Christmas PJs

Everyone has traditions around the holidays. In our family it is the yearly Christmas pjs. 

This year I used two patterns for our yearly pjs: the Patterns for Pirates pj pants pattern (free! And awesome) and the Blank Slate Blanc tee (free if you are a member of their Facebook group or if you purchase another pattern of theirs). These are really doll clothes patterns. Super simple shapes, minimal finishing of you use a serger, and easy to make multiples. 

Eldest got the shorts version of the pants and the short sleeve version  of the tee because her apartment runs warm. I made flannelette long pants in a funky science print for youngest with a short sleeve tee, and added a pair of flannelette shorts in a hearts and skulls print for fun.  Adopted child got long knit pants and a pair of shorts from the science print. I got long pants and a short sleeve tee. I lived dangerously and added a seam on the pants for fun. 

What are your holiday sewing traditions? Do you sew gifts or just hope to get through sewing for yourself?

A perfect wardrobe formula?

Wardrobe planning according to the ‘experts’  is one of those odd things where the list comes before real life. You all know what lists I am talking about. The ones that start ‘every closet should  have a coloured blazer, white pants and this printed blouse. Or two tops, two bottoms in colour, the same in colour b, then mix and match prints. I’m not saying mix and match is bad; I just think that starting with a generic must have list misses the point. The way to plan a functional wardrobe is not to blindly follow a random list some dude came up with that has nothing to do with you, your life, your style and your current reality. 

Realistic wardrobe planning comes down to one question: What do you really wear?

What do you put on at o’dark o’clock when you are stumbling for the coffee and then out the door?  Is it the silk blouse with the wool and cashmere skirt or the comfortable but slightly dressy tee with the nice pants? Are you putting on a uniform? A suit? Sweats and a tee as your kids run for the bus? I have spent years researching wardrobe planning. I am going to say this right out: there is not a magic formula.  No perfect number of items or perfect list someone else came up with. You need to make the things you want to wear for the life you have. 

A perfect wardrobe plan is the one that helps you stand blearily in front of you closet and walk away ready for the day, day in and day out. If you are a CEO, your closet is going to be full of suits. If you are a park ranger, your closet is going to be full of clothing suitable for the rugged outdoors.  If you are a teacher, you are going to have that soft creative look at me twist so your job is easier. If you live in Canada where there is snow and rain and sleet, you are going to need more coats than someone who lives on the sunny coast of Australia. 

SWAP, sewing with a plan, started on the sunny coast of Australia, where multiple layers are not needed for a dressy office life. A winter coat suitable for -30c was never on the formula list. My life and the climate I live in changes the lists that would make the perfect wardrobe formula.

If you are new to wardrobe planning, start with where you are now.  

First, take a picture of what you are wearing every day for a month. Make a list of all the things you do-the every day regular and the not so regular (funeral? Black tie awards ceremony?).  Figure out your comfortable ideal- what outfits and proportions make you forget your clothing and focus on the tasks? 

Then figure out what is missing. What are your wardrobe holes? The funeral dress? The nice suit for an interview? Jeans that do not have holes? Dressier tops for those endless zoom meetings? Those are where you should start when you plan your sewing. 

Sewing, when done well, slides effortlessly into the life you have right now.  

Updates (and bad pictures)

Apparently, changing from a level up plan to a real life plan is good for production.  I’ve made, and fixed, the maxi dress.  I’ve made a casual dress using a stashed black with daisies dress that I do not remember buying (hmmm—how long has that been in the personal fabric story??).  I also made a third black dress that had its challenges.

Bwahaha, yes—challenges.  That is what we will call them.  Challenges.  Ever tried to deal with an air threading serger that has a blocked channel? Enough said.

Dress 1: (I have no idea why the picture is sideways):

Maxi dress, crossover empire bodice, three quarter sleeves.
Rayon poly Lycra fabric. 

