Wardrobe Planning - week 2

Thank-you so much for your comments about my first week of wardrobe planning - I have to say that I recommend it to you all . . . wardrobe planning that is!  I found that my mornings ran a lot more smoothly and that I had a everything that I needed.  So here I am again this week, with my next selection.  I am also showing that jewelry that I have selected as I am trying to use more variety there as well.  So here we go - week two (which is a four day week due to Easter Monday) including the accompanying bling!!

White, cotton Sorbetto top - the fabric is the leftover from one of the dresses that I made for Miss Sharon.  The gored skirt is lined. and black with tiny white dots and the cardi is my purple rayon Burda.  It is going to be warm tomorrow so I will start my week here.

My bling consists of amethyst earrings from a little country shop that I try and call in on when I visit Red Deer each month.  The earrings are made locally and I met the designer when I was in there last.  I always feel good buying locally made goods - especially when I have also met the artisan, it makes them more special.  The net bracelet is one I made many moons ago - I wish I could find the pattern as I have some more beads shouting to be made into jewelry!  These seeds beads have a purple/green iridescence and match the earrings better than this photo gives credit!

Yep, another Sorbetto - this is a natural colored linen and I will wear it with these grey pants and brick cardi.  I like to wear scarves - I tend to wear them rather than necklaces, and this one with the fringe works well.

The bling will be kept simple - Swarovski crystal earrings and a braclet that I made with a kit from my local bead shop.  The bracelet was supposed to be elasticated - but I think that looks rather cheap on me.  Instead, I used beading wire and added a simple clasp and I am very pleased with the look.

You may need to take a seat here as my top is a RTW stretch cotton poplin that is probably a couple of years old now.  I will wear it with the blue franken cardi and my lined houndstooth pants - we are expecting quite a bit of rain this week and a drop in temperatures, so I think that this will work well.

My earrings are from the same Red Deer shop as the purple amethyst earrings above, and the bracelet is one of my Mum's that I came across after unpacking some boxes that have been sealed up since she passed away in 2009.  I don't think that she ever got to wear this, so I am happy to be able to get some use out of it - it is surprising light and dainty.  The earrings are some kind of blue ceramic/glaze and I love wearing them!

And finally;

One more skirt combo to see me through the week - I made the lining a little long and the lace edging peeks out at the bottom - I was going to alter it, but I rather like the look!  I will wear it with a natural colored linen shirt and a pink cardi.  My scarf has some lovely splashes of turquoise in it - hence my earring selection!

Sadly, these are not real turquoise, I can't remember what the stones are, but they are frequently dyed to look like turquoise - and that works for me!  Worn with a simple silver bracelet - that will see me through the week.  This selection has made me realise that I need to make some more tops out of stretch cotton poplin (I have one or two Sorbetto's, but a shirt or two would not go amiss) and I should really get round to sewing up the two black cardis that I have cut out.

Phew - it takes me longer to write the post than it does to make my outfit selections!!

Wardrobe Planning

Further to my recent post about wardrobe planning, and remembering posts where other sewists actually plan what they are going to wear each day, I thought that I would put some planning into action.  My new resolution is organize my clothes for work for a week, including jewelry and accessories, in an attempt to vary my wardrobe (no duplicates within a two week period), reduce the amount of clothes in my wardrobe that I just don't wear and identify gaps in clothing that I can then make (the really fun part!).

This week seemed a good week to start - it is a short week due to Good Friday and I am off work on Tuesday - so I only need to plan for three days (I like to ease myself slowly into new challenges!).  So here we go:

Lilac cotton/lycra cardi, grey linen Sorbetto, black linen TNT trousers.
 

Green Ponte cardi (McCalls 6168), black TNT vest top, cotton 'target' skirt.

Lipstick red cotton long-line cardi, white linen Sorbetto top, black pinstripe TNT trousers.  Although I am wearing the same style cardi for two days running, I will be out of the office on the second day so my colleagues that see me one day will not see me the next!

I have also set up some partitions in a drawer with my jewelry, so that I can mix that up as well, as I find that I tend to wear the same items all the time, and I have rather a lot that just never gets to see the light of day.

So, what have I learned from this so far?  I need to replace the green ponte cardi as the fabric is pilling.  I have purchased some lovely cotton/lycra so will get that made up quite soon,  I also need a a plain black jacket cardi as the one I made recently was rather a failure, although I am wondering about putting a band around the waist to make it look as though I am wearing a belt - that might draw in the excess fabric.  Also, vest tops.  I love my Sorbetto's to bits, but I do need some jersey/knit vest tops - time to pleay with my new machine!!

How about you?  Do you plan ahead, or run round in a panic deciding what to wear as the time ticks down in the morning . . . . ?

A New Addition, Same 'Ole Weather and Wardrobe Planning

Well, after much planning, thinking, shall I/shan't I . . . . . I bought home a lovely new toy this weekend . . . . . a Janome Coverstitch machine.  And I am in love!!

Source

I make an awful lot of garments out of knitted/jersey fabric, and it makes sense to have a machine that will give me a professional finish to my hems.  I also bought a foot that would allow me stitch a row of stitching either side of a seam - a sort of 'stitch in the ditch' with a needle sewing either side.  Let's just say that there will be a few more cardigans in my near future, and I aim to redo a few hems of some of my current cardis.  I bought my machine from Beatrice at Sewing World - great service, lovely saleperson - thank-you Beatrice!

I am also in the planning stages of making a winter coat.  Yes, I know.  I live in the Northern hemisphere and it is nearly April, but here in central Alberta we are in our 6th month of winter and I need some more outdoor clothing.  Global warming - my a%$e!!

Having just complained about the weather, it did give me some good information to work with regarding wardrobe planning.  Essentially I live in a country that is 50% winter/50% summer (ish!!) and it makes sense that my wardrobe contents should echo that . . . and then I read a post on the Vivienne files.  I have been following this blog for quite some time as I love the author's wardrobe planning - quite inspirational.  This most recent post talks about how many clothes one really needs in a wardrobe - and working towards that goal.  By splitting your clothing into seasons, establishing usage of garments (work, stay at home, professional etc) and how often you would like to wear them in a given period, gives you some numbers to work with.  Now, I have read about this before, and it never really resonated because it did not give me an actual number - and I love numbers!  But this time it did, and now I am planning a wardrobe that will work for me during these two distinct seasons, and with minimal repetition - wearing each item no more than twice on one month.  So watch this space for more updates!!

How about you - any new toys recently?  What about your weather - much better than mine, I'll bet!  And your wardrobe - any magic numbers work for you?!