Project 333 Autumn 2015

Thought I would share what I have chosen for my autumn Project 333, I have been wearing most of this from September and it will run until the end of November, as long as the weather doesn't get too cool too early.  This will be the fourth time I have done Project 333 and it's working fairly well for me.  I'm not too hung up on 33 items, if I need something out of 'storage' I'll get it.  I suppose that's the tricky bit, planning for weather changes.


These are my colours.

Gray, navy, teal, wine, amethyst and rose pink.

Project 333 autumn 2015

First of all I pick ten main items ( as per the dailyconnoisseur's ten-item-wardrobe) This year for me that is 3 trousers, 1 skirt, 4 dresses and 2 blouses.

Trousers

Dark denim slim jeans (Meandem)
Gray slim jeans (Meandem)
Fuchsia trousers (Toast)

Skirt

Maria Denmark Yasmin yoke skirt

Dresses

 - Liberty Lantana Cappuccino dress

 - Denim Curlew dress from Merchant and Mills Workbook

 - Wine Gallery dress by Liesl & Co

This is a recent addition.

 - Teal Bettine dress by Tilly & the buttons

This one has short sleeves and the length is quite short so might have to do some layering.

Blouses

Sewaholic Patterns Oakridge blouse

Weekend getaway blouse by Liesl & Co

So those are the ten main items, then I have extras to make up to a total of 33 items.  This includes some more tops, including jersey tops, leggings, a couple of sweaters and cardigans, 3 coats and in total 5 footwear.  (3 ankle boots, 1 long pair of boots and 1 pair of flat brogues.

I don't include accessories or jewellry in the 33 items, although I have restricted my choices by only keeping out certain items to use in the 3 months, the rest get hidden away.  This season I also got rid of some more of my original hand made items which were starting to get fairly worn, either that or they just didn't suit or fit me.

It is an on-going process, I have dramatically reduced the amount of clothing I have compared to a few years ago.  As a sewer you have to be quite disciplined as there are so many sewing patterns being released now, but if you have less items overall it really helps you to ascertain what does really suit you as you won't want anything in your precious 33 items that isn't getting worn on a regular basis and that you don't enjoy wearing.

It also makes you a lot more disciplined when you get those 20% off emails coming into your in-box. Once you have chosen your items you don't have to think about buying until the next season. (in theory)

I have enjoyed reading about Slow fashion October and I suppose it has made me realise I need to be aware of how I choose my fabrics for dressmaking and try to make more items with a view to longevity and be more sustainable.  Last weeks theme was 'loved' the ideas being to pick an item that is your most loved, most frequently worn, proudest accomplishment.  I gave this a lot of thought and instead of picking one item, I have chosen the accomplishment of this autumn's ten item wardrobe.  I love the colours and most of the styles, I never set out to make 80% of my clothes when I started dabbling 3 years ago but the more you do it, the more you realise how good it is.  I'm far from an accomplished sewer but certainly glad I started.

My Weekend Getaway blouse.

It's my favourite time of the year again, that 'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness'.  I love the arrival of autumn, to me it has always had a feeling of a fresh, new start.  Maybe it's the association with the new school year, but I love nothing more than putting summer clothing away and deciding on the autumn/winter attire.

Since I embarked on the combination of the Ten Item Wardrobe and theproject333 a few seasons ago, it has made be very selective about what I include in my wardrobe.  Each item has to really WORK for me in every sense, that is, colour, size, style to suit both me and my lifestyle.  I will expand on this a little in a separate post, but one of the pattern designers that I love is Liesl Gibson who has a few lines of patterns, namely the Lisette range (for Butterick) and the Liesl & Co patterns.  Nearly everything I have made from these ranges fits me well and I get a lot of wear from.  

So this pattern, the Liesl & Co Weekend Getaway dress/blouse pattern has a lot to live up to.  I have made it in Atelier brunette viscose fabric called facet.  It's a geometric type print in a navy and black print purchase from misformake.  The pattern itself has been out for a while, I just thought I should give it a go.

