Sew Wrong

Indiesew Fall Collection Blog Tour


indiesew fall collection 1

Summer is over, as much as the current temperatures want to disagree with me.  Kids are back in school, my beach vacation seems like a distant memory, and Indiesew just launched their new Fall Pattern Collection this week.

Oh yes, fall is here, my friends.

Indiesew, my new fave place for discovering independent sewing patterns, put together a curated collection of six patterns that can be mixed and matched to create the perfect outfit for fall, and asked me to create my perfect fall outfit from the collection.  This resonated with me because of the exercises I went through earlier this year with The Wardobe Architect and sewing a wearable wardrobe.  Depending on the fabric selection and styling, these patterns can truly fit any specific lifestyle.


indiesew fall collection 2

What I’ve learned this year through thinking about my personal style and lifestyle is that I need more casual pieces that work well with the sneakers because of the nature of my job and industry.  And with the amount of travelling I do for work, I also need these pieces to be comfortable and pack easily in a suitcase.  So, it’ seemed like a no-brainer to pair the Hudson Pants from the Fall Pattern Collection with the Lane Raglan, and throw in a chic carry-all bag like the Alice Book Bag.

Lane Raglan


baseball lane raglan1

I heart this raglan pattern so much and the way it fits.  My first version of this pattern was made to look more like a sweatshirt, and to differentiate this version, I went for a baseball tee version with contrasting sleeves.  The next time I make a long-sleeved version of this shirt, I’ll shorten the sleeves – they’re a bit long on me, but look cool pushed up and slouchy.  The rayon poly fabric is ridiculously soft, so I’m sure I’ll be reaching for this shirt a lot this fall.

Hudson Pants


hudson pants 1

The Hudson Pants are my favorite part of this outfit, because they’re so different than anything I have in my closet and a much “cooler” silhouette than I usually gravitate towards.  Since I wanted these to pass as ok to wear to the office or on the road, I picked a black cotton knit instead of a casual gray or printed knit – what makes the fabric special are the tonal polka dots knit into the fabric, aren’t they the cutest?  It honestly feels like PJs when I wear these, but these pants would be great for train trips to NYC or informal office meetings.  The only thing I should have done differently is grade down the waist.  I picked my size based on my hip measurement and the waist has a little too much fabric ease for my liking…I still love these pants though!

Also, you know that you’ve made something awesome when your boyfriend or husband hates it (Chris can’t stand these pants).  That’s just a sewing truth.

Alice Book Bag


alice bag 1


alice bag 2

I wanted this bag to be just as cool as the rest of the outfit, and almost bought a beautiful home dec fabric with birds woven all over, but it wouldn’t have fit the vibe I was going for.  Instead, I found this awesome ultrasuede fabric with a metallic underlay – yes, there’s holes punched in the ultrasuede for the metallic underlay to show through!  Thank goodness I had a coupon for this pricey beauty.

This bag was incredibly easy to make, it’s a bunch of rectangle pattern pieces you draft yourself based off of given measurements, and the bottom of the bag has boxed corners.  I opted for the convertible strap option so I can wear the bag on my shoulder or as a cross-body.


alice bag 4

The grommets are a really cool detail, they’re actually curtain grommets!  With the thickness of my fabric, it took a couple of tries to get them to fit, but they’re totally worth it.


indiesew fall collection 3

Thinking about starting your fall sewing?  The Indiesew Fall Collection is a great place to start.  All six patterns can be bought separately, but if you love all six like I do, the bundle can be purchased for 10% off.

Outfit Credits:
Lane Raglan via Indiesew – rayon poly knit from Joann Fabrics
Hudson Pants via Indiesew – cotton knit from Joann Fabrics
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Wardrobe Architect – Capsule Wardrobe

Heather wrote a great post a few months ago about her different fashion “identities.”  I loved her post, because it got me to think about the different fashion identities I have, and how the heck I can build a handmade wardrobe based around the different reasons I get dressed in the morning.