I’m cloning a brown dress that fits me perfectly that I don’t wear because it is brown and it doesn’t have pockets.  This took 2 m of rpl.  I used a free dress pattern from the blog: itsalwaysautumn.  I’m lucky to be the same size and I have the same life vibe.  I shortened the suggest skirt length 6” and the bodice length an inch. I lengthened the sleeve to three quarters, and added pockets to the skirt.  Love it, feels like wearing pjs.

Dress 2:  (why is my selfie sideways?)

This is the same pattern, just below knee length, in a printed mystery knit crepe.  Not yet hemmed though I did wear it at school already.  I need to learn to use my cover stitch machine before I can hem it.  But the fabric doesn’t fray.

Dress 3: (but, why is this one the right way around?? So weird!)

Same pattern.  This is a very fine weight double faced double knit.  One side is silver, the other side is black.  It has a shine and drape but not a lot of stretch. I eked the dress out of just under 2m of fabric.  The dress is tight, and will probably end up as a back up piece unless I lose weight (always possible though unlikely). If I manage to fine the plain rayon poly Lycra I wanted to use for this dress, I will definitely remake it.

Sewing this dress was a comedy of errors.   I ran out of top thread in my sewing machine while I was top stitching the side seam and didn’t notice.  I ran out of looper thread on my new to me serger and didn’t notice.  The air threader on the serger didn’t work because the  tube was clogged from me running out of thread.  It took Hubbie and I at least half an hour to figure out how to clear the tube and then how to thread the machine because the instructions did not work.  I don’t know why.  I eventually threaded fishing line through the tube on the lower looper, tied the thread on, and pulled it through.  After that, the machine just purred along.  There must be some trick with the air threaded serger I don’t know yet.

Overall:
I love this pattern.  I will definitely make this pattern again (and again lol).  The shape suits my body and it is comfortable. Here are pictures from the first three dresses.  (And I have no idea why they are sideways, again...)

New Year, New SWAP

Apparently once a year I come back here and start again. The fabric cave is overflowing, my friends.  The fact that I am not sewing post concussion is pretty apparent.  Yeah—I can sew, I do sew.  But my brain currently shuts me down before I have enough energy to actually sew anything.  That said, it is SWAP time on Artisan Square Sewing Guild. For the last two years, I have planned an EF inspired swap and not finished more than one item.  This year, I swear it will be different.  This year I will compete.

(Cue hysterical laughter and many people muttering—sure you will, including both of my children).

The rules are pretty easy: 11 items, 1 or 2 have to go with everything, 2 can be made previously (1 can even be bought).  Other than that—go for it.

These are the rules that dreams are made of.  This is Dress SWAP rules.  Honestly: 9 dresses, 2 sweaters may actually be my SWAP.

I’ve been sewing Capsules that work together in my colours for at least seven years now and I have clothing that works for my lifestyle.  Wash and wear, smart casual, cute and curved, just one step up from stay at home mom.  I teach primary school—down on the carpet, playing with glitter and glue and mucky fingers.  I love silk, wool and dry clean only fabrics in theory; my life, she be wash and wear. I’m not quite at the point of only wearing pull on gym pants but I love pull on stretch woven dress pants and tees and nice sweaters.  I currently have a dearth of dresses that are suitable for my life.

So, if I was going to do SWAP (who am I kidding? I am doing this) I would end up doing two different SWAPs and one would be all dresses.  And every single one of those dresses would have pockets. Every day dresses that work with my current run through the playground but still look nice to talk to parents and the admin along with a few that would work for graduation and for choir events where I need dressy black.

If I was going to do a Dress SWAP it would look like this:

Two sweaters: one black (which I already own) and one that I would knit on my knitting machine
Cross over bodice black flowered maxi, three quarter length sleeves
Black ballet neck full skirt dress, casual fabric (rayon Lycra jersey)
Black ballet neck full skirt dress, 3/4 sleeve, black stretch velvet
Black eyelet, boat neck dress with pleated skirt
Knee length cross over bodice dress, 3/4 circle skirt (likely not black though the print may have a black background)
Ballet style Tank dress with Aline skirt (maybe not black, though seriously, black would just be easier—this could be lace over rayon Lycra jersey or it could be a print or it could be teal)
Cross over bodice dress, cap sleeves, three quarter skirt, side pockets (blue or rose)
Cap sleeve dress, Aline, woven, with pockets, knee length (able to be colour blocked, using quilting cottons or the cute blue flowered print currently marinating in my stash).

