Summary of my bright project 333 summer capsule wardrobe

Summary of my bright project 333 summer capsule wardrobe

Time for the big project 333 reveal!

In reality the time it has taken me to sew and then blog about the projects means I am actually packing away this Summer 333 capsule and getting out my autumn capsule at the moment.

Project 333 is all about dressing with less and on her blog Courtney Carver outlines the rules and gives lots of ideas on approaching it. She also runs a course to help people follow this project to simplify life. The thing I love about her approach is that although there are suggestions on try it is very much up to the individual to adapt the project to fit them. I don’t follow the strictest regime and it has altered over time!

Initially, when I started last year, I followed Courtney’s advice to clear out all the clothes I didn’t choose for my capsule into my storage areas (where I keep off season clothes). When I started I was actually doing project 663  as I would have 33 items of clothing for work and 33 casual for 3 months. The fact that I still had clothes in my storage areas shows that I have too many clothes! My quest was to simplify my wardrobe with the aim of gradually whittling down to having only well made items I love in my wardrobe. However, I want to do this over years. Although I want to cut down on my clothes where possible I want to reuse or recycle items so I want to think carefully about it. I am now doing project 333 to cover both work and casual but don’t necessarily include accessories or shoes in the 33 (in reality I rarely wear accessories and tend to stick to 2 pairs of shoes during a season).

At the end of each 3 months I assess the clothes I have worn and those I am choosing for the next season to decide if it is time to let items go. Over my first year I have found that I usually prefer to use non-traditional neutrals- I’m not big on wearing lots of black, brown, grey, white or beige! On me they tend to be a bit meh! They obviously have their uses so I haven’t necessarily thrown them out. However, I have found that I tend to be choosing my own non-traditional neutrals as I put together my capsule. While doing Project 333 I have become more confident in the colours I like to wear and want to wear- most of the items I’ve recycled or repurposed have been those in colours that don’t really do a lot for me. Where I loved the material and cut  of an item I’ve dyed it a colour that suits me better. I have also sorted out any clothes which I feel are aspirational and don’t suit my current lifestyle. Where possible I am restyling these to fit my requirements so I actually wear them.

When I look in my storage areas now I have a restricted pallette of colours but all ones I like to wear (the same for my fabric stash for sewing). Just before the next season starts I have a quick look at colour trends online and in shops. I usually find a few trends which fit in with colours I have and these are usually the colours I tend to use for my capsule. My Summer capsule is unusual since most of it can be casual wear so I decided to minimise my neutrals. When it is not Summer I will usually have a more traditional neutral in my wardrobe. I generally pull out all the clothes suitable for the season in my proposed colours onto my clothes rack. I then try and choose about 40 items- a mixture of plains and prints in these colours. After a couple of days I re-examine and whittle down to 33, making sure they can mix and match as much as possible. I also put together a list of any items I think need replacing or that I know I haven’t worn so much. I plan to sew or refashion these items. As I make the new items I replace the old ones during the project so by the end of the 3 months I should find I am happily wearing all 33 items.

For my summer wardrobe I decided to use mainly pink and purple with some aqua and berry plus the odd neutral item. When I made my selection I realised that I really needed more shorts- initially I used a beige pair while I made two new pairs. I wanted some more patterned tops and I also really needed summer skirts (a lot of these were replacing tops and skirts that were getting very worn, some because they were second had when I got them). I made a list and made the new items.

Once I had finished my sewing my Summer capsule was as follows

Of these tops 7 were ones I had bought new and 4 had been bought in charity shops (all bought before the project). 3 were sewn by me (pink and berry tunic, pink and berry gypsy top and knit purple and pink top).

Of these skirts 2 were bought new, 1 from a charity shop and 5 were made (Pink & berry with flower embellishment, pink wiggle skirt, purple flower knit, reversible pink satin/ purple and multicolour flower).

Of these 7 were bought new and 2 pairs of shorts made (Pink and berry shorts and berry shorts).

This is the first Project 333 I have done where I hadn’t filled up gaps by buying new clothes and sewed them instead. Hopefully these will last well! There is only one of these items that still needs to be replaced- the purple t-shirt from the charity shop (£1) isn’t in very good condition. I do have some purple knit fabric so I should be able to sew a replacement.

Anyone else trying project 333? Have you tried moving away from traditional neutrals?

Sewing the last item for my project 333 summer capsule wardrobe

Sewing the last item for my project 333 summer capsule wardrobe



This is my last make for my Project 333 summer capsule wardrobe. Tomorrow you’ll get to see all 33 pieces.

I used the pattern from my Sew Serendipity book. I love this book- the great way of mixing fabrics and I adore the finishing touches to the garments. I made the same version skirt as last time. I’ve shown it here with the purple vest top I’ll be using in my capsule.

