because this was a pretty light fabric. 

So, here it is!

Love it, love it, LOVE IT. 

It's so comfy and flattering and adorable. 

The first time I wore it, the clerk at the gas station asked me if I was a teacher. Um, are you trying to imply that anthropomorphic hot air balloons are anything other than professional, sir?

The sleeves have this really adorable pleated detail that gives them a little volume, but not too much. 

But really, what I'm most proud of is the finishing. 

The inside is almost as beautiful as the outside!

Look at this encased zipper!

The seams in the bodice are all stitched and pinked. The skirt seams on the lining are French seams, and the skirt seams are all bound with bias tape. The hem of the lining is bound and the skirt hem is finished with grosgrain ribbon.  All of this gives it some nice weight and will make it last if I take care of it. 

I am really so proud of this dress. And it's shown me that if I am patient and take my time, I really can do this.

Project:  hot air balloon dress

Pattern:  Simplicity 1873 (by Cynthia Rowley)

Fabric:  Balloon Ride in Garden (bought from superbuzzy.com)

Notions: 22" invisible zipper, I used 2-3 packages of bias tape for the seam binding, one package for the lining hem, and probably 2-3 yards of ribbon (this skirt is heavily pleated and it has a really long hem).  But that is all optional. 

Skills involved:  placing an invisible zipper, fitting a bodice, pleating
Changes made:  I fully lined the dress, instead of just doing the bodice. And I also eliminated some of the pleats on the sleeves because I wanted a little less volume after I did the muslin. 

Fuckups:  I didn't pay enough attention while cutting and the layout wasn't meant for one way designs, so I ended up with two upside down panels. Luckily they weren't too far off square so I was able to flip them and just trim a bit. 

Truly adorable!

Follow your Arrow (but not in this case)

This skirt sucks.

I wrote a big long post about it, but dude.  It sucks.  So that's what I'm going to say.

I'm kind of upset about it because this was the first item that I had a real clear vision for when I got my new machine.

I love arrows, and I loved the colors in this fabric.  And I knew I wanted a skirt with a border of them around the hem.  So I ordered the arrow fabric and a coordinating solid from Spoonflower, and got to work.

I used a new pattern and didn't do a muslin because I'm dumb.  So the skirt is a little tighter than I would prefer across my hips.  I can easily fix that next time, and it's not the real problem with this skirt either.

The problem is the fabric.

It's the cotton poplin from Spoonflower and it was 20 freaking dollars a yard!  But I liked it so much I was okay with paying that.  I chose the poplin because it was suggested for skirts.  But it sucks.  It wrinkles like CRAZY.  Which I could honestly deal with.  I have an iron.  But it also sticks to everything.  Tights, underwear, even my silk top.  It just grabbed everything and would not let go.  Which made the back zip a bit of a challenge.

My main issue with the fabric was first that it wore so easily.  I noticed this on another skirt I made with the same poplin.  But when I washed it once, the color was wearing away on any edges or seams.  After ONE wash, on gentle, and being hung to dry.  And when I pulled out this fabric to make it, I noticed that where I had folded it when I washed it, the printing was wearing away from the folds.  Just from being folded and sitting in my craft closet for a few weeks.  It's really ridiculous that this is what I got for $20 a yard.

Another huge issue was the fact this it shows needle holes so easily.  I mean, look at this where I took out some basting stitches.  I don't expect it to completely disappear but this is ridiculous.  Holes from pins look the same way.  It's not leather, it's cotton!  It shouldn't require this sort of care.

Anyway.  It's the worst, and I'm sad about it.  I'm going to try the pattern again.

Baa Baa

I love this dress!!

It's actually a good thing I made this right before the arrow skirt because I was still on a high and not TOO upset about how horrible that turned out.

This one is all about the fabric, for sure, but I also love the button front bodice and the silhouette.  I had used the skirt part of this pattern twice (on the bird skirt and another one I haven't posted, and might not ever. It's quite a bit too short!).  I liked it, but didn't feel it was super flattering with the uneven pleats.

I did do a muslin of the bodice for this, and pinned it to the bird skirt for fitting purposes.  This fit me almost perfectly as printed.  I just needed to take a little bit of length off the shoulders, and take it in at the sides slightly.  This wasn't unexpected as the bird skirt was a bit too big.

I cut the skirt pieces for one size smaller than the bodice, but I didn't pleat them.  I gathered them instead and just spread the gathers to fit.  I wanted it to be a bit less full than the last skirt and I think it was perfect.

