Scrolling through social media and seeing crafts created by talented creators inspires us to create new projects! As a result, extravagant dresses, costumes, and more have made their way onto our timelines. Today, we’re going to talk about planning and designing your day-to-day wardrobe with special occasion pieces.
As we approach the holidays and the new year, it’s always a fun time to work on yourself. Starting with your wardrobe is a great way to boost your confidence and sewing skills! The significant part of keeping in mind is that re-working your wardrobe doesn’t mean starting from scratch, but using sustainable plans like working with what you have now and creating those pieces that will make it more you.
The first step in creating your closet is planning what clothes you need and what outfits to keep. A mistake some make is finding a pattern or design that they love but wouldn’t see themselves wearing it. Keep your style in mind when it’s time to start re-working your current closet and finding new patterns.
Identify what’s in the closet and what’s missing.
Many times we’ll find ourselves getting ready and thinking, “I have nothing to wear!” It’s so frustrating. Start with going through your closet and reviewing what pieces you love and which you would toss. Next, figure out why those pieces are not enjoyable. Is it the fabric? The style? Keep these thoughts in mind and write them down. Once you start refreshing your closet, you’ll remember what pieces didn’t make the cut. In addition, some well-loved clothing items may be getting tossed because they have a hole or don’t fit. Can you fix it? If there’s a piece you love that may need hemming or fixing, set these aside and use them as projects to think about later.
Once you’ve evaluated what you have, think about what’s missing! For example, are you full-on tops and can’t find bottoms that match? Do you have more staying home clothes than going out clothes? Seeing what’s missing is the first step in deciding what gaps need to be filled.
Planning the Wardrobe
Start with your style! Think of what fits make you feel your best and what colors bring out your happiness. Keep in mind fabric and what fabrics might bring you discomfort compared to those that feel like a perfect fit. It’s great to get out of your comfort zone, but make sure you’ll love and wear what you create. Once you find your color pallet and style, we recommend creating a board, like on Pinterest, with inspiration for what you would like to make. Using your board as a resource is a great tool when you start shopping for fabric and patterns. It’s a reminder of what you’re looking for and a great referral tool when designing. Be true to yourself, and keep in mind what patterns will truly fit your body well and make you feel confident!
We highly recommend organizing and going through your current patterns before purchasing new ones. Read through past choices and see which styles were your favorite. Figure out why some patterns didn’t make the cut, and keep that in mind when choosing your next one. A ring binder is a great way to organize your patterns and is simple to browse through. Organizing these is also a great way to plan what patterns you’ll need and allow you to plan your projects.
Planning your closet can seem overwhelming, which is why we recommend making a list! Decide what projects you want to create and write them down in the order you want them done. This will be a great base once you begin on the re-design of your wardrobe. We know planning is an important step, so a great resource we recommend is a planning sheet! Attached here, you can use this project planning sheet to prepare your projects properly. Think of it as a tool when creating, allowing you to plan supplies, pattern choice, fabric choice, and design. This will set the base for your project and help you keep track of the project with ease.
Buying what you need
With our inboxes filled with sales on fabrics, notions, and more, it may seem easy to impulse buy. But, sometimes we’ll see a piece of beautiful fabric and can’t wait to purchase it, only not to know what to create with it! Keep your inspiration reference nearby when you start buying so that you stay on track for fabrics and designs you’ll enjoy wearing on a day-to-day basis.
Grab your inspiration board and find those pieces that make sense! It’s best to start with a pattern, and from there buying the notions and fabric you’ll need. The best thing to know is that patterns will include supplies for the project and is a great reference. Keep in mind to create a closet that suits you and purchase fabrics that go with your color pallet and fabric material that is comfortable.
When finding patterns, think of your body shape and what cuts the best work. While patterns can be edited to tailor you, it’s best to start with one that already suits your look best.
We hope that this inspires you to create your wardrobe one day! We hope this encourages you to think about what to make, get some inspiration boards made, and then go out and stock up on those patterns and fabrics! Building your wardrobe is a fantastic journey in building your skills and confidence, and we can’t wait to see what you create! So what is your next wardrobe project going to be?
sewinwithjuki.com 