At this point in my life, I have three different style identities: what I wear when I go into the office or meet with accounts, what I wear when I work from home, and what I wear on the weekends.  I’ll dub these “Athletic Chic,” “Professional Loungewear,” and “Casual Girly.”  Pretty diverse, right?  Here’s some images to give you an idea of what I’m talking about…

Athletic Chic


Follow SewWrong’s board Athletic Chic on Pinterest.

I work for an athletic footwear and apparel company, so wearing sneakers and sweatshirts is pretty much the culture at the office.  As much as I try to look “pulled together” when I go in to the office, sometimes I feel out of place if I’m not sporting a pair of our sneakers or a branded tee.  And now that I’m selling footwear, it seems more important to me now that I’m wearing something branded when I visit with accounts.  Luckily enough, sneakers are making a big impact in the fashion community, so I’ve been researching different ways fashion bloggers mix cute pieces with sneakers and trying to integrate those styles in my closet.  My fave outfit when I meet with an account is my oversized Michael Kors black blazer, polka dot tee, skinny black crop pants, and black tennis sneakers.

Professional Loungewear


Follow SewWrong’s board Professional Loungewear on Pinterest.

Ok, don’t be jealous – when I’m not on the road for meetings, I’m usually working from my “home office” (aka a desk in the corner of my bedroom) and wearing PJs or yoga pants.  Definitely a nice perk of being a sales rep!  I own a lot of our branded sweatpants, hoodies, tees, etc. so it seems natural to wear them while I’m working from home – hey, on some days, I even do my hair!  I guess my thinking is if no one is going to see me, then there’s no point in wearing any of my nice stuff.  Plus, we make some great “apres gym” type clothes, and I love being comfy and getting stuff done.  This isn’t a category I’d make a point of sewing for, but I thought it was important to outline as one of my “identities.”

Casual Girly


Follow SewWrong’s board Casual Girly on Pinterest.

Lastly is how I like to dress on the weekends or whenever I’m not working.  Because my work wardrobe is so casual and relaxed, the weekends are my only chance to dress what feels authentically like “me:” cute dresses and skirts paired with cardis, jackets, sweaters, or leggings.  Sometimes I feel overdressed, especially if I’m just running errands to the grocery store or hanging out with some of Chris’ friends, but it’s what’s true to me and what I love to wear the most.

All of this brings me to my spring/summer 2014 capsule wardrobe.  How the heck am I going to tackle this based on my varied styles of dressing??

It all comes down to silhouettes – what are the shapes that I feel comfortable dressing in?  Looking back on the exercise from Week 1, I came up with the following shapes I want to focus on for this spring/summer:

Fit and Flare – this would fall more in my Casual Girly identity with skirts and dresses
Skinny-Skinny – this could be any of the above: skinny jeans with a fitted tee and sneakers for Athletic Chic, a pencil skirt with a fitted cardi for Casual Girly, or even yoga pants or leggings with a tank for my Professional Loungewear
Boxy-Skinny – sooo 80’s, I know, but this is a silhouette that I started rocking a lot last fall and really like wearing.  Again, it comes back to the skinny pants/leggings with cute slip-on sneaks and an oversized sweatshirt for Athletic Chic, or a cute tunic top and jeans for Casual Girly.  

It’s almost the half-way point through Me Made May, and I can see some holes that I’d like to fix with some sewn garments:

Jackets – great layering pieces for the cool evening in New England, plus they look fun styled with sneakers
A-line dresses and skirts (solid) – all I sewed with in the last few years were prints!  I definitely need more solid dresses and skirts in my closet
Skinny pants – these have proved a challenge to make so far, but I really want to make skinny pants happen in my closet
Tunic style dresses and tops – the loose fit is comfy to wear when it’s hot out, and great transitional pieces when the seasons change.

