When Your Wardrobe is Made By You Most Days!

Some days I get to work and realize I made ALL my clothes! 

After a year of starting to Sew My Wardrobe, this seems to happen more often than not. And considering I feel I’m a slow sewer with my Husqvarna Viking Emerald (aka NOT a serger) and meticulous nature, the more you sew, the more efficient one becomes.

Why don’t you give it a try too?

Today I’m sporting:

-        My Winter Wear Designs Cross Hem ¾ length sleeved top, which I used scraps for the smaller underlay from a beautiful velvet skirt I had no chance of ever fitting into again.   

To the left - look at that fabric cross! And my first V neck - perfection!

-        My Winter Wear Designs Provence Pea Coat – made with sparkly twill and stretch star fleece! I included the removable hood, however, need to add on a belt, as apparently my waist has come in a bit since the fall (boo yah!)

-        My 5 out of 4 Zen Pants – made with stretch suiting fabric with cute C/L I Lava You fabric inside the pockets because I’m silly. I made the back pockets too, because POCKETS!  This was an easy sew, and although geared for activewear, make the COMFIEST non-skinny pants at work EVER. I wear Zens at least twice a week to work. And I work in the office 4 days a week. They also make my behind look amazeballs!

-  My Rebecca Page Circle Cardie – These are another office Staple that I can’t stop wearing.  The flow, the speed to sew up, and the options. I find it also doesn’t use heaps of fabric.  There are even kids & doll sizes to up the extra cuteness factor!

Secret photo taken at work between people passing my pod.

Why sew my wardrobe?

My measurements are out of whack. No amount of Squats, lunges, or cycling will get rid of this booty, and after a frustrating experience looking for leggings in January 2017, my dabbling into sewing became my passion. Well as much as my wallet can afford fabric – never enough fabric to create most patterns with just one metre, so I’ve developed the knack of colour blocking and making 1 metre of fabric last through 2-3 garments (and then some!).

I want to try SO many fabrics, hence the 1 metre limitation most of the time – I just don’t want to miss out on fabric awesomeness.

My full bust is multiple sizes smaller than my hips, my upper bust is in line with my waist, and I have that hourglass shape with legs built for squats and cycling.

So I’ve become an expert in grading, measuring myself monthly to ensure proper fit.  I rarely make a muslin (or test) garment, trusting in the testing experience that helped bring the pattern into reality by the ever talented pattern makers I have grown to admire. 

There are pattern makers I love (you KNOW who you are!), ones I’d give my favourite fabric to just to test with them, and a few who left a sour taste in my mouth and I sadly won’t be able to create their garments any longer.

I’ve met cyber-friends across the Globe who share my passion, and put up with my silliness during pattern testing.  We all have stressful lives in some way, so I add a silly dance and groove it up for most of my tests (at least once) – once I know my pattern makers are a bit weird (in a good way) too!

Heck, I swear my friend, An, is my sister from another mother and father across the Ocean. Whenever we travel to Europe, I’m totally visiting her family and bringing her some Canadian fabrics to rub her face in and sew with (sorry An, it will be single metres!).

I have my go-to fabric places – Water Tower Textiles and Okee Dokee Fabrics (both Canadian) – and sometimes I can find some test fabric that isn’t totally hideous or overpriced at Fabricland, but this is rare most of the time.  Even their crap fabric is priced more than what I am willing to pay. I mean, if a test pattern actually works out first try, I’d at least like the option to be able to wear my garment vs just throwing it into the scrap pile or garbage.

So back on topic – sew your wardrobe. As long as you have a workhorse machine, you can do it too.  I had only sewn costumes before this adventure. Now there are few skills I haven’t tried thanks to the sewing community out there.

You can do it too!




More secret Pod photos at work!

***Affiliate Links Above used - I love these patterns, and without the help of those who love their patterns, marketing would be extremely difficult for the pattern makers we love and learn to love. Affiliate links help with the hours, fabric, and tears that go behind testing each pattern in order to provide a real-person view on the patterns for you (and me!)