I went all-in on the curated visual diet approach to social media recently, and in doing so I’ve found myself following a lot more people who talk about their sustainability efforts. I think there’s a big overlap between the fat space and the environmental space, because both are about the ethics of clothing and fashion.
Anyway, what I’m really thinking about at the moment are capsule wardrobes. Or, in my personal phrasing – a more considered wardrobe. True capsule collections are unlikely to work for me, as I like a fair bit of flexibility in my aesthetic, but I want to make sure the things I do have to wear are all working hard and have been properly thought through.
I do want to move to using natural fibres in my own clothing, not quite exclusively but to as much a degree as I’m able, but fabrics aren’t currently my biggest area of ponderment. I’ve got enough fabric in my stash and I’ve made a bit of a pledge to make three things with my current material before I allow myself to buy more, and I typically do buy deadstock anyway so I’m not directly facilitating production and waste. What I’m really thinking about at the moment are patterns, and the Things I Want To Make Next. Obviously the wedding is taking up a lot of time for now as I work through my timetable of tasks, but once that’s over I want to be able to hop straight into my next projects and get ready for summer!
So, I thought I’d also like to do my thinking out loud and work through what I’ve got on the cards and see if I can align fabrics I want to use from the craft room with patterns I know I want to try.
Fabrics I have in my stash earmarked for the summer season: gorgeous rainbow stripey deadstock linen from Cloth Control, blue and green gingham deadstock linen from Rainbow Fabrics, tan with white stripe linen-cotton blend, and black with white stripe linen-cotton blend I think was historically from PoundFabrics as I’ve had it about two years but they do have back in stock at the moment too.
Side note: I’ve loved seeing Jess from Broad in the Seams talk about her colour palette and finding the anchor colour that unites the wardrobe. (This post from Crafting A Rainbow is also really useful.) Anyway. I’m not there yet. I know which colours are most predominant in the things in my wardrobe that I actually wear – my favourites are blues, greens, touches of purple, and a lot of black and charcoal (though much of that is workwear). I do still need to determine what direction I want to go in, as the colours I often admire in Instagram photos aren’t always the ones I find myself wearing – and if I get suckered into buying a garment that’s the ‘wrong’ colour I just end up not wearing it. I know it’s seasonal too – at the moment I’m longing for warmer weather so dreaming of lilacs and minty shades. Winter is much more jewelled for me.
So those are the stash-fabrics I have lined up so I can work through them before letting myself get anything new, and even if I’m no longer convinced by the tan shade it’ll still be lovely drapey material to wear when it’s hopefully warmer and we can go outside.
Pattern-wise, things I definitely want to make at some stage are:
– Untitled Thoughts Amelie Dress (though potentially I might use my own bodice block to mimic that sort of back closure rather than risking trying a new pattern that might not fit my boobs)
– Closet Core Elodie Dress as I think it’s so cute and classic and doesn’t look like anything I already have to hand in my pattern library
– Peppermint Magazine’s Jumpsuit (or their Valley Jumpsuit but for summer wearability/autumn layering I prefer the other one)
– I bought the Summer Dreaming pattern eBook by Sew Over It patterns when it was on offer recently and I’m obsessed with the Sorrento Denim Jacket, as well as half-wondering whether the Porto jumpsuit included might also fulfil my desires to make the Blanca Flight Suit pattern I have previously gushed over (also by Closet Core)
– A classic strappy sundress – a mash up of the Holyoke and Upton by Cashmerette maybe? I want straps and an elasticated back but not princess seams, really, because this is what my striped fabric most wants to be turned into – unless I do funky stripe placement, which actually could be a winner
– By Hand London Tamzin dress
Blue-green gingham = Elodie dress
Tan stripe linen blend = Peppermint jumpsuit?
Black stripe linen blend = Amelie style dress?
Rainbow stripe = Holyoke sundress
(Denim = Sorrento jacket)
I think that’s enough thinking for now! Slow sustainable sewing means making things I’m really invested in, so I’ve got to make good choices. This is a solid step along the way for now.