I need the universal little back dress (people in my life keep getting older, getting cancer, getting frail) and I need a comfortable graduation dress this year that will manage both hot (no air conditioning) and cold (who turned the air conditioning up to arctic?).   And it would be fun.  No worrying about what goes with what.  It all goes with a sweater.  Maybe that will be my inspiration phrase.  

So, what are your SWAP plans?

The Dilemna of the Straight Skirt.

Ok has anyone else playing along gone totally off script before they started? 

It is not just me, right? 

When I started planning for SWAP, I decided to just use the sewing plan from last year.  It was a bit on the boring side but it followed the EF concept of classic basics.  The fact I didn't finish sewing the wardrobe plan the last time should have told me something.  The fact that I wasn't excited to just get sewing should have told me something.  For fun  (and because I didn't feel like cleaning the sewing room) I spent several days watching Silhouette Pattern sewing videos.   Watching those videos really made me rethink my plan.

Case in point: the Pencil Skirt

EF uses a pencil skirt as her basic 8 skirt.  I actually don't wear pencil skirts--they are too restricting for my life and job as an elementary school teacher.  I wear clothing that is neat but allows me to move--skorts, maxi skirts, gypsy skirts.  I have made many pencil skirts over the years that got dusty and ignored.  Even if EF sticks it in her wardrobe plan, I am not going to wear it. 

The bottom line is that if I want a skirt in my wardrobe, I need to find a pattern that works for me that I would make many different ways in many different fabrics. Enter Silhouettes 18 gore skirt. 

I would never have even looked at that pattern without watching the skirt episode, mostly because the photo on the pattern has the wrong combination of proportions (long skirt with a short jacket, not a long jacket) and that pattern illustration does nothing for me. I hate most of the pattern illustrations and photos from Silhouette patterns. I don't think they do justice to the patterns in any way.  But after watching the videos, I realized this skirt pattern is fitted around the hips and flared at the bottom and I would absolutely wear this skirt. I actually need a nice basic black skirt suitable to wear as choir blacks.

So, (and yes, this is totally off script for SWAP) I went into the sewing cave and rejigged my 8 gore skirt pattern from Jalie in order to create an 18 gore skirt pattern with a shape similar to Michelle's one piece skirt. My first mock up was a size disaster: eighteen gores fit my daughter's friend who is a size 24.  Since the skirt looked amazing on her I just finished it and gave it to her.  My second try was better and hubbie actually commented positively. 

Step one: pattern down.

I decided to make a double layered skirt variation using black stretch lace on the top layer and rayon poly-lycra for the under-layer. It would totally work with lots of garments in my wardrobe including my current choir blacks.

Yeah, no.  The 18 gore skirt pattern is a a fabric hog. It takes four or five times the pattern length (there is only one pattern piece) and even though the fabric resource closet is overflowing, I didn't have enough fabric. 

Plan, version two: change the gore size from 18 gores to 9 gores (something she shows in the video).  That was successful.   My black skirt is comfortable and lovely.  I have plans for at least five more from the sewing resource cave.  And the experience reinforced why I didn't finish last year's SWAP sewing: the plan did not work for me.  

EF wardrobe Basic Core Patterns, Part 1

The goal of the EF Core Eight is to give you a mix and match wardrobe that works as a foundational layer, clothing that is the cake of your wardrobe not the icing.  EF picks eight basic pieces (four pants shapes and four tops) along with a dress, to create the foundation.  Then she adds icing pieces.  One of the reasons people love this concept is that it works.  The shapes are basic enough to work with a lot of ages and personal styles.

