A while ago I decided to toy a bit with the capsule wardrobe idea. I like the thought of having garments that go well together and that dressing in the morning is a delight and not a 20 minute wasted time frame of hair pooling and nail biting (ok it is not that bad, but pointless staring at shelves and hangers certainly is). Also, it is about making what you will be wearing in the end which in my case meant more separates, basics and pants instead of dresses, dresses and dresses. I like me a dress, but I just do not wear them that often, especially not in autumn/winter. Therefore adjusting my sewing to this just makes more sense.
As per Wikipedia: „Capsule wardrobe is a term coined by Susie Faux, the owner of London boutique called “Wardrobe” in the 1970s. According to Faux, a capsule wardrobe is a collection of a few essential items of clothing that don’t go out of fashion, such as skirts, trousers, and coats, which can then be augmented with seasonal pieces.”
As per Susie Faux: „For more than 30 years since I developed the concept of the capsule wardrobe, it has been at the heart of Wardrobe’s approach to helping women develop their own confident style as they progress through their careers. It has also, I’m flattered to say, been copied countless times in many different contexts.”
Yes it was. Good ideas always are.
Some ideas of a capsule wardrobe say it is good to have 30 piece wardrobe to make it easier to choose and combine, but that part of the whole concept did not rub of on me. Nobody’s perfect.
My first foray into a capsule wardrobe concept was to try all the patterns from the Sew Over It Capsule Wardrobe City Break E-book. Well, you know, the word capsule is IN THE BOOK TITLE. When I first came across this book I liked one pattern and all others did not really impress me, so I skipped it. But then I was constantly seeing great garments popping up in my Instagram feed only to see that they were made from patterns in this e-book. Eventually I liked all of them, so when they were having a sale I got myself a copy.
I came up with a personal challenge to make one pattern each month and have a small capsule in 5 months time. It sounded reasonable and I am sure it is. I stuck to the plan for the first three months and made three garments, but then Christmas break happened. During the break I sewed a coat and need some rest afterwards and lost the track of time. But will resume at some point and make the remaining two patterns.
The first one I will talk about is the Erin skirt. I can not decide which pattern I like the best, but this one is definitely one of the first that got me to buy the e-book. It was the light denim version that got to me. So I made one for myself.
I wanted to use wooden buttons because I thought that was the best combination. But as you know I had some clay buttons I made myself in pottery class and this was a perfect opportunity to use some of them. More so, as I couldn’t find the right size wooden ones for the life of me. I am happy in the end that I went with mine because I now have a FULLY me made garment. I do not know why I was resistant about it in the first place.
Now let’s talk a bit about the pattern. The instructions in the e-book are clear and I would categorise this as an easy make aside from the buttonholes. But if your machine has an automatic buttonhole option be brave, Youtube it, practice on some scraps and go for it. I made a mistake and made the buttonholes horizontally and not vertically. This makes them poke out a bit outside of the button placket while moving or when I am holding my hands in the pockets. It does bother me a bit, but I can handle it. Will make sure to do it right next time. If you look at the instructions it says to do the top waist button horizontally but all others vertically. It makes sense, but requires you to follow instructions which I obviously did not do as carefully as I thought.
I had to take the side seams in at the hips. The fabric was sticking out too much but it was an easy fix to make. Overall the fit was great. I shortened the skirt a bit from the longer version so it covers my knees. It is more me that way.
The fabric is a light blue denim fabric. I would say it is medium to heavy weight and a bit stiff with no stretch. It is comfortable and was a good match for this pattern. It was passed down to me from my grandmother so I have no idea how old it is. A lot I would say (the things it has seen!). So I made sure to wash it and use it for something good.
Buttons were a delight to make and sew on. I had to hand sew them. They are made from the same template but each is a bit different and has different hole sizes and hole placement so I could not use my machine to automatically stitch them on. Telly watching and hand sewing it was.
I love the skirt and I cannot wait for some spring weather to wear it out.
Thank you for reading!
Ana