My first attempt at creating a capsule wardrobe-Part One

I’ve always marveled at the multiple outfit combinations and layering possibilities capsule wardrobe collections can potentially achieve. Deciding on a cohesive color palette when packing for travel in the past was about as far I’d come in experimenting with the capsule wardrobe concept until some proactive opportunities presented themselves in recent months.

As luck would have it, the creative team at Seamwork.com featured another of their three-week online wardrobe courses last August. The course participants were encouraged to create “mood” boards, (I made mine using Pinterest) follow along in a day-by-day, step-by-step, downloadable course workbook and draw each wardrobe item and wardrobe combinations via a fun new online drawing platform, mybodymodel.com

The mybodymodel site features printable, front and back custom “croquis” (line drawings) for each user’s unique shape, using data from multiple measurements the individual user provides. I personally found the proportion-specific custom bases to be useful tools when creating sketches of my wardrobe combination ideas, visualizing what different outfits and color combinations might look like. There are also online drawing tutorials (YouTube) available to help with achieving accurate proportional sketches when using the custom body model line drawings.

Then came the 2020 Ten-piece Wardrobe Contest featured on PatternReview.com which ran from September 15 through November 15. The contest rules stipulated making ten unique pieces (2 toppers, 2 bottoms, 2 tops, one accessory and three additional items of the participant’s choice.

Hooray! What a welcome distraction from all the distressing things happening in the news and around the world. I was finally ready to take on the capsule wardrobe challenge and began pulling everything together for this particular creative odyssey. Even though my PatternReview contest color palette differed slightly from the one I conceptualized for the Seamwork course, my creative and organizational wheels were already set in motion by the time I began.

First up, inspiration fabric:

This was a tricky print to be sure, but I liked the colors. Given the narrow color panels featured in this particular two-way stretch jersey knit fabric, finding a sewing pattern with princess seams in the design seemed a good option. Here is the one I chose for this project:

Love the “finished garment measurement” sizing chart.

Next came the cutting out process. Since pattern placement was key, I chose to cut out each piece separately.

Here is the finished result:

Since I made both of these patterns previously, aside from the aforementioned cutting and placement challenges, these first two pieces came together relatively quickly and set the tone for the remaining eight in my wardrobe collection.

If you are interested in reading a more detailed review I wrote about the above pattern, check out the following link:

https://sewing.patternreview.com/review/pattern/168834

**Update regarding my Moroccan-Inspired Quilt:

Since I made it as a Christmas gift for our daughter, I am postponing my blog post and photos on that project until after December 25 this year.

Until the next time!