So looking back at my handmade clothes from the past year I've come to realise that I've not been making very wise choices either with the patterns I've been choosing or the fabrics I use which mean that although I love them at the time, the garments I make quickly go out of favour. So this year I plan to make more sensible choices so that I truly have a wearable handmade wardrobe.
I put together some posters to remind myself of what I need to think about when I'm picking patterns and fabrics. I started by thinking about what my style is.
What is my colour palette? My Autumn Winter colour palette is made up of warm jewel colours with black,dark blues and tan. In Summer I go completely the other way and love bright bold colours.
Think textures. Personally I love to layer up textures I think it gives more interest to an outfit! I'm also terrible at dressing for the weather so the more layers I have on the more I can take off if the weather changes on me.
Patterns, Solids or Both? I like a mixture of bold interesting usually quiet quirky patterns with solids. As well as large stripes and plaids.
What is my silhouette? I have quiet a slim figure, not particularly blessed in the boob department but they're in proportion to the rest of me so can't complain! My bums got a bit bigger since having a baby but nothing I'm self conscious about. I do however like all women have clothes I feel more comfortable and confident in.
Dress:
Above the knee,
Sleeveless or 3/4 length
Fitted bodice
Scoop neck, not too low.
Full skirt.
Jacket:
Fitted or 60s styles
Length, waist or above the knee.
Trousers:
Skinny or wide legged,
High waisted.
Tops:
Floaty can be worn tucked in or worn out.
Comfort and Practicality, I'm a mum to a very active 3 year old, so being able to move round easily and comfortably are important to me. Its also good to if I look nice to, maybe not smart (defiantly not the type of person you'd find in a pencil skirt and blouse even if I had a conventional job) but I like to look feminine and like I've made an effort even if I really haven't.
Once I know my style I can pick out patterns and fabrics and ask myself the questions in my next two posters. If any of the answers are no I move on and find a more suitable choice. Hopefully this will help me make better choices and means that I'll have garments I can return to and wear with other items in my wardrobe.
If you find this post useful please feel free to use these questions yourself. It's very early days so I will let you know how it works for me in the long run. Hopefully it will it might save me a lot of time and money.
Happy Sewing x
What a fab post bridie definitely good idea to write down what you like and know what fits well rather than sewing for the sake of it! Sal xx
ReplyDeleteGreat personal blogpost. Good idea to write it down what you like. over to wear and what makes you feel comfortable.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. One useful thing I found was from Colette/Seamwork mag suggesting to organize your wardrobe by colour to see what you have. It really helped me identify the palettes I like and the colours I like but don't have many of, complementary colours etc. I was surprised how much it helped me and I now consider this palette when buying fabric/planning makes.
ReplyDelete