When I first started sewing, I used to plan all the time. I’d draw up little sketches of what I might make that month, and cross them off as I completed them. Yet 5 years later, I haven’t drawn up a plan in ages, and instead I’ve become the type of sewist who walks into the sewing room and thinks, “Hmmm, what shall I make today?”
Sewing With A Plan (SWAP) is something that lots of people expressed interest in during our reader survey this winter, but it’s not something any of the six of us editors do regularly. (To me, SWAP implies sewing a mini-wardrobe, but that might be only my interpretation?) Instead, I thought I’d bring you along on some informal planning that I’m doing right now to get ready for fall!
Here are my requirements:
- I’m a teacher, so I have a long summer vacation, followed by the two busiest months of the year as school starts. That means that if I want/need any new clothes for fall, I’d better sew them in summer!
- I’ve got a week at a cottage coming up where I’ll have only my sewing machine (and not my serger or coverstitch), so I’m particularly focused on time-consuming, detailed projects that only require one machine. The kind of stuff I’ll avoid sewing at home, where quick knits beckon, but enjoy sewing in full view of a lake!
- Tried and True (TNT) patterns. I don’t want to be messing around with fitting – I want reliable results!
Where to begin?
I tend to start by thinking about what my wardrobe is lacking, as opposed to picking fabric or patterns first. I know straight away that I could use a few more basics: bras and another pair of Cone Mills jeans. I’m also thinking about my career, and feeling an urge to dress up a bit more for work – dress for the job you want, not the job you have, right? I do quite a few presentations, so I’m interested in having a few nicer outfits for that. Then there is clothing for home: maybe another pair of pyjama pants?
Now I can start to picture patterns and fabric from my stash together, and see if I want to buy any fabric or patterns to fill a gap. I also start thinking about how long each project will take so that my plans stay reasonable!
Here’s what I have in mind:
- Cone Mills Ginger Jeans – a TNT pattern combined with a pricey fabric that’s actually worth the splurge. I wear my first Cone Mills pair often, so I know it’s worth the effort to make more. 5 hours to sew.
- Closet Case Files Carolyn Pyjama pants – I wear my first pair all the time! It’s also a good way to use up quilting cotton from the stash. 2 hours.
- Bras – You can read more about my custom-drafted bra pattern in Lingerie Month! 5 hours per bra.
- Underwear – I’ve been trying to refresh my knicker drawer this summer, and if I need simple projects at the cottage, underwear are perfect. I wrote about plus-size pattern choices here! 30 min per pair.
- Papercut Sway Dress in navy crepe – a “nice” dress for work! I’m getting rather obsessed with tent dresses this summer, as you can see here and here! 3 hours.
- Decades of Style 3’s A Charm Jacket – something cropped to pair with the Sway dress. I don’t have this pattern or fabric for it, so it’s a bit of an outlier in these plan! I’m inspired by our “Same Pattern, Different Bodies” post about this pattern, and how great it looked on everyone! 3 hours.
Does this count as SWAP? I’m not sure, really… but it’s realistically how I plan what to sew. In between sewing these planned projects, I’m sure I’ll sew some fun dresses and tops, because they are my favourite… but by planning out the slightly boring basics, I know I’ll be ready for fall when it rolls around!
Do you plan for the coming season? Where do you begin? And if you are interested in reading more about SWAP, what exactly would you like to hear about?
Gillian,
Yes, your plan helps me. I never know how to plan my sewing, then end up not finishing or just doing mending.
Thank you for a peek into how you think about projects.
Lorrie
I have a spreadsheet! One tab is all my fabric – I have a small stash – and one tab is my planned projects which I prioritise according to what I want to make and wear next. Priority can chage and I do get fliers that sneak in out of their planned place!
The third tab is what I’ve made – currently 89 separate items since February 2015. I have pivot tables too but that’s my Excel geekery!
It’s still summer here in the UK and I’m still in summer blouses mode, so am going to toile Jenny’s Springfield next and then make a couple of those. And another Groove dress – I was thinking of doing that tonight but I’m clearly not doing it right now. The rest is sorted by how much I want to use particular fabrics. I REALLY want to sew up some of my Liberty and actually wear it, but making sure of the right pattern and the right fit is really important at £22.50 a metre!
I don’t SWAP I do SWAG ( sewing with a good intention). Like I bought all the fabric and patterns for 5 summer pieces, but I only managed to make a tank top. lol. I have revamped the list and I’m pretty sure I can use the summery fabrics for end of summer/ fall looks if I get my booty in gear. I mean add some tights, boots, and jacket and BAM! fall look.
Hi, Toni,
That is what I did for kindergarten for one of my daughters. I finally gave up on it when the grandchildren were all past that age (LOL).