I made it in a straight size 14 with a full bust adjustment of 1/2 inch (really well explained in the instructions) and I think it's a pretty good fit.  It's a very straightforward make.  Perhaps this fabric isn't the best for showing off the details of the pattern, there are pretty shaped pockets, cuffed 3/4 length sleeves, and full front facing and a back pleat.  It all blends in a bit too well with this fabric, I think plain fabrics would show the details off better.

Anyway, it's an easy-going style, relaxed fit, just pull over the head and that works for me, so it is part of my Autumn 2015 Ten Item Wardrobe. The only slight adjustment I might make is to sew the facing up another bit, it is just a little bit low for me, but we're only talking 1/2 to 1", not a big deal.

An addition to my 'project333' has been these lovely oxblood ankle boots, probably the most I have ever spent on ankle boots, but I reckon if you're buying less overall, you're better putting more money into things like footwear, coats etc.  I look on them as a long term investment.

Happy Autumn!

Winter Ten Item Wardrobe an first attempt at Project 333.

So I thought I would share my Winter Ten Item Wardrobe.  This is something I started in the spring and the idea comes from Jennifer Scott and her little book, Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris.  It seems very drastic, but I was amazed how well it worked, far easier to get ready in the morning and freeing up so much space.  I wasn't sure if it would work as well for winter, as there can be so many fluctuations in temperature and weather conditions.  I think the secret is having more options for layering in the 'extras', which are jersey tops, cardigans, jackets, coats and accessories.

Anyway, here's what I settled on for three months, mid November to mid February.

Item 1

Tilly and the Buttons Coco dress

Made in ponte jersey and very easy to wear.

Item 2

Lisette Portfolio dress

This pattern has gone out of print, it was one of the first items I mad.  It is in a gray wool fabric, trims are a Japanese flannel.  It is one for cold days.

Item 3

Grainline studio.com Hemlock tee pattern (free pattern)

I just lengthened the tee pattern to make it tunic dress length to be worn over jeans or leggings.  It is made from a heavier weight ponte jersey from Minerva.  Very cosy.

Item 4

Victory patterns Lola dress

I love this pattern, the different sections give it a nice shape and the pockets are great.  I made a plain navy one previously, which got a lot of wear.  This one is a wool based jersey from myfabrics.com, again it is very cosy.

Item 5

Liesl and co pattern Cappuccino top

This pattern was an update on the Lisette Portfolio only with a V-neckline.  One of the great additions is that the instructions show you how to do full bust adjustments for better fitting.  I have worn this a lot so far.

Item 6

Maria Denmark Yasmin yoke skirt

Back in the spring I was wanting to make my perfect skirt and this is pretty much it.  I made it in denim so it's fairly neutral and hard-wearing.

Item 7

Tilly & the Buttons Delphine skirt (from the book Love At First Stitch)

My most recent make, an A-line skirt in pink viscose/wool fabric from ditto fabrics, a very cosy, less expensive fabric than boiled wool, I love it.

Items 8 - 10

Meandem Denim slim jeans
Meandem Gray jeans
Toast chinos.

Ten items doesn't seem a lot, but it's actually quite a bit.  I have taken it a step further with The Project 333, this is having a TOTAL of 33 items for 3 months.  This is meant to include even jewellery, bags, boots and shoes.  I started it mid November, but excluded jewellery and accessories (like scarfs) of which I have loads.  I really didn't think I would stick to it, but already I am seeing how simple and great it is.  When you take it down to the wire like that, you really have to love all your stuff and they totally have to work for your climate and lifestyle.

So other than my 10 items, I have 2 winter coats, 1 cape, 1 long knitted cardigan, 4 cardigans (2 of which I don't seem to be wearing very much, as they are too thick in weight, so they won't be in next winters), 2 blouses, 3 sweaters, 3 jersey tops, 1 sweatshirt, 1 sweatpants, 4 boots & 1 shoes.

