I have a closet full of handmade garments and I’ve lost my inspiration to get dressed in the morning … I have nothing to wear …
So the other day, I started wandering through my fabric stash and patterns and my Craftsy courses to be inspired, and I remembered I had purchased this one a while ago – Sew to Flatter: Plan your Best Wardrobe with Nancy Nix-Rice – when it was on sale. I only buy Craftsy “on sale” and if you sign up for their emails then you get notice of their sales. 😉
This course talked about colour, fabric, patterns for body type, wardrobe planning, etc. Just the thing I needed to re-discover my wardrobe!
As an added bonus, I remembered quite a while ago the staff at our office went to a colour consultant. It was fun! Interesting that there were colours that we were naturally drawn to and those we didn’t like at all. In the end we all walked away with our own “colour palette”. The colour consultant told me I was an “Autumn”, which was fine with me because I liked those colours anyway.
I hunted, searched and found my old “Autumn colour palette” deep in a drawer. I think it might finally come to some good use!
I could have done with a bit more BLUE in my palette though!
Nancy advised me to clear out my closet and MY BELOVED FABRIC STASH of any colours not in my Autumn colour palette. I haven’t sorted through my closet yet, but I have sorted through MY BELOVED FABIC STASH. I did find about six fabrics I shouldn’t have bought – like the dreaded HOT PINK! Nancy also described which patterns should be my go-to patterns based on my body type, although I haven’t sorted through my patterns yet neither. Hopefully, at least, with my next project I keep Nancy’s recommendations in mind and I won’t end up with garments like this one (wrong fabric) or this one (wrong pattern). I just realized both of these qualify for Fail February – #failfebruary – organized by Sew RED-y!
Nancy also provided a useful “Wardrobe Worksheet”. Apparently with these 12 basic garments, in your colours and style, you can plan an endless wardrobe.
Well, that certainly caught my attention, so I pulled twelve items out of my closet following the Wardrobe Worksheet. My “Core Four” in basic black – neutral skirt, pants, top, and jacket (although I had to use a cardigan).
My two contrasting pants, contrasting jacket, and contrasting print top.
My sweater set (I didn’t have one, so I substituted a white cardigan and a white print top) and my print skirt and blouse (they are supposed to match but one’s blue and one’s black).
Now Nancy Nix-Rice’s idea of a combination was to wear a top and skirt, then add a cardigan to make a second new combination … like this …
Another combination – print top and black skirt or print skirt and black top.
Same idea with the pants combinations …
So seriously, starting with these 12 garments, all either black, white or blue solid or print, I managed to get 67 different outfits! (Don’t worry, I won’t make you look at all of them!) Now I stuck with black and blue, if i had tried to use more of my “Autumn colours”, or added belts or scarves or one print dress as Nancy had suggested, I could have stretched these garments into even more combinations.
And I have nothing to wear … silly woman!
I know there a sewing blogs, etc. out there who encourage you to sew thoughtfully – like “Sewing with a Plan”. Nancy Nix-Rice also has a blog nancynixrice.com, which I am now following to get more wardrobe ideas for my future sewing projects.
I think it’s time to at least sew garments that match other garments in my closet. I already have a black (boring) Core Four, can I sew to complete a blue or red Core Four? Can I go through all my “Autumn colours”?
Do you sew on a whim or do you sew with a plan in mind?
Either way, Happy Sewing!
40 Responses to “I have nothing to wear …”
Usually I sew on impulse. Every time I try to plan a couple of projects something appears that jumps the que. This year I am doing the #SewMyStyle challenge so each month I will be doing a pattern from that list. I’m also doing it to challenge myself to try styles I am not naturally attracted to and see now they look on me. I know this might prove to be an expensive endeavour but at least I get to practice my sewing.
I know the feeling. Quite often I think I am going to do this dress pattern next and then I see something on a model or on a blog and I say I have to have that! I will have to keep checking your blog for your #SewMyStyle garments! There is nothing better then improving your craft!
That’s ok! I’m on an IPad right now and everything is getting messed up! I’ll check it all when I get home. I think I get your drift though!
I like the way you took us through the various combinations…I tend to fall back on black which gets pretty boring, a jolt of blue like in your first combination will really help.
Of course the real reason I’m not feeling particularly inspired by my wardrobe is because I’m not not pulling out a swim suit and sun glasses and heading to the beach!!!
Nix-Rice also has some great recommendations for wearing black, or a neutral, and spicing it up with a print top or a scarf or accessories. I have only skimmed her course with my comments here. I think I might have a swim suit in my future soon – fingers crossed!