I loved, LOVED this fabric from the minute I saw it.  It was not cheap ($18/yard), but I just loved the print so much.  This light mauve color is one of my favorites to wear, and the adorable sheep and sheepdogs was just right up my alley.  It also washed wonderfully, and it has a great weight and feel.  It's probably my favorite fabric I've ever used, no joke.

Because it is a little cutesy though, I wanted to stick with a somewhat clean, classic design.  I think this pattern was spot on for that.  The button front gives it a bit of interest, but there's not too much detail and it's a very simple silhouette.

I took these photos immediately after I pulled it on this morning (because I am somewhat triangle shaped, I generally can pull dresses on without unzipping.  Am I the only one that does this?  It just makes it easier getting dressed by myself in the morning), and it's pulling to one side.  Dangit.  It doesn't do this all the time, I promise!

The bodice is not very fitted, which I really like with this style.  It's so comfy!  I do think I could stand to do a slight small bust adjustment next time, but it really does fit well.

All styled up for the office.  Side note, I got upgraded so a corner suite with tons of windows this week, so I couldn't resist using it to take outfit photos.  We also start work a bit later at this office, plus it takes me like 5 minutes to drive to work from my hotel.  It's such a nice change to go to work when it's already bright and sunny!

So, the breakdown

Project:  Sheep dress
Pattern:  Cynthia Rowley for Simplicity 2215
Fabric:  Sheeeeep by Cotorienne, bought from superbuzzy
Notions:  9" invisible zipper, 4 7/8" buttons
Skills involved:  placing an invisible zipper, making buttonholes, sewing buttons, fitting a bodice
Changes made:  I gathered the skirt instead of pleating, and also did a full lining on the skirt.  The pattern calls for 1 yd of lining, but that's just for the bodice.  I think I used roughly 2 yards of a 60" width lining.
Fuckups:  somehow the bodice back ended up longer than the front on the zipper side.  It's not a really visible error, but it was pretty funny the first time I noticed it (photo below!).  I also should have finished the hem of the lining better (I just pinked it but that's not really suitable for the fabric at all).  I might cut it off and do a bias binding to give it some weight.

Whoops!

See ya later, alligator

The Christmas sewing is done. I hadn't planned to do any sewing past that this weekend, but my husband is sick and spent yesterday evening in a niquil coma. So, I was happy to get a couple of projects cut and ready to go.

After I got home from the office today, he had fallen asleep again! So I took advantage and did a quick little project.

I can definitely see myself using this pattern a LOT since I've figured out the fit issues. I read a lot of reviews of this one online, and heard that it was extremely boxy, with way too much ease in the waist. So I kept those thoughts in mind and compared the pattern to a shirt I had that fits me well. I ended up cutting roughly two sizes smaller than what I measured in the waist and bust. In the hips, I stuck with my normal size, which I think worked really well. 

I also lengthened the sleeves a bit. I cut them the same, but I just did a very short hem so they were a little bit longer. 

I think my favorite thing about this make was that it used facing to finish the neck opening. I like the clean look here, and I think it works really well with the style.  The sleeveless versions of the top also use facing instead of bias tape. 

The star of this project is really the fabric. It's from spoonflower and the designer is andrea_lauren. She has her shop set with limited selections right now, but she has some really lovely designs. I am totally crazy about the color here. 

This is the first project I've made that ended up exactly as I envisioned it. I think a lot of that is due to the fact that I really planned out my steps, took my time, and paid attention. 

I absolutely love it. And I am super psyched about the rest of the projects I have coming up!

Project: Alligator woven tee

Pattern: Simplicity 8523

Fabric: Alligators by andrea_lauren on Spponflower, 2 yds

Notions: nothing but thread! You will need a tiny bit of interfacing

Overall, I really enjoyed this make and will definitely use this pattern again, maybe with a different neckline?

Indecision

I think I've mentioned here that I work half time in (well, outside of ) Baton Rouge, where I live, and half time in Houston.  This means I'm living out of a suitcase fairly often, and while packing mine last week, I checked the weather in Houston and realized something.  I am severely lacking in warm clothes.  It makes sense, it's not cold that often.  But my thin cardigans and tights over summer dresses can only go so far.  So I'm kind of thinking about how to make my wardrobe more winter appropriate ("winter" for those of you from more northern parts).