I love this concept and I really wanted to play with it last year and I wasn't the only one.  One of my sewing buddies on Artisan Square talked about the videos by Silhouette Patterns looking at sewing an Eileen Inspired basic wardrobe.  If you have never tried to sew SWAP and want some basic concepts, these videos are a really good place to start. 

EF Core 8, episode one:

EF Core 8, episode 2:

The Plan:

If you break the EF core garment shapes down into a list, the basic eight are taken from this list of basic garments, usually four tops and four bottoms.

• woven tank top, long or cropped  (high hip length), usually dark
• knit layering tank top or tank dress, dark knit
• slim pull on pencil pants (dark, stretch woven)
• slim leg jeans (denim)
• cropped wide leg pants  (light, usually woven or stretch woven)
• leggings (dark)
• woven joggers (your basic every day silk sweat pants, usually dark)
• pull on pencil skirt, stretch woven

Two to three dark tops, two to three light tops, jeans, two to three dark bottoms and a light bottom.  And a dress because everyone needs a basic black (dark basic) dress.   If you a couple of twin sets with a twist and a couple of interesting layer pieces every season in your basic new colour, you are good to go.

As long as you start with pattern shapes that actually flatter your body and fabrics that work with your lifestyle, this is a fantastic formula to work from.

Two things really struck me when I watched the two videos from Silhouette patterns.  One, they switched the knit and wovens for the tanks.  And two, they picked patterns for bottoms that were more reflective of the lifestyle of the person they were sewing for. I don't know why this option never occurred to me when I was putting together my EF basic 8 wardrobe last year.  I think I was trying to level it up with that wardrobe in a way that really didn't work for me.

One of my few big sewing successes last year was the emergency TRI wardrobe I made: two knit tanks from the Free Spirit Tank pattern that are organic bamboo knits, a pair of black pencil pants in stretch crepe with pockets and a pair of black full legged yoga pants.  They fit my lifestyle (wash and wear) and my body shape.  The fabric makes them just dressy enough I don't look like I am wearing pjs to work.  And they mix and match with everything I already own.

Isn't that the point of  EF's basic eight and SWAP--to have clothes that work with everything you wear and already own?

This year with SWAP, I am using the lessons I learned from my SWAP fail last year and sewing for my real life, not my imaginary life or body.  

Outfit One:

Bateau Layering Tank which is a woven boxy shell in silk crepe, and a pair of stretch crepe slim pants, aka pencil pants in a basic dark colour.  The grey and navy EF uses come and go but there are always black and natural/white basics in the core. 



EF slim leg pants are generally ankle length pants but they can be cropped in summer.

Readers at home will recognize that any pull on slim pant can be used as a base for the pant pattern.  I am going to use the Mama Can Do It Fit Pants pattern found here: https://mammacandoit.com/collections/women/products/fit-pants-pattern-women-sizes-00-20.  It has pockets and I already have the pattern adjusted to fit me.  But, honestly, any slim leg pants pattern that fits you will work.  (Let me repeat for long time readers of this blog: if you need the StyleArc Flat bottom Flo pants, you will probably not like my pattern choices so with what works for you.)

The System woven layering shell comes in two lengths: a high hip length (the boxy shell) and a low hip length (the long layering shell which currently has a high low straight hem) but they are essentially the same pattern shape.

Last year I stuck to the EF concept really closely. The closest I came to finding a pattern that works as a woven tank top was the tank from the Mixit Pattern from Sewing Workshop, found here:
https://www.sewingworkshop.com/shop/MixIt-p38307633

I am going to be brutally honest:  I made three tops from this pattern last year a white one, a black high/low one and hip length black one).  I do not wear them.  They do not work for my body shape. The tops are too straight and they are not flattering or comfortable.  You can get a better idea about how straight the pattern is from the pattern flat:

It is a great pattern and it works for the concept. I recommend it if it will work for your body shape.
It made me sad it didn't work for mine and it was one of the reasons I didn't finish SWAP last year.