Brilliantly entertaining post, thank you Linda. I too have Nix-Rice’s class and I watched it with great interest. She mentions high contrast/low contrast from memory and in combo with some colour advice (I don’t wholly agree with), I find the contrast thing to be quite interesting. Currently reading a wardrobe planning book (name escapes me unforch), but since we’re currently travelling, one of the suggestions really stands out. When creating a capsule wardrobe you have to be 100% in love with the garments. Living out of a suitcase really proves that point, I’ve worn my light grey cashmere jumper to death this trip, oh and my Cascade duffle coat. Xx
Nix-Rice has a lot of ideas in her course, just a few mentioned here. After going through her course I did stop and think about what I am actually sewing up for myself – hopefully some of it stays with me through my future projects. I do understand my “Autumn colour palette” more now than when it was given to me. I like a lot of the colours and have some thoughts on accessorizing and mix-matching and branching out with some new colours I haven’t tried before. Let us know the name of your book recommendation if you get the chance on your return home!
I’ve been feeling a bit blah about my clothes right now too. I wonder if it’s a seasonal thing? Winter’s gone on too long and we want to bust out the spring/summer clothes?
I do love the pinkish coat you made a little while ago. Its so beautiful, I can’t imagine it being seasonal. Although I was so happy to see the snow go away – now we have torrential rain and everything is grey – perhaps we should pull out the bright colours early!!
I’m such an impulse buyer. I have scrutinised my wardrobe to identify sewing gaps (cardigans, shirts, trousers etc) but still get distracted by beautiful prints leaving me with a mismatch wardrobe!!
It’s really not our fault you know! It’s those stores, websites and advertisers and the like… they keep waving pretty things in our faces!
So true!! 😁
I’m another impulse sewer and fabric buyer. I have decided to try and prune my stash so that I can actually see what I want to make up but it’s so hard!!!
Well done for checking your wardrobe. I’m sure you will soon ‘have something wonderful’ to wear!
There are so many lovely things I bring home! 😄 it’s amazing how much better you feel though when you take control- even if it’s just temporary!
Another impulse sewer here. If you have already some basic sets in blue and black, could you look out for a few nice printed silks or rayons which combine a selection of some of your other colours, and make a few simple scarves/blouses to extend their usefulness? Also, maybe costume jewellery – gosh it’s so much easier giving advice than following it.
It is the perfect advice. Honestly, I was trying to keep my word count down – a second post should be warranted as Ms. Nix-Rice did get into adding prints and accessories in the next chapters. To be honest I was in total disbelief that 12 basic garments could mix and match over 60 times. I was determined to prove her wrong! She, and you, are right though – with a few extras from my closet, these basics would really pop! And then again there IS all that fabulous fabric out there that needs a loving home!
I think my fabric purchases are probably 99% impulse buys!! However I do try and sew according to need as well, like I desperately need some trousers at the moment, unfortunately having never made them before I’m procrastinating like anything! I got my ‘colours’ done years ago, it was interesting the shade of a colour made such a difference, I can wear the blue end of red but not the orange end!
There are so many lovely fabrics out there, it is difficult to resist. I’m in need of some pants/trousers too. I’m working on a muslin now – my second go at it, or is it my fifth? It makes me feel so much better to try in a cheap fabric (old sheets) first. It seems that some of the shades of yellow make me look deathly, so I have to be careful with those. Funny thing is I realized that before I had my “colours” done. I was in a change room trying on RTW long ago and I discovered that shade of yellow just looked awful on me. I haven’t tried it on since.
Normally I’m an impulse sewer [although I do keep to colours that suit me, no yellow, orange or beige in my wardrobes]. Last year I took part in The Sewing Guild’s SWAP which was fun, and this year I’m trying again, but sewing for my wife. This is of course, much harder because I’m a selfish sewer [aren’t we all really?] I’m due another clear out though, as some items simply never get worn, even though I like them,,,they just don’t work for me any more. That’s fine though, as my stash is set to burst out of all the crates and boxes!
That’s right you are one of the SWAP sewers/sewists. I’m going to be watching you with interest! I get tired of some garments too sometimes – then it’s time for the charity pile! I’m going to at least try to keep my impulses in control by watching for the correct fabric, colour and style. A few things I have made just don’t work on me.
We’re all bound to have some mis-matches, or we could only dare to make identical outfits, time after time. That’s not me, I’m changing shape [all for the worst] and style as I get older. Elastic waists for me!
I think we all should change style as we get older – and Ms Nix-Rice must be of a certain age like me, and you? – as she is a proponent of the elastic waist and shows you how to do a simple one!
I’m just about to add an elasticated waist to the V1312…in for a penny!