After Eléonore yesterday, it’s my turn to present the nine projects that I’d like to sew this year for #2016makenine!
I thought it was an interesting exercise: as you can see, even starting from a similar pool of patterns, my capsule wardrobe and Eléonore’s are polar opposites!
INSPIRATION
No normcore trend for me but retro and vintage inspirations: I’m a hardcore gingham fan and I love the fifties silhouettes, cinched at the waist with a flared skirt. I sew and wear a lot of dresses, but I have a harder time building outfits that I like when it comes to separates. This year I want feminine shapes, but I’m also leaning towards garments that are easier to wear on a day-to-day basis.
My goals for 2016:
- Sew some separates and play with mixing and matching
- Build my capsule wadrobe around a consistent color palette to facilitate these associations
- Experiment with pattern-hacking to breathe new life into tried-and-true patterns
PROJECTS
For this Make Nine, I tried to focus on a nautical palette (navy, red, white) and prints that I like wearing (gingham, florals, stripes). I chose 6 Deer&Doe patterns (with two different variations around the Bruyère shirt) and 2 patterns from other indie designers.
1/ Cardamome Dress transformed into a blouse, in large black gingham (here). With skinny jeans, it’s a silhouette I am not used to but to which I have been drawn lately.
2/ Bruyère Shirt transformed into a crop top, in red gingham (here). Worn with shorts or a high-waisted skirt, or with skinny jeans for a rockabilly feel.
3/ Ondée Sweater, in breton-striped jersey (here). A more feminine take on the classic breton shirt, that I’ll associate with a fit-and-flare dress or a high-waisted skirt.
4/ Cambie Dress (Sewaholic), in printed organic cotton “The Fleet” from Cloud 9 (stock). I love fit-and-flare dresses! I’ve had this pattern on my list for a while, but I haven’t made it yet.
5/ Centaurée Dress, in cotton lawn “Emma’s Garden Big Bloom Blush” from Michael Miller (here). The perfect summer sundress when it’s hot outside, as the waist is not too tight.
6/ Bruyère Shirt transformed into a shirtdress, in floral cotton swiss dot from the Gertie collection for Jo-Ann (stock). I’m going to replace the skirt panels with a gathered skirt, lengthen the button band, and shorten the sleeves, and hopefully get the perfect retro shirtdress.
7/ Châtaigne Shorts, in navy Deer&Doe chambray (here). With gold buttons and worn with a red or white top for an full-on nautical outfit.
8/ Knee-length Brume Skirt, in blue ponte knit (here). A blue skirt that will work with pretty much everything in my closet, with a length halfway between the short and long versions.
9/ Ginger Jeans (Closet Case Files), in Cone Mills stretch denim (stock). I really need pants, and the high waist variation of this pattern is very promising. I’m tempted to try the flares, more on trend this year, but I don’t know if I’m ready to drop the 50’s and embrace the 70’s yet.
