Road testing bits of the capsule

As I’m going along and putting the capsule together, I am also road testing by trying different pieces together. The overall look is really only a fiction until it actually works – if it works.

That’s why I allow myself the luxury of making mistakes. I mean, it can be brilliant in your head and on paper but not so good when it’s put together. And let’s face it, the name of the game is putting together a wardrobe that yields a maximum number of looks. So liking it is probably a pretty important part.

So far so good. Noting it is only early days, I am liking it.

The dropped shoulder sleeve of the Nexus blouse

Of course, I struggle with black. No surprises there. And I absolutely love the ivory linen so no surprises there either. But what is a surprise is just how beautiful this Nexus blouse is looking. I think the sleeve is just so pretty. I couldn’t stop looking at it 😄. I’ve constructed the rest of the blouse and only need to attach the sleeves and it will be finished – except for the buttonholes that will have to wait until I get home. As organised as I am, I forgot the buttonhole foot. Remember I am on holidays 😊

Evening walk in the rain – very relaxing

Tessuti Ruby

Anyway, back to the capsule, I am very pleased to say that I am happy with the black linen Pietra pants and matching Ruby top. I think both of these are great staples and I will get plenty of wear out of both. I would have perhaps liked the pants a little shorter but deliberately left them at a length that I like for work.

Look at the colour of this water 😊

Ivory linen in the capsule

There’s going to be plenty of ivory linen in the capsule. Not only does it make for a versatile staple but I’m enjoying sewing it.

Pietra pants worn as a Summer casual piece

This versatile style works for any occasion.

And the ivory linen cami. Who doesn’t need an ivory cami with a delicate V back in their capsule?

Update on the capsule wardrobe

Next instalment- ivory linen

To say this weekend in Sydney has been hot 🥵 would be a gross injustice to what was actually a heatwave. It was the kind of weather where one struggles to be anywhere near the iron or the sewing machine. Of course I’m a sewing stalwart, not easily frightened by the weather so I gave it a good nudge. But sewing black linen pants was cruel. It took me back to my school days. My mother had told me that the nuns’ habits were made out of breathable fabric – the best quality – all natural fibres – and I remember sitting in the classroom sweltering, wondering how Sister Geraldine’s black habit could possibly be breathing? It might have been the best quality but I can tell you, Sister Geraldine was melting under all those natural fibres, made even worse by the fact that they were black.

Pietra pants

Hand sewing the hem was all I could manage

So I did a bit of hand sewing but nothing more. Instead I worked on my capsule wardrobe but tracing off and cutting out patterns.

If I hadn’t said it before I will say it now: there may be mistakes along the way but I’m ok with that. There has to be some trial and error. So to be honest, I’m not really sure about the ivory linen and I’ve gone with my gut. I love the look of it because I think it’s elegant but it also has a bit of a lingerie feel about it? I’m not sure.

But it’s definitely a neutral, it will definitely go with black, there was plenty on the Spotlight shelf and it was 40% off 👍. All good reasons. So this is what I’ve cut out so far.

I am going to make the long, gathered sleeve version, with the shirt tail. I think this will be lovely for work and will go well with pants or skirt.

Because the linen is a bit see through I’ve also modified and cut out an Ogden Cami. I figure I can wear that under the the Nexus Blouse (with a few buttons undone) if I need to. It will also go well the black linen Pietra pants that I am still hemming (and even if they were hemmed it’s way too hot to try them on – remember Sister Geraldine.)

Now this one is a bit of a gamble. I have just made the long skirt (midi length) in chocolate linen and I absolutely love it. So I’m going to make the top in the ivory linen but I have reservations about this. Incidentally, not the crop, the other one. I think it could be a bit of a non event but I’ll go with my first instincts.

So that just about sums up my cutting out day except that I left out the fact that I also prepared fabric to make bias binding 😊

Watch this space!

My capsule wardrobe aka the curated closet

 

One day in 2017 something really good happened to me that changed my life. I discovered the capsule wardrobe concept

Now this happened out of the blue and quite by accident. But once I’d found it, there was no stopping me. I just had to make myself a  Basic 12 -Piece Capsule……….complete with accessories. And I’m telling you this story because against all the odds, I am now a ‘capsule wardrobe’ convert.
This is surprising.  I am the quintessential,inspirational sewer. There is no rhyme or reason to my sewing. If I like it, I’ll make it and I am strongly opposed to any sort of disciplinary constraints. It is rare for me to make even a matching top and bottom. I get bored after the first piece. Well I used to.

Not any more!