I decided that I wanted to tie in the fabrics a bit more. On the last skirt I did this based on the embellishments described in the book plus one of my own design. This time I wanted to pull some of the pattern from the top of the skirt into the bottom section. I found a swirl stamp that had been free with the June 2012 issue of craft stamper magazine that made a good match for the swirl in the middle of the flower pattern. It was a grungy swirl by artistic stamper.
I have several methods of stamping on fabrics. I usually make a colour swatch of the various inks I have. This time the colour Celadon in my Versacraft ink pads gave me the best match to the aqua colour swirl in my flower fabric. I then stamped my pattern around the bottom section of my skirt using my bar stamping gear. I made my skirt first and marked the centre front and back at the bottom with a water-soluble pen. I then used the bar to stamp the swirl at set intervals. The pictures also show the top stitching. I do feel this makes it seem a bit more professional. What do you think?

Very difficult to get the swirl to show up in photos!

That is my last make for my summer project 333 capsule wardrobe. Tomorrow you’ll get to see all the project 333 items (just as I put them away and get out my Autumn project 333 capsule!!)
Here are the links for all the posts in the series so far

Other posts in my sewing for summer project 333 capsule wardrobe series

Is this cheating on Project 333 casule wardrobes?

Is this cheating on Project 333 casule wardrobes?

I have made a skirt using this pattern a few times- Kwik Sew K3765.

I taught myself to make a lining for it and then decided that I coud easily adapt it to be reversible. I don’t know if this is a cheat since I only count it as 1 skirt but actually it is two 😉 The idea is that you can wear it one way in the day and then reverse it to dress up in the evening. For it to work I had to make the hem a bit of a feature (close overlock stitch in pink)!
Here is the day side with a top from my project 333 capsule.

Here is a close up
Then for evening it turn it inside out and it becomes a stretch satin skirt!
Looks like I didn’t iron it too well!!What do you think of the reversible idea? Should it count as 1 item or 2?


Other posts in my sewing for summer project 333 capsule wardrobe series

 

Third skirt as I sew some of my project 333 summer capsule wardrobe

Third skirt as I sew some of my project 333 summer capsule wardrobe

Another knit material today. Finally I ‘ve moved off pink to purple! There is a very good reason that I tend to sew batches of colour together- I hate changing out the threads in my overlocker and sewing machine!!
This was the first pattern I learnt to use- Kwik Sew K3765.

It was the ideal first skirt pattern- no zip!! I absolutely love the fabric and can’t remember where I picked it up!!

This is the skirt with a top I already have which I am using in my 33 capsule.

Other posts in my sewing for summer project 333 capsule wardrobe series


Skirt 4

Third top for my summer project 333 capsule wardrobe

Third top for my summer project 333 capsule wardrobe

I’ve been sewing to fill any gaps in my project 333 summer capsule wardrobe. This is my third top and for a bit of a change it is using stretchy material. I taught myself to sew knits before wovens. Even though people say they are difficult to sew I thought they were worth learning first because they would be more forgiving to wear and I could get away with making garments which were fairly simple using seams and no zips……initially I was really scared of learning zips!
I used Sew U Home Stretch to learn about sewing stretch materials (it also has patterns to try) initially. I recently got The Colette Guide to Sewing Knits: Professional Techniques for Beautiful Everyday Garments which is a brilliant in depth guide. I tend to use an overlocker for seams and then a twin stretch needle and walking foot for hems etc.
I used New Look pattern 6807

So this is it- I kept the neckline fairly low so it could be worn off the shoulder over a vest top and then I use a brooch pin if I want to make the neck line higher and wear it alone.

This photo shows the top with the wiggle skirt I made.

Other posts in my sewing for project 333 Summer series


Skirt 4

Drafting my first pattern- project 333 summer capsule wardrobe

Drafting my first pattern- project 333 summer capsule wardrobe

The reason I have been teaching myself to sew is because I want to simplify my wardrobe by having fewer clothes but making sure they fit and I love them. As I’ve been teaching myself I’ve been mainly using patterns. This has helped me to get a grasp of some of the techniques and the order to sew garments but unfortunately with many of them I’m still not that happy with the fit. However, I’m now getting to the stage where I’m getting happier adapting patterns for a better fit (although still making a fair amount of mistakes!!).

One of the key items I like to wear in winter is a satin wiggle skirt. I want to make some more wiggle skirts in different fabrics. Rather than make these from a pattern and then adapt to fit I thought I would try copying a skirt I have which fits!! Since I haven’t done this before I bought
Patternmaking for a Perfect Fit and followed the instructions on patterning a skirt.

I bought a large piece of foam core board (I use this quite a lot around the house and in crafting projects!), bulldog clips and some brown paper from my stash.

I used the detailed instructions in the book and since I’m not an expert I’ll just summarise here.
I cut the paper to the length of the foam board and secured it with the bulldog clips so it was taut. You start by drawing an L shape to line up the skirt on. I folded the skirt front in half and lined up the centre front and bottom of the skirt on the lines. I then pinned it out taut and used pins to mark out the side, waist and dart positions. I then used a pencil to sketch these onto the paper using the pin marks and a Curve Ruler tool where appropriate to make sure I got the right line.

I did the same with the skirt back but added the position of the pleat at the back and of the zip opening etc.

The next stage is to adjust for the darts by measuring and marking the depth and length of the darts. I then added the additional fabric needed to the side and used my curve tool to redraw the top of the side.