You haven’t seen it yet, but I already started making these conscientious choices lately when selecting patterns and fabric – is it the right shape/what I need? Does this fabric work with my color palette or other items in my closet?  I never like limiting myself when it comes to sewing, because sewing is supposed to be fun, but I’m getting behind this strategy – I want to get more wear out of my handmade garments and ensure that there’s lots of different ways I can mix and match them!

Are you having success with the Wardrobe Architect plan?

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Wardrobe Architect: All About Prints and Color

This is a long overdue post, but since it’s officially spring (it was in the 70’s last weekend and it snowed yesterday, hahaha), I figured now was the time to get all of this completed!

The next part I needed to figure out for Colette’s Wardobe Architect were the colors I tend to gravitate towards and what fit with the my defined core style: colorful, feminine, confident, happy, chic.

Neutrals –


neutrals

The older I get, the more and more I wear neutral colors, funny enough.  In my last job, I was required to wear black for dress code, so it was always easy to get dressed for work every day.  Even before then, I wore black a lot because, honestly, black goes with everything.  In the winter months, I have a penchant for gray and can’t get enough of it!  Occasionally I’ll reach for some browns in the fall, and I think cream looks better on me than white.

Almost Neutrals – 


nearly neutrals


These colors aren’t “neutrals” by definition, but could be consider as such.  I have a love for anything Tommy Hilfiger, and navy is almost like his “black” in everything he designs.  I love the preppiness of navy!  The rest of these colors are happy and fun, and go with so many other different colors.

Statement Colors – 


statement colors


And finally, my statement colors.  When I look at my closet, and the fabrics I’m drawn to when shopping, I really like pinks and blues (heck, just check out what I’ve made in the past few years).  Purple is another color that I have a connection to and feel really good in it when I wear it.  I had to include green as well, since it’s my favorite color (and it’s funny because I rarely sew with it!).  Anything jewel-toned is a color I really like to wear and I think looks good with my fair skin.

So when this was all said and done, I picked out my palette for the colors I’m going to try to sew with for Spring/Summer 2014 – it would be great to start sewing a wardrobe that coordinates together!


spring summer 2014

I really like these colors together – they feel fresh and feminine, and seasonably appropriate.  It’s also great that I have fabrics in these colors in my stash, so I can start sewing right away!

Now, onto prints vs. solids…

I always thought of myself as a print girl because honestly, those were the only kinds of fabrics I bought when I came back to sewing a few years ago (prints hide sewing sins).  After sewing for a year, and looking at what I made vs. what I wore, it was obvious I needed to start sewing with more solids so I could mix and match the garments in my closet.

I took some photos of my closet this week after I transitioned my spring clothes and packed away my winter clothes.


Untitled

I never know how to organize my closet…anyway, what you see above from left to right are some of my dresses, zip-up jackets, casual tees, dressy tees, blouses, blazers, cardis, and button-downs.


Left to right – button-downs, three-quarter sleeve tees, long sleeve tees, sweaters, skirts, and yoga/workout hoodies etc.

Notice anything?  Not a lot of prints!  Actually, when I went through my closet and figured out my 10-20 most worn garments, they were ALL solids!  This is probably because it’s not obvious how often I wear them; if I wore my printed garments more, it would be obvious that I’m wearing that “same floral shirt” again.  Plus, it’s easier to make outfits out of solids.  As much as I love prints, especially at the fabric store, I need to stick more to solids to get more bang for my buck in my closet.

Not to say I can’t sew with prints anymore…I do love a good stripe, polka dot, or geometric print.

What colors do you like to wear?  Do you wear more prints or solids?

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Wardrobe Architect Weeks 3 &4: Shapes and Silhouettes


wardrobe

It seemed easiest to combine weeks 3 and 4 of The Wardrobe Architect together since they’re both related – what shapes/fits of clothing do you gravitate towards, and how can they be mixed together to create different silhouettes.