Already I can see items that don't justify being there as they don't get much wear, so I will probably tweak this list to exclude them and add in a couple of accessories, handbag and jewellery next time round.  I think that's not bad for the first try and I am definitely hooked.

This has had an impact on my sewing pattern purchasing, fabric purchasing and sewing/knitting in general, in a good way.  It has made me much more selective in patterns and fabrics and has made me more particular in my sewing and that can only be good.

OWOP 2014 and thoughts of autumn ten-item wardrobe.

As a newcomer to blogging and indeed a relative newcomer to sewing I am partaking in OWOP.  This is a sewing and wardrobe challenge which is being organised this year by Jane from handmadejane.co.uk blog (I think it was originally started by Tilly from Tilly & the Buttons from Sewing Bee fame)  The idea is to show how one pattern can make you wonderful 'pieces' that can be worn regularly in your everyday life.

I (after much deliberation) decided to opt for Tilly's Coco pattern. I have used quite a few patterns several times in my two years of sewing, namely the Lisette portfolio (my first and still a favourite), Merchantandmills dress shirt pattern, Sewaholicpatterns Renfrew top and the the Wiksten tova dress & top.  Most of these were makes before my blogging so no photos but I love all these patterns. In reality, at the time of deciding, I only had made two Coco tops and one dress, so had a little panic as to how these items were going to last me for a week.  Missing the point completely I then proceeded to make another Coco dress.  Don't get me wrong I love my latest Coco dress but, of course, the point of the challenge is to show how many different ways you can wear an item by accessorizing and using your flair and creativity, so even if you only have two versions of a pattern, well - that's your challenge.

Tilly & the Buttons Coco dress.

This challenge comes at a great time for me, firstly because it's the start of a new season, namely autumn, my favourite time of the year and also because I have been trying to follow the dailyconnoisseur ten item wardrobe idea.  I have been trying to live a more minimal type life for a while now and embarked on My summer ten item wardrobe at the beginning of the summer for the first time.  I entered into the idea really in trepidation thinking I wouldn't last a fortnight but it worked amazingly well.  If I'm honest I went over the top with my 'extras', namely lots of t-shirts just in case, but this was really too much, so I now have the confidence to cut down even more.

I really shouldn't make a big deal of this, I mean this is the way my mum dressed in the 70's/80's. People just had less then, what she did have was good quality, a great cut and really suited her and that's really all it's about.  In modern day we are bombarded with so many choices we have forgotten how to have our own individual style and we are very, very excessive!

Anyway, my summer ten item wardrobe was a great success.  The only item I didn't wear much was my Toast sailor style trousers - I just felt a bit self-conscious wearing them at home although I did wear them on holiday. (I will be keeping them for next year though)  Everything else I wore a lot and that was great.  Other benefits were that my wardrobe and bedroom are a lot tidier and easier to manage, I also wasn't that interested in shops or sales and so spent less than normal. Now as a sewist I am also becoming more selective in choosing fabrics and sewing patterns and thinking exactly what suits me and works for my lifestyle.  I wasn't sure if I would last, but I really like this mindset (and that definitely is what it is.) It definitely has an element of 'freeing the mind'

So this coming week will be great for planning my ten item wardrobe for autumn - I'm not sure I will be able to go for only 10 core items (we do have very diverse weather here in Northern Ireland)  but I will certainly make a good attempt.  I would say that at least some of my Coco's will feature. It starts tomorrow (6 September - 12 September) so not too late to start, you can sign up here.

My summer Ten Item Wardrobe.

'Liberate Yourself with The Ten-Item Wardrobe' is the title of one of the chapters in Lessons from Madame Chic, a lovely little book by Jennifer L Scott.  I have mentioned before on the blog, that I have been trying to have less 'stuff' in general and, in particular, been aiming for the capsule wardrobe over the past couple of years.