I used my go to sewing guide- The Sewing Book

 

together with a thorough examination of the skirt I was copying to figure out how I would create the pleat.

Then I added fabric for the seam allowances.

In the book the skirt has a waistband but I wanted to copy my skirt that doesn’t. Mine has facings instead. I used my pattern pieces to trace patterns for the facings (I also made a pattern for linings since I plan on making winter versions of the skirt). The final stage is to mark up the pattern pieces and add notches etc.

Then the moment of truth was to make the skirt…..and it fit really well. The best fitting garment I’ve made! I didn’t do the best job of putting it on the mannequin and taking a photo but you get the idea!!

This is the pleat at the back of the skirt…..wonky photo day…it is straight!

Having put in a few zips using various instructions and You Tube videos I think I’ve finally come up with a way that works for me.

So a pattern for a wiggle skirt I can reuse for a great fit and a new summer skirt for my capsule wardrobe.

Other posts in my sewing for project 333 series

Skirt 4

Sewing more shorts for project 333 summer capsule wardrobe

Sewing more shorts for project 333 summer capsule wardrobe

My second pair of shorts in this project uses the same pattersn as the first. I used the Butterick B4238 pattern

 
 I’ve made a copy of the trousers and shortened to the length I wanted for shorts.  They gave me a good fit and also had an elasticated waistband which I wanted so I can wear them even if my weight varies slightly. The other reason I choose them were the pockets- I like having pockets in an outfit just in case I want to pop out and want keys on me!
Since my first pair of shorts were patterned I wanted this pair to be plain but still to match the other items I was making. I choose the berry plain fabric from Makower.

This matches several tops in my capsule, including both tops I’ve sewn for the project. Here it is with top 2.
That is all the shorts I needed done! Next will be a plain wiggle skirt!
Other posts in my Sewing Project 333 series

Sewing my project 333- top2

Sewing my project 333- top2

I’ve been sewing items I needed to complete my Summer project 333 wardrobe. I’m mainly using the colours pink and purple toegether with neutrals. I used Butterick B5357 to make my second top (first variation)

I used makower medallion fabric so it matches with the shorts and skirt I’ve made (as well as various other items in my project 333 wardrobe!). I’ve shown it here with the skirt.

Most of the time I’ll be wearing it with my belt.

The other posts in my sewing my summer project 333 series are

Sewing a Summer capsule wardrobe for project 333- skirt 1

Sewing a Summer capsule wardrobe for project 333- skirt 1

Having realised I had gaps in my summer capsule wardrobe for project 333 I had decided to use makower quilting cotton fabrics to make some items to plug these gaps. So far I’ve posted my first pair of shorts and top. Today it is time for my first skirt.
Once again I wanted to try the pattern from my Sew Serendipity book.

 

I loved the top I made from this book and the skirt also has lots of potential. Once again there are different versions you can make and it is perfect for matching fabrics.

I made slight alterations to the embellishments- I added the flower embellishment. I made this by using spare medallion fabric (the bottom band of the skirt) and cutting out various size circles using the pattern as a guide. I then sewed them together in the middle, added a bead to the top and attached a brooch pin to the back. Attaching it to the skirt with a brooch pin means I can remove it when washing but I can also use it with other outfits in my capsule wardrobe.

Once again I found the book very easy to follow and found the instructions gave a more proffesional looking finish than many of the others I have tried (again it suggests top and edgestitching and I really liked the way this looks). There are several variations of the skirt which I look forward to trying.

This is the skirt with the top I made.

Other posts on sewing my project 333 for Summer

Shorts 1
Top 1
Top 2

Skirt 4

Sewing for my capsule project 333 wardrobe- top 1

Sewing for my capsule project 333 wardrobe- top 1

Haveing identified various gaps in my Summer project 333 capsule wardrobe I’ve been sewing items to fill the gaps! I started of with a new pair of shorts. Today I wanted to show you my first make using the Sew Serendipity: Fresh and Pretty Designs to Make and Wear book.

I started with one of the tunic designs. The book gives you a basic design and then various options based on the design. I loved the way these designs allow you to mix and match fabrics in various ways. I used two makower quilting cottons and this means the top matches my new shorts and will fit in perfectly with my capsule.

As someone fairly new to sewing I loved the detailed instructions and the resultant finishes. Mant of the seams are top and/or edgestitched and I though this really took my garments to the next level- I feel they look a lot more professional with these types of finishes.
This is the band at the bottom of the tunic and the sleeves.

 

I bought a Snap-on 1/4-inch Seam Footfor my Elna. At only a fiver it has been so useful for producing neater topstitching and I used it on the bottom band of the tunic to get nice spacing!You butt the black guide up against the seam or hem and the sewing is then 1/4 inch from the guide.


A view at an angle shows it is quite fitted and hopefully you agree it looks good with the shorts!!

I haven’t done the best job of getting it on the dress form as my wrists were hurting at the time- it sits a little smoother on me.

Other posts in my sewing for summer project 333 series
Shorts 1
Skirt 1 
Top 2 

Skirt 4