This week seemed the easiest so far since I know what I like/don’t like to wear, which is much less challenging than trying to determine my core style!  I tend to gravitate towards:

  • Fitted pants, tops, jackets, skirts, and cardigans
  • Natural waists in my skirts, dresses, and pants (with the occasional high-waisted skirt and dress)
  • Scoop, boatneck, jewel, and crewnecks
  • A-line skirts and dresses
  • Any type of sleeve except for strapless and spaghetti

The slightly more challenging/fun part was putting together all of these elements to create different outfits.  The purpose behind this exercise was to begin thinking of “formulas” for future outfit combinations.  I really need to start utilizing Polyvore more for wardrobe planning, it’s a great tool for visualizing outfits!  For each “formula,” I came up with a fall/winter combination as well as a spring/summer combination.

Here’s a silhouette that I wear frequently: fitted jacket or cardigan, pencil skirt, riding boots for fall/winter. For spring, I’d wear skinny jeans, top (boatneck in this case), and a fitted blazer with wedges.

Wardrobe Architect #7


Wardrobe Architect #10

Here’s another one I find myself putting together a lot, because I like wearing dresses with layers – an oversized cardigan with an A-line dress, great for winter or spring.

Wardrobe Architect #8

Wardrobe Architect #2

Sometimes, I like a semi-loose jacket or sweater over a dress:

Wardrobe Architect #9

Wardrobe Architect #4

Last one, this one reversing proportions: looser on top and fitted on bottom.  I really like this silhouette with my skinny jeans.

Wardrobe Architect #11

Wardrobe Architect #3

Those are some of my most commonly worn silhouettes, which should serve as a good foundation for creating uniforms that can be varied over and over.  All of these outfits, I think, reflect back to my core style: colorful, feminine, confident, happy, and chic.  Actually, I want to start planning on sewing some of these outfits, I like them all very much!

There’s some more outfits I didn’t share over at my Polyvore page, I highly recommend using the site for figuring out how to wear what’s in your closet.  What kind of silhouettes do you tend to wear?

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The Wardrobe Architect Week 2: Core Style


The Wardrobe Architect

Ready for Week 2 of The Wardrobe Architect??  I couldn’t wait, I kept checking each day to see when the next post would appear (I’m guessing it’s on Thursdays).  This week the topic was all about defining your core style – I really enjoyed this exercise, it was all about discovering what styles make me feel like “me.”

Q1: When you are wearing your favorite clothing, how do you feel (e.g. confident, sexy, poised, powerful, etc)?

Confident, un-stoppable, comfortable, chic, pulled together, on top of the world

Q2: When you’re wearing something that is not quite right, how do you feel? What are the feelings you want to avoid about the clothes you wear?

Awkward, distracted, self conscious, frumpy, unattractive, not myself  

Q3: Who do you consider to be your style icons? What is it about them that appeals to you?

  • Audrey Hepburn (isn’t she everyone’s icon?) – effortless style, always chic and classic.  
  • Kate Middleton – knows how to dress for her body, always looks pulled together whether she’s dressed up or going to the grocery store.
  • Also drawn to French fashion aesthetic, which is along the same lines – pulled-together classics with a twist.  I was in heaven studying what French women were wearing when I studied abroad.
Q4: What are some words that describe styles that you like in theory, but are not quite you?

I like J Crew preppiness, but I couldn’t pull it off everyday – kind of boring and predictable, but I like the classic element of it.  I need a little bit more edge than J Crew.  I also like the “sloppy layers” look, but it doesn’t feel quite right on me since it’s super casual and not pulled together feeling.

At the end of the exercise, I had to pick out 15 words that I associated with my answers from last week.  I whittled them down to five words to describe my core style, which are:

  • Colorful
  • Feminine
  • Confident
  • Happy 
  • Chic
I think that pretty much sums up what I’m all about, in a nutshell!  Now here’s the fun part – picking out 15 images that represent these words:

Follow SewWrong’s board Core Style on Pinterest.

These images make me happy and feel like the style I’m trying to achieve, and I think I’m heading on the right track to getting my wardrobe figured out.  What were your five words to describe your core style?

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