Taking on a spring sewing challenge

It’s been almost a year since I did any proper sewing. The last time I picked up the scissors I was making a wedding guest outfit for a friend’s wedding. Despite my best intentions to toile, I ran out of time and the final outcome was so-so. Now, I’m challenging myself to build a little made-by-me warm weather capsule wardrobe. I may or may not have been inspired by my recent discovery of The Great British Sewing Bee.

The plan

I’m planning to create a small capsule of pieces that all go with one another and can be worn through this spring and summer, as well as layering into the colder autumn months. I want them to be in natural materials, strongly made and as timeless as possible. There will be a slightly vintage vibe to the collection.

I’m planning to make three tops, two dresses and one skirt. Some fabrics that I use for dresses will be able to translate into a top as well, which should help with the cohesiveness o the whole collection. Definitely going to find a way to showcase gingham.

The patterns

I got myself a little pattern win at Spotlight with three for $20, so I’ll be using the three new patterns in this challenge to get my tops and one dress. The second dress pattern was an Etsy buy for a lovely shirred bodice midi dress. Lastly, I’m digging out an older pattern from Sew Over It London for the skirt.

The cost

As I have lamented previously, sewing your own clothes is not particularly cheap. However, my plan with this capsule is to find the cheapest way to make the highest quality clothes I can. This will include using offcuts to make some of the tops, so I’m using all my fabric across at least two garments. I’m also shopping around for deals on fabric and patterns. Finally, I’m going to hunt about the op shops a little to see if there are any second hand sheets that have the potential to become lovely clothes.

I’ll ensure I’m using cheap pop top for toiles. While buying toile fabric is an extra expense, it’s absolutely worth it for me at this stage of my sewing skills. I need to ensure I don’t waste the good fabric on a poorly constructed garment!

When I post about a completed garment, I’ll share with you the cost break down, so you can see how much it cost to make each piece. I’m interested to see if I can make this a cost effective option, on par with buying something from a mid-level shop but with the higher quality and tailored fit that you would only get from very expensive bespoke tailoring. Granted I’m a newbie seamstress, so my ability probably isn’t up to Saville Row standards just yet. But baby steps!