I like Gillian’s suggestion of looking at what is missing from your wardrobe and then looking at the stash and patterns already on hand. I think I’ll make up a sewing plan for the fall!!!
Lorrie
Thank you for these comments they a are really helpful. I have recently lost 9kg – about 20lb . My toiles are useless as weight has come off in strange places. I’m going to a convention in October – the Australian Spring so that will include making a new set of toiles, all my summer clothes will have to go and I will need to begin again, at the moment because I can’t sew clothes I am making Christmas gifts. When friends know you sew don’t you love how they ask up front for a hand made gift- and working on charity sewing which I love to do.
OH my goodness, you have a busy sewing schedule ahead of you! Maybe you could seta schedule do one selfless bit of sewing, followed by something for yourself – because I’m sure all your friends would want you to have a wardrobe!
Gillian, what you have does sound like a SWAP. I was always taught to coordinate pieces – you know, the infamous 5 easy pieces SWAP!. But there are other types of plans as well. Filling in the gaps is a good plan. Some pieces simply last longer than others. Other pieces are loved more often than others! The first plan is to go to the Laundromat with all the fabric stashed in the trunk of my car! Too much shopping and not enough sewing! This year, my SWAP is PANTS. I wore them out, they stretched out of shape or didn’t fit well to begin with– but I am still wearing them with long tunics to cover up the bad pants! Time to replace pants, this time with ones that fit well. Well fitting pants give you more options than tunics to cover them up. At the end of August, I am attending a 2-day pant fitting seminar led by Linda Lee. — sooo looking forward to it. I wish I were a dress person like some of our bloggers. They all look so lovely. But, I have accepted that quirk in myself. So, pants it is. In AZ, it is still way to hot to worry about such things.
Ooooh, have fun at that seminar! I’d love to know what you learn!
Pants are something I avoid sewing, too – but an integral part of my me-made wardrobe! I wish it was faster to sit down and bang out a pair… but unless they are super simple Style Arc ones, it just doesn’t work that way, does it? Sounds like you and I both need to overhaul the closet and get rid of pants we shouldn’t be wearing, so we HAVE to make more!
I am a constant planner. CONSTANT. Sometimes, I stick to the plan and others I can easily be swayed by a shiny new pattern or piece of fabric 🙂
I know I want a new fall wardrobe so I made a big honkin’ list with line drawings! And made a top 10. I plan to definitely make the 10 on my list and go from there. The sad part is, there are some things I want realllly badly (like long sleeved ponte dresses or a turtleneck) that I know I shouldn’t sew in August. I should wait until September. But will I? Probably not. And then I’ll stare at it longingly. Haha!
I’m going to *try* my best to start with the transitional pieces so I can have new stuff for those random cool days (I live in the upper midwest).
Why shouldn’t you sew them now! We northerners KNOW fall is coming soon!
Your planning process sounds intense – but I can tell that motivates you! If you ever want to write about it, let us know! 🙂
I have started to sew with a plan last year, when I got beyond my “All-I-ever-want-are-sundresses”-phase. (Though I still love sewing dresses. But I realised I had nothing for the other 9 months of the year… )
So how I go about it, is that I pin every pattern that appeals to me. And about a month before a new season (August for Autumn/Winter, February for Spring/Summer). I go through my clothes (mentally and physically) and decide what holes need filling and which Look/Silhouette I am going for. Then go through my patterns, my pinterest-board or search for new ones and make a plan. I try to keep it realistic, putting the most useful/versatile in the front, because many projects never get started before the time is up.
I buy fabric first sometimes and try to match it to a pattern later, but I mostly try to buy after I know what I want, since I chronically buy half a yard too little…
Interesting process! I pin all my inspiration too but I tend to go through that board when I’m looking for a next project, not to make complete ensembles. Are you making a plan for Fall? What are you hoping to make?
I’m absolutely terrible about sewing with any sort of plan! A plan to “finish my current project before starting something else” is about the extent of me challenging myself in this area. But I’ve always wanted to make plans, and I find it really inspiring to read about others’. I may jot down a list today in honor of this post, see where it leads me… ?
Ahahaha – so? Did you jot down plans? (Don’t worry, nothing wrong with not being a planner!) I like going project by project because I’ve so many clothes now – no need to an entire wardrobe more every season!
Well… I did, but I’m not sure how much of a plan it was, more like a current wish list. 🙂 High-priority patterns to try, hacks to make, TNTs to repeat. The likelihood of making my way through it before heading off in a different direction (SQUIRREL!) is extremely low. But it’s still fun to do!
This is more what I think of when you say “sewing with a plan”. I try to always have a plan from the moment I buy fabric, and most things I make are based around what my wardrobe needs. I have some patterns that I don’t have fabric for but I have them in mind frequently. I can’t really handle all the “make a capsule wardrobe”approaches to planning because frankly it bores me to tears. I like to leave a little leeway so I can still sew something just because I want to. Its my hobby, not my job 🙂 Gotta keep it fun.