Enter Looking Good……every day. Style solutions for Real Women by Nancy Nix- Rice

by Nancy Nix-Rice

The 12 piece capsule worksheet

I was completely mesmerised by this book. I couldn’t put it down. I loved it because it was  inspirational and made so much sense to me….. full of interesting pictures and ideas….detailed, realistic, colourful and contemporary.  In fact,I still haven’t put it down.  But there was something in particular about this book hat set me on a new trajectory i.e.  do you have lots of clothes but never anything to wear? YES!! That is so me. My wardrobe is bursting but somehow I always seem to be scratching around for the right jacket or the right shoes. It was taking me ages every morning to put it all together.

So I decided to try the capsule wardrobe concept….as boring and unappealing as that sounded. The theory behind the capsule is that with just 12 garments, you can yield 96 outfits!! (You can see why I was taken in)

The capsule wardrobe is created according to a formula. You start with a core four grouping of a skirt, pant, jacket blouse or shell in a basic colour. You then build on that with another 4 pieces  (2 different contrasting colours) to add say another jacket, a top and a skirt and pants. The last 4 pieces might be a skirt and blouse and a twin set……..as befitting your lifestyle. Shoes and other accessories expand the wardrobe even further.

The fun part….buying the fabric

Apart from adding the accessories, shopping for the fabric was the part I loved the most. I found it so exciting dreaming up a whole palette of possibilities. I had no preconceived ideas about what I wanted so I simply looked around (for quite a while in sewing time – about 2 weeks) to find something that grabbed me. I didn’t care what it was. My only desire was to end up with a wardrobe that would double as a corporate and casual collection. This was a tall order but I figured that 12 pieces was a fair bit of work – quite a commitment so I wanted to get some mileage out of the exercise.

I finally fell for this fabric I found at The Fabric Store. I loved it on sight so it was an easy choice. I absolutely loved the citrus tone for summer and I knew the options for matching would work well for me  (at least I thought they would !). You’ll see that this fabric looks slightly crushed. That increased the appeal  because it made it a bit interesting. It was a polyester (which I usually avoid) with a very slight sheen and it washed and sewed like a dream. n love

Why mention the Sartorialist? Because I found this book in a second hand book store and I drank in every single page …….507 images of street fashion………..what delicious inspiration!

This is the assortment of fabric I choose- a mix of cottons, linens, poly and lace. I didn’t use all but it provided my inspiration. Most fabrics were purchased from the Fabric Store in Surry Hills but others I had brought home from by fabric shopping trip in London and Shanghai

The core 4 pieces

I started with a jacket, skirt, pants and 2x tops (I made 5 core pieces to span corporate and casual). I used the black linen which sewed like a dream. It was the most beautiful fabric. But probably not a great choice for some of the pieces because the fabric was a little too light weight to withstand the wear and tear that skirts and jackets are subjected to. But more importantly………..I hate black on me and I hate sewing black!!!!! So why did I choose it? Good question. In my defence, I was betwixt and between. I wasn’t sure. But black is such a good corporate standby……….unfortunately. And in that sense, it was a good choice because I have already worn it to death…….all the black. Doesn’t mean I like it!!!

New Look 6461

New Look 6344

Vogue DKNY V2923

The skirt is cut off McCalls M7279. I learnt how to fit correctly during the Palmer Pletsch tissue fitting method course last year

 

Lifting the black

I did quite a bit of work to lift the heaviness of the black off my face and incorporated jewellery, scarves and jackets to soften the look.

New Look 6344, Vogue DKNY V292, McCalls M7279

New Look 6344

 

 

Moving on to the next pieces- the 3 citrus pieces

Citrus!! What a joy after the black! Initially I was unsure about this colour. That is to say, I loved it immediately but I wasn’t sure about making ‘pieces’ from it. But once I’d made the jacket I was convinced. And let’s face it, there was no way this wasn’t going to lift the black. So out of the citrus I made a jacket, top and pants.

Vogue 9068  and New Look 6461

Pants are New Look 6461

And then another jacket……..

And probably my favourite piece of all. This jacket was absolutely simple and made out of an interesting piece of a waffle fabric. The fabric is quite stiff and was therefore ideal for the jacket. I have lived in this little Marci Tilton number….

And then there are the 2 dresses

The first is an old favourite…….V8786. This fabric was beautiful to work with but I felt it needed a bit more body for a dress so I lined it with  a muslin.

Vogue 8786

And of course……..a white linen Tessuti Annie

And last but not least…… a few bits and pieces

white linen pants….a huge boon

a little silk top I bought from Glebe markets

What did I learn?

1. I love clothes more than I thought I did
2. I’m more addicted to sewing than I thought I was
3. I still don’t like black on me
4. It’s impossible to find a photo of me smiling – even though I laugh all the time
5. I absolutely loved this exercise
6. I will do this again
7. This post took more time than the sewing

I hope you enjoyed reading this post because I honestly thought the experience was worth sharing…….and if you did enjoy it………Im very pleased!!

Jane XX