I have literally culled my wardrobe, cleared out the clutter, filled bin bags to go to charity and also sold some of the better things and she is so right - it is very liberating!

So with a bit of experimentation and trials (Me-Made-May helped a lot with this too) I have decided on my ten item wardrobe for summer 2014.  These are the core items of trousers, skirts, dresses and blouses.  This doesn't include extras like t-shirts, cardigans, jackets, coats, special dresses (for events or functions). They include a mixture of handmade and rtw items.  I would have liked to have had all hand made items, but time just didn't permit and we have to be realistic.

So without further ado:

Ten Core Items are:

1 skirt:  Handmade Deer and Doe Chardon (cotton print)
3 trousers:  MeandEm sand chinos
                  Toast sailor type trousers.
                  Handmade grey linen trousers Tessuti Laura pant.
3 blouses All handmade Simplicity pattern 1806 (in Nani Iro Peaceful Cooing fabric)
                                   Merchant & Mills Camber top (in Nani Iro double gauze fabric)
                                   Banksia top sewing pattern (in Liberty Travelling Threads tana lawn fabric)

3 dresses Handmade Lisette Portfolio Dress (in Amy Butler Cameo fabric)
                               Endless summer tunic (in red Brussels Washer fabric) Was wearing it so not                                  in photo.
                               MeandEm light denim shift dress.

As you can see, my colours are mostly blues with some beige and red.  I put all my winter clothes away and my wardrobe is so lovely and free.  I have actually been doing this since the beginning of June and it totally works.  The extras help in terms of flexibility and practicalities of getting laundry done.  I hope this wardrobe will carry me through until early September.

The extras

Beige merino cardigan (Meandem)
Blue merino Coco 'sweater' (Tilly & the buttons)
Pale blue cardigan (fatface)
Selection of tees and sleeveless tops (mostly handmade)

Also navy jacket (not photographed) ByHandLondon Victoria Blazer (seen in this post)

Lightweight water repellent coat (Matalan)

Merchant & Mills Landgate coat (work in progress)

Incidentally, this (the extras section) is where you might want to spend most of your budget, for example, a good coat (maybe more winter appropriate) which could potentially last several years, you could spend less on your ten core items as they are more likely to change from season to season, especially if you are trend conscious.

Like I say I have been doing this for a month now and I love it so far.  Will I be fed up with it all by September... time will tell.  It is still very much in the experimental phase.  Jennifer Scott advocates wearing your ten item wardrobe all the time, like even doing housework etc and protecting it all by wearing an apron.  As most of my housework is outside in the garden growing vegetables and plants, I am afraid I do change into my 'duds'  and I also have my exercise clothing.

So, at the risk of sounding smug (this may backfire on me), as I have decided on my summer wardrobe in June.... what now?  As someone who loves sewing and knitting will it just stop? I don't think so.

It gives me a reason to:
a.  Make clothes for other family members (Already do that a bit)
b.  Try my hand at bag making, there are so many great patterns out there.
c.  Do more knitting than I have been of late.
d.  Try my hand at more ambitious sewing projects, like coat-making, trousers and jackets.
e.  Plan the autumn winter wardrobe (too much?  Perhaps, but you got to start some time!)
f.  Apron making
g.  Have had one 'learn to crochet' class, can continue with that.

So plenty of scope.  Why not give it a try.  There is no doubt that if you decide to do this, you must love all your ten items, they must be great colours, style & fit and, of course, it must work for you and the way you live your life.  This is not the only way of looking at it, there are lots of blogs and ideas about downsizing and capsule wardrobes - I just happened to like this one.

You can read more on the 'Ten Item Wardrobe' way of thinking (amongst other things) on dailyconnoisseur.blogspot.co.uk Her way of showing her ten item wardrobe is much more professional than mine!

Also, at the beginning of the year I enjoyed doing the Wardrobe Architect series by Coletterie.  This helped me ascertain styles and shapes I like.