WORD! That is exactly how I think to. I buy fabric knowing it could be made into a certain genre of clothing, and then nothing thrills me more than wandering into the sewing room without a clue what to make, and leaving with something that came to life organically!
This year for my 50th birthday, I decided to only wear clothing I have made. In the beginning there were HUGE gaps in my wardrobe. I started with one pair of tights and two pairs of pajama bottoms. This really forced me to think about what I would make next and how much time I had to do it. Seven months into the project, I still need to make a pair of jeans, but I haven’t had the focused time to do it. Still, I’ve created a wardrobe that really functions. I highly recommend that if you are interested in really making a wardrobe that works for you that you try this. Gillian you look fabulous in that sway dress!
You started your year with only tights and pjs to wear??? That is BRAVE! About 4 years ago I did a year without buying RTW… which basically kickstarted my wardrobe into the 90% handmade that it is now. I’ve never gone fully me-made though, because that last 10% is thrifted cardigans that I couldn’t sew myself. Congrats on making it 7 months so far – you should make those jeans! 🙂
I think about SWAP in terms of designing a small group of clothes that work well together. There is already a lot of interesting information out there–Sewingplums blog, Nancy Nix-Rice’s Craftsy class, the Swap and 6 Pack discussions on Artisan Square. Blogs like Vivienne Files and Wardrobe Architect, the summer wardrobe capsule at Hot Patterns, and the Seamwork patterns are all good places to look. . Burda and Octobre magazines offer patterns in collections. It’s mesmerizing to see examples all laid out in a group that works.
At Curvysewingcollective I like to go through the TNT pattern reviews and imagine what would work together in a group. I also like to look at the sewing kits offered by Craftsy that feature a plus sized model, but wish the individual patterns would coordinate together better. I’m keeping my eye on Cashmerette patterns because eventually there will be enough to build a cohesive wardrobe.
I loved your article (Gillian’s) sewing holiday clothes. I can imagine a capsule with a coatigan, cardigan, a shift dress and one shortened to a tunic, a couple of tops, skirt, jeans, and a dressier pair of pants. It would be nice to see a few small capsules made up, or sketched up, with pattern numbers for curvy patterns included. It’s also helpful to hear the thought process one goes through to build a collection–the rational for decision making in creating a signature style. You’ve been sewing for a while, so you’re at the point of filling in specific needs to work with the group you already have. How did you get there? What if someone has just discovered that there are interesting patterns in their size, they have the time to sew, and they can leave ready-to-wear behind?
Mary Jo,
What a thoughtful discourse. I appreciate your sharing new blog leads.
I sewing quite a bit when I was in high school. When I first started working, you could purchase coordinating pieces at every store. So there wasn’t much reason to sew. So, that’s how my planning started. Then I added skirts/pants/shirts of different colors that coordinated with those pieces. When my lifestyle changed, I pretty much followed that same pattern. Now that I am back sewing, it’s with a different body. So, I am more aware of how things need to fit who I am today.
As for the SWAP, to start with, you might ask yourself some questions: How do you spend your day? Do you spend a lot of time sitting, moving, driving? What do you like to wear? How does the climate affect your choices? (example, I LOVE cozy and furry sweaters. But there is no need to own them in Arizona unless you travel to colder places.) I do not own a pair of boots and will not, no matter how cute they are. You get the drift. A capsule can be as few as 2 pieces that you plan. You can add from there. Hope this helps answer your questions.
Great thoughts, Mary! My ob changed last year, and m wardrobe is still catching up. It’s fun to refresh thing though! 🙂
Thank you Mary Jo, for reminding me of two posts deep in my blog archives! I wrote about my essintial patterns for a wardrobe here https://craftingarainbow.wordpress.com/2014/01/02/building-a-wearable-wardrobe-what-are-my-pattern/
And I did a whole fall capsule wardrobe here: https://craftingarainbow.wordpress.com/2013/08/31/fall-capsule-wardrobe-done/ (I’m laughing that I wearing NONE of those clothes any more! My style and tastes have changed.)
Sounds like you follow lots of SWAPs and enjoy thinking about it… Let us know if you’d be interested in writing a “Where do I begin with SWAP?” post for us!!!
My monthly sewing plans usually get derailed when I see a testing call for a pattern that fills a hole in my wardrobe or that I really would like to have… But I definitely do try to get through at least most of the garments I had planned.
That’s the beauty of new patterns – suddenly want something you never knew you were missing!!!
