Choosing fabric and patterns for my cool but cozy capsule wardrobe
With my colour palette sorted, stage two of my handmade capsule wardrobe journey is to pick the fabrics and match them with patterns.
As any stitcher knows, buying fabric is a hobby in itself so I was thrilled to have an excuse to add to my stash.
Choosing the types of fabrics
I started browsing fabrics as the seasons turned. The definite chill in the air and my arbitrary aversion to turning the heating on until November nudged me towards snuggly fabrics. As much as I’d love to be dressed head to toe in French Terry, I thought I’d better add in a few more choices for variety.
- French terry
- Viscose Modal Ponte Roma
- Denim
- Viscose
- Wool
As I explored the fabrics on offer, I kept in mind the types of garment I wanted to make and (I like to think) boosted my short term memory by mixing and matching them in my head. I wanted at least one outfit for each of my LLDD occasions (remember those?) created with appropriate fabrics and colours that work well together.
I ended up getting fabrics from Sew Me Sunshine and Oh Sew!, who were featured in the haystack packs, plus Lamazi Fabrics, See You at Six and Crescent Trading London.
Choosing the patterns
By this point I had a pretty good idea of the patterns – or types of patterns, at least – that I wanted to use. Such a convenient silver lining of my frequent sewing-related Instagram scrolling and YouTube watching!
I browsed my stash of patterns from the haystack pack and my sewing journey so far. I listed them in an Excel spreadsheet because I had too much time on my hands that evening.
Devastatingly, I stopped short of colour-coding the contents but I did categorise the patterns by garment type so I could see at a glace if I had a pattern to match my fabric and outfit ideas. I filled the gaps with other patterns and voila, my planning was complete. Here’s what I came up with:
They’ll be added to these from my existing wardrobe:
If this is an insight into being a super organised person, I like it.
Next stop, making the clothes and turning them into outfits!
If you missed part 1 of this capsule wardrobe series, you can find it here.
If you’d like to discover sewing patterns, fabric and lots more, you would be very welcome to join the pack. Every month you get sewing knowledge and goodies straight to your inbox.
