sewchella

so while what seemed like everyone else in the greater l.a. area was out of town at coachella (which sounds like it would be my nightmare on a stick), i was at home sewing.  i'd seen my friend amber post a mini spring capsule wardrobe that she'd created using a handful of patterns from one of our favorite designers, which inspired me to attempt one of my own.  she'd made a total of nine different pieces that she could mix and match to create a bazillion different outfits, and since she's one of the most put-together people i know, she was the perfect example to follow.  like, literally every time i see her she looks fantastic whether she's going for a workout, spending a day at disneyland, attending a gala...you get it.

i started with two piles of fabric.  the ones in this picture i chose specifically for my capsule and and are a mixture of cotton lycra and brushed polyester:

and i'd happened to order these from one of my favorite online fabric sources while she had a pretty awesome sale going on.  that first one is a rayon spandex knit and the two on the right are  lightweight wovens.

i was super excited to wear an entire outfit i'd sewn together on easter.  i used two patterns for pirates patterns - the grandpa cardigan and layer me up tee, plus the chloe maxi skirt pattern by made for mermaids.

you'll see that i adore that floral fabric, because i used it two more times for a tank top (P4P's essential tank) and a shorter version of that chloe skirt.  and the black skirt is another piece from the capsule - P4P's pencil skirt.  it's made from ponte de roma fabric and is super stretchy and comfy.

so far, i've only made one piece from the striped fabric. another essential tank, because it's a pretty simple item of clothing that can work in a lot of different outfits.  the shorts are made from the P4P palazzo pants pattern.

i attempted a short version of the P4P mama bear joggers using some gray french terry, although the measurements for the elastic in the waistband were off big time.  i ended up having to take this apart to shorten the elastic and get the shorts to fit me properly.  they're really comfy though, so it worked out

i used some of that boho print to make myself a maxi dress by mashing the essential tank and chloe skirt patterns together.  it worked out really well, but i didn't realize that i'd cut the length just a smidge too short.  it was about 2-ish inches off the floor when i first sewed it together, which i didn't love.  i agonized over how to fix it - i didn't want to chop the skirt to make it shorter (and waste all that lovely fabric) and couldn't find any lace or trim at joann's that i liked enough to add to the hem.  after posting on the P4P facebook page, a few ladies came to my rescue and suggested that i add a band at the hem using the fabric going horizontally.  i think it turned out pretty well, and i'm much happier with the length now:

this is that pair of short palazzo pants paired with a top i threw together after seeing someone else post their creation.  the slim fit raglan top pattern works for so many different fabrics, and putting stretch lace sleeves on it seemed like a pretty good idea to me.  i wore this out almost immediately after i finished hemming it.

because i've been doing so much "selfish sewing," i'm working on a top for the old lady that i promised her when i bought my capsule fabric.  it's almost done, and i spent almost an entire day working on this for the bean.  she's going to be able to wear this during cheer practices over the summer and to tumbling classes, because it's banded at the hem and won't flip up over her head when she cartwheels and stuff.

i mean, who needs lululemon when i can just buy athletic knit fabric and make that myself??  heh.

i still have bins and bins and bins of fabric to work with and a whole summer to sew clothes for.  this is just the beginning.  and i'm noticing that i've been wearing at least one "made by me" piece almost every day since i started this capsule extravaganza.  i know that sounds like a silly little thing, but it really does make me happy.