When I saw this knit fabric for the first time at JoAnn's, I just loved it.  I almost bought it on the spot, but it had a hole on the edge and I wanted to make sure I could cut around it.  But once I had a pattern picked out, I went back and grabbed it, super excited to make something.  I wanted something warm and cozy that I could wear with jeans and boots.

I used a McCall's pattern marked easy, since this was my first time with knits.  And I do think easy was accurate.  BUT the sizing is way off.  I'm quickly learning that I should just ignore the finished garment measurements given by McCall's and Simplicity because they are so inaccurate.  This thing is huge.  I have plans to cut it down on the sides and in the sleeves, because I think it would be much, much cuter if it was a bit more fitted (or fitted AT ALL).

It is growing on me.  I wore it with my pajamas basically every moment I've been home since I finished it and it's soooo warm and soooo comfy.

My husband's feelings on it are very clear.  He hates it.  Hates the fabric, hates the cut, HATES it.  He didn't believe I'd wear it to work.  BUT I DID.  You owe me $5, husband.

Anyway, I think it looks pretty cute with jeans.  And if I just cut it down a bit it will be even cuter.  Seeing it all wrapped up helps me imagine what it would look like with a bit more shape.

There's like a foot of extra fabric crossed over in there.  The description of the pattern is a "close fitting cardigan."  Yep, sure.

I do love the fabric though.  I think no matter how I felt when I first put it on, this one is a keeper (or, it will be once I make a few changes.  It's also perfect for Christmas time.  With leggings, my fur lined houseshoes, and this sweater I am good for hanging out and watching Christmas movies all day long.

Project:  Warm and cozy peplum sweater

Pattern:  McCall's M6844

Fabric:  Dark green printed knit from JoAnn's

Notions, etc:  thread, interfacing for the collar

Time to make up:  A couple of hours, maybe 3.  I cut all of the fabric another day so that cut down on my time.  I also did some additional stuff (double stitching the seams, top stitching around the shawl collar) that may not be necessary for you and could cut time off.

Sweet Birdy Skirt

I came across this fabric a few weeks ago online, and knew immediately that I wanted to make up a skirt.  The polka dots and the collage look were freaking adorable.  But it was really the border print that did it for me.  The little birds along one edge were just begging to be a skirt to me.

I used the Simplicity 2215, part of the Cynthia Rowley line, for the skirt.  I like this pattern a lot and found it pretty easy to follow, even though I somehow put the zipper in the wrong side.  Whoops!  Overall I like the pattern and I'll be using it again.  But I felt the sizing was really off.  I cut my size based on the finished garment measurements, knowing I wanted it to be a bit snug in the waist (which is my preference for skirts).  Even with that, I ended up cutting the waistband down by 3-4 inches.  This meant there was a little additional volume in the skirt, which I don't mind.  Next time I make this I'll cut one size smaller in the waistband, and choose the sizing for the skirt based on the drape of the fabric.  I'll also probably make the waistband a bit wider.  The finished width here is a little over an inch, and I just like the look and feel of a thicker waistband.  I will also probably do a full lining depending on fabric choice.

Overall I do really like this pattern.  I have some fabric already chosen to make the dress version of it, with an adorable button front and collar.  Because of the sizing issues here, I'll probably make up a muslin of the bodice before I cut the dress.

This was my first time putting in pockets or invisible zippers, and this one had both.  Adding the zipper on a pocket was an adventure, but after a couple of attempts I got it.  Now that I have the hang of it (and have the foot I need for my machine) I think it will come a lot easier.

I am in love with the colors in this fabric.  It really gives you a lot of freedom in pairing.  I pulled out 3 shirts this morning and all of them went great with it!  Plus the neutral background is a really nice color to tone down the brights that I tend to wear.  Although these pictures are showing me that I definitely need to iron it when it comes out of the dryer!

Project:  Bird border pleated skirt
Pattern:  Simplicity 2215 View C
Fabric:  2 yds Collage Bird Dot in Putty (I bought it from superbuzzy but it's now out of stock.  You can get it here).  You won't need 2 yards of this if you're not using a border print, though.
Notions and other needs:  large hook and eye closure, 9" invisible zipper (and invisible zipper foot from Coats), 1/2 yd lining fabric for pockets, interfacing for the waistband.
Time to make up:  probably around 4-5 hours including cutting.  About half of this was figuring out the zipper!