My body shape is more Sophia Loren but six inches shorter and thirty pounds heavier with the beginning of a menopause waist.  I have curves.  I am not fashion model straight and tall and willowy, all of which seem to be the current focus of fashion. EF is no exception to this trend.  Her vibe fits her target market: wealthy, older women starting to have menopause body with a very straight silhouette. 

Too straight for my body shape really sums up my whole wardrobe sewing experience last year.  This wasn't my only pattern fail.  Between the too straight and the inflated size issues, I didn't sew a lot of winners.     

This year for my woven tanks, I am going to start with the Silhouette Tank Top pattern.

It may take some work to get my head around the way these patterns are sized (from clothing you love to wear, not from body measurements).  But this pattern is closer to my body shape, and it comes with the D cup pattern work already done.

Basic Outfit Two:

This is a knit layering tank, a pair of straight leg pull on pants in crepe and a nice sweater with texture. I may sew a coloured sweater, depending on what I have in the Fabric Resource Closet.

Most of the time the layering tank is made in organic knit (natural or black) but EF sometime recreates the tank in interesting fabrics like stretch velvet and silk knits.  If the top is created in colours, there is often an interesting layer top made of a coordinating fabric (think interesting twin set).  Here is a neutral coloured example of a 'twin set':

   

EF does all kinds of variations on the twin set.  Long sweater, short sweater.  Thin drapey knit tie sweater, soft jacket, button up shirt.  I am going to have to really play with this one.

I have two different options for patterns for the knit layering tank.  Both are Patterns for Pirates patterns.  P4P drafts for a 5'4" hourglass/curvy figure with an ample behind which means I don't need to do a lot of work except for shorten the pattern to the right point for my body.  When I say curvy figure, I mean a figure with curves, not a plus sized figure.  Patterns for Pirates patterns come size 2 to size 24.  Your body shape doesn't really change that much with adding or subtracting weight; it gets wider, not differently proportioned.  This is one of the things I hate about the use of Curvy to indicate plus sized.  

I prefer the Free Spirit tank top because it is fitted at the bust but not so fitted at the waist and it is easy to change all the other things about the hem lengths but the Essential Tank pattern is closer to the EF concept.

Essential Tank Pattern: https://www.patternsforpirates.com/product/essential-tank/
Free Spirit Tank Pattern: https://www.patternsforpirates.com/product/free-spirit-tank/

For the straight leg pants (which are made of stretch crepe or stretch organic cotton or linen, depending on the season), I have two options.  The Mama Can Do It Fit Pants Pattern, possibly sizing up one size depending on the stretch of the fabric since pattern includes all the leg styles you could ever want and all the leg lengths, and pockets and it already fits me.  Or I will walk on the wild side and try the Silhouette Stretch Woven Pant.

Imitating Eileen, take two. Inspiration

I finally decided to use this art piece.  I love the lines and the fractured look of it.  Even though I don't wear any of the yellows, many of the browns and greens are in my colour set.  I'm going for my standard colours: black, grey and cream base and adding in my usual colour accents: blue, rose and plum with a little dash of green.  (Yes, I know there are too many there at the moment; I expect I will do a Ruthie and sew more than I need and then mix and match to make it work).  I have lots of black basics but not so many grey or cream basics.  A review of the Resource Closet shows that I have lots of fabrics in my colours that are plain. 

I want to base my SWAP on Eileen Fischer's amazing basics concept but I need to make something that will fit both my wash and wear lifestyle and my 5'1" not so slender frame. A lot of the inspiration clothing photos for my SWAP are collected here on my Pintrest board. Eileen is known for flattering simple shapes with expensive lovely fabrics.  I spent most of last year getting the basics down in terms of patterns and fit but I didn't manage SWAP.

Her basic eight garments are tanks, tees, and pants in black and winter white along with denim.  A woven long layering tank, a cropped woven tank, a knit layering tank, a straight dress, a pair of pencil pants, a pair of cropped pants, a pair of denim pants and a pair of silk joggers.  She adds interesting twin sets, sweaters, shirts and layers to these basic eight garments  and all of it ends up mix and match (as long as you pick garments that flatter your basic shape).