I am definitely a SWAP person. My entire fabric stash fits into two rubbermaid 18 gallon totes. Everything in there has a definite plan. At the start of each season I make a list of things I’m going to want and then I pick through my list (which often has fabric purchased already). I tend to shop for the season so things go. But I already have established the basics of a capsule wardrobe.
My summer/fall plans looked like this:
Skinny pants 3 pair (1.5 done)
1 shirt dress (done)
1-2 knit dresses
2 fit and flair dress (done)
1 denim skirt with buttons (done other than buttons/hem)
leggings (for fall wear)
several T-shirts
2 Jackets (including a moto jacket)
2 Button up the front shirts
Gray Cardigan
Pink or Orange cardigan
Navy blue wool jacket and full skirt with military embellishments (new look inspired)
Ginger Jeans
2 wool skirts
Nice PJs
HOLY MOLY! That’s a massive plan! DO you sew that much every season, or are you really focused on building up your wardrobe right now? If you can crank our all those projects, I’m going to be in awe. Maybe you could write a post for us when you are done???
I recently went through my clothes and was ruthless, so I culled about 75% of my wardrobe. Right now I am definitely building. I also had a few pieces that were really worn and will need to be replaced ASAP. Normally I don’t sew that much every season, but I do ID gaps in the wardrobe and systematically work to meet them. All but the Ginger jeans and the button up the front blouses are tried-and-true patterns so they are just sewing, not fitting.
There is usually 1-2 dresses per season and a couple T shirts and a cardigan if I can’t find one that I like how it fits.
I do a combination which is similar to what you’ve posted – I realize I’m missing something (lately it’s been blouses when I realized I didn’t own a single blouse!) and now I’m sitting here in a really comfortable pair of RTW shorts that I love and realize I could use more of these – a lot more! So I need to get out my patterns for shorts. Then I put the plan in my sewing journal with the pattern and material I’ll be using so I have a record of what worked and didn’t for the future.
That’s a nice way to go about things – making a cluster of similar garments so you get to use TNTs and stay in a certain sewing groove!
That is definitely a SWAP. You have a plan for things you need. A SWAP could include a mini collection, say if you were going on a vacation where you needed particular things, but it doesn’t need to.
I personally need more of a plan. I see pretty fabric, buy the 1.5 yds that is left on the bolt, then wonder what to make. No plan. I see a pattern I like, buy it, and then wonder what fabric to use, poke in my stash, find that I don’t have 4.5 yards of anything much less the summery rayon challis that I want to use, and go buy more fabric. This only leads to storage problems.
I agree with Janet about a project being two pieces. I personally need to focus on NOT making orphans. Gorgeous print for a skirt that really doesn’t go with anything I own, and I can’t find anything that goes all that well with it in the store? Put it back for the love of heaven!!!! I will never wear it as it goes with nothing. All I get outta that is guilt.
One thing that has really helped me avoid wardrobe orphans is using a consistent colour palette. That way everything in my stash matches everything in my closet, and it’s easy to get dresses! For outliers though I love the ideas of a project being two pieces. I have fabric for a few things that are outside my colour comfort zone (YELLOW!) and I need to make sure I make things to make those yellow items wearable!
I have tried to plan in the past, but I got distracted by a new pattern or new fabric I bought, or the make I saw on a sewing blog! To help myself I have decided that a sewing project is actually 2 pieces. At least I will have some coordination in my wardrobe. For example, I have made a dress and matching jacket, and a skirt and blouse.
I’m slowly realising this too – I buy fabric because I love it and then find it doesn’t actually go with anything else I own.
I think that’s a great idea! Very 50s, I have long been dreaming of a dress and coat, where the lining is the dress fabric, and the dress-trim is the coat-fabric. Matching pieces are the height of sophistication!
That’s a great idea, Janet, and I can see it’s struck a chord is several other commenters!
I love your approach to planning. It’s great to be able to check something off your list. I also enjoyed your pictures. The dress looks amazing on you. Thanks for the tip regarding the choice of rayon challis. I would definitely like to see more posts along this line.
It is SO satisfying being able to check things of a list! When I regularly used this app for sketching plans, I always went back and drew a big red checkmark over the sketch when I’d made it! 😉
This is such a good idea, my free time varies wildly and when I get a block of time (and I’m not too knackered to do anything!) I like to sew. Having a plan of things to make – and importantly a rough idea of time – would really work for me! I think that’s my next task, when I get free time.
Also, loved the Pyjamas and have just brought the pattern. I can never find rtw that I like and usually resort to an old t-shirt and mens pyjama bottoms because at least they are comfy and in fun fabric (I have Batman ones at the moment). Looking forward to a matching set in something wonderful 🙂
I”m wearing Carolyn pyjamas right now! I really like that they have enough ease for sitting comfortabley, but aren’t super baggy. Enjoy sewing some up!