Some inspiration photos:

Basic Black long tank, pencil pants and a layering sweater

Button shirt, layering tank in white and denim joggers.

I'm going to start with some variation of these outfits.

Pants:
Pull on knit pencil pants and the jobbers will be based on the Mama Can Do It Fit Pant Pattern which I have made about ten times since I purchased it. I own a pair of full legged pants with pockets already that I made before the rules came out.  I may add a pair of black or cream straight leg pants to this that can be rolled up and down.

Knit Tank Top: Free Spirit Tank top by P4P.  Again, I've made this one many time so it is a real basic for me--grey, cream, black

I am not sure about the shirt pattern yet.  I don't have a basic pattern so this is one I am going to have to fit. 

As well as those two outfits, I am going to add a basic black dress: either a sleeveless StyleArc Kim dress pattern, shortened to knee length in black rayon poly lycra or the ballet style dress in black with three quarter sleeves.  I am actually more likely to wear the second with pockets.

After that, we add colour. 

Cashmere and Glue Sticks...

AKA why do I put myself through this planning headache?

 SWAP Fantasy: sewing the perfect and elusive mix and match wardrobe

 in just eleven garments. 

When I start the process of SWAP I always have this odd belief I will sew the perfect wardrobe in eleven garments, no waste, no fails. I imagine I will end up with a wardrobe that looks like this:

Look at all those pretty, neatly organized neutrals made of silk and velvet and organza and rayon hanging in a row...

And then reality strikes 

and I start laughing myself silly in the corner.  I know you are easing away right now, muttering about needing to be somewhere else.  Neutrals on that level make me itch.  Sewing should be a gleeful joy, a riot of fabric and fantasy of patterns. Bring on the colour, the chaos, the joy of print, the...

Time for a plan and a reality check, here. I have limited time and energy post concussion and I need to be able to use my time and energy wisely.

This year I have to at least start with a plan.

Planning SWAP will (hopefully) help prevent  me from sewing another wardrobe failure. '

I've sewn some pretty memorable SWAP fails over the years.  I learned from them even when they were infuriating and expensive learning experiences.  My previous wardrobe sewing fails can be summarized as:

•  failure to sew what I really wear and need (aka sewing for my imaginary life, the evening dress wardrobe when I was a home maker with a two year old and a six year old)
•  failure to think through how many basics I really needed to make (aka: black may be my basic but when did I decide to become goth?)
•  failure to recognize what actually looks good on my body (the Lagenlook sack experiment)
•  failure to recognize how the fabrics will work together as garments and when I will wear them (aka the memorable silk georgette and wool melton SWAP for high summer because the fabrics were perfect colour matches)  

There have been years my final wardrobe effort looked like this:

 I like colour but....why didn't I sew pants again?

And years it looked like this :

I look like an extra in a black and white film...

 

I also struggle with the intersection between reality and personal taste. 

I love, love, love the Eileen Fisher wardrobe concepts: perfect mix and match basics that work together to create one cohesive look.  She uses simple shapes, fabulous fabrics, ethical sourcing and creates some really great basics.  I lust after those fabulous fabrics: silk crepe, cashmere, organic stretch linen, organic stretch denim, silk organza....be still my beating heart.  Unfortunately for my champagne taste, my life style is beer budget wash and wear.  I spend my days on the run between classes, sitting on the floor with grade 1's period one and dancing with grade 8's period six and then jet-setting to choir or writing group in the evening.  I deal with glue and paint and little kid germs.  Anyone else see my dilemma?

Just picture it:

Cashmere and glue sticks...

Silk linen and paint splatters...

Perhaps not the best fabric choices for my everyday wardrobe.

I need to make an Every Day Wardrobe Plan, not a Fantasy Plan 

 

I need to put my energy into sewing clothing that fits my every day life.  The rules for SWAP 2019 are practical and flexible.  Two base colours, up to five contrasting fabrics, eleven garments. 

I will not be fitting six new patterns this year (what was I thinking last year?)  I don't have the energy for that level of new pattern chaos.  I have already fitted, good basics I sew over and over again (tank top, pull on pant, skirt) and adding a couple of new ones: a jean, a shirt and an jacket pattern. But even if I don't, I can make a good start with what I already know will fit me.

Fabrics may be an issue.  The resource center is really heavy on basics. Black basics abound. Grey is a pretty close second.  Winter white is represented, so is dark blue and denim.  But the icing pieces, the pretty prints that make my heart sing?  They are few and far between.

My head is full of colour choices and garment shapes, the intersecting jenga of choices and the reality of budgets.  

Planning will hopefully leave me with a cohesive wardrobe at the end of the experience. 

SWAP 2019: Start with Art

The first step of wardrobe planning is finding inspiration.  Well, maybe a more realistic first step of wardrobe planning is really taking everything that you never wear out of your wardrobe, figuring out your holes, and then finding inspiration.  But this time I am starting with inspiration. 

The problem is that I can't decide which piece of art I want to be inspired by. The first piece I was inspired by was this piece:

I am playing around with a colour sampler program by Sherwin-Williams and a lot of images. 
If you are interested in trying it, it is here: http://snapyourcolors.com/

I love the lines, and the blues and greens and pinks.  It has the black base I need, but it is very light and bright and my colours are more on the dulled than these. I like Caviar and Commodore as colours but the yellows and some of the greens are not right. 

Honestly, this scarf is more along the blacks, greys and pinks I wear.  I was surprised when the blues and the greens didn't show up in the colour samples. 

 But I also like the greens, blues, pinks and reds shown in these images:

The greys like Dark Night and Still Water are wardrobe colours I wear.  The Black is right.  And similar colours show up.  But that first stained glass piece just speaks on a real level, the gut level.

Then again, maybe I will do what other stitchers have done--use a piece of fabric in my stash as inspiration. 

Stitcher's Guild Sewing with a Plan 2019

Yay!  SWAP is starting over at Stitcher's Guild.  

I 've done SWAP for years.  It is a sewing jigsaw puzzle to make things you will like and wear.  I still wear pieces from my very first Timmel Swap.  To keep myself organized I like to post the rules here on the blog.  I know I am going to 'pull a Ruthie' with this SWAP--sew more than I need and then mix and match to get everything to follow the rules--but I am OK with that.  Sewing is my hobby and making more is not a problem.

2019 Seasonal Designer Collection II SWAP Rules

You are still the Designer. Create a cohesive seasonal collection of eleven garments of your choice.

Plan:
Choose an inspiration piece of your choice --  Could be a scarf, artwork, fabric print, photograph, etc
Choose two neutrals that coordinate with your inspiration piece
Add 1-5 accents and/or prints that will work with your inspiration piece (ie: not clash)
Make 9 garments that form your core.
You must create multiple outfits using at least two core garment items that work for your personal style.
Make 2 wild card pieces that can be worn alone or with other core items or with other wardrobe items.
Wild card pieces should still blend in with inspiration piece.
Combining fabrics is fine.
No restrictions on type of garments


Rules
Sewing begins on 26 December 2018 and ends 30 April 2019
One garment may be completed by today (28 October 2018)
One garment may be started on 29 October 2018 and completed prior to 26 December 2018
One RTW garment may be included (it can be existing or purchased at any time before or during the SWAP)
Garments knitted, crocheted or woven by you may be included (limit of two since we are a sewing site)
Garments such as poncho, cape or wrap must include at least two pattern pieces, be one of your knitted, crocheted or woven items or have stitch work done by you to be considered a garment
Neutrals do not need to be the same fabrics
Neutrals may be textured
Note that accents fabric must be the same (so not two different fabrics of the same accent color)
You will need a photo of your inspiration piece
Addendum: If you make your own inspiration piece it must be completed, photographed and posted prior to 26 Decomeber 2018