Wardrobe Architect: sewing plans

It feels nice to have a plan. Most of the time, I buy fabric I like and then pair it with a pattern and make a garment. That's been my MO for two years, and the result is a handmade wardrobe of randomness. Bird t-shirts, mustard polka-dot cardigans, floral wrap dresses...all things I like, but they aren't part of any cohesive whole. The Wardrobe Architect series has pushed me to narrow my focus, both in terms of fabric and patterns/silhouettes. Once I worked out my color scheme for a spring wardrobe I decided I wasn't going to buy any more fabric unless it fit with my colors. That might sound restrictive, but surprisingly it's been liberating! Instead of lusting after beautiful fabrics and trying to make them work into my life, I can appreciate their beauty and move on.

A few weeks ago, I made a list of garments that fit into the color palette and silhouettes of my ideal spring wardrobe. I noted down anything that I already owned that worked, and from there it was easy to find the holes.

This page is from my Fashionary (affiliate link) and it probably looks cray-cray, but to me it makes sense! Now before you decide that I must be a sewing superstar to make all these garments, there are a few items that I just wrote "buy". Additionally, this is an IDEAL wardrobe...I fully expect NOT to "finish" it. However, I could see this being a spring/summer wardrobe for at least next year as well, which gives me plenty of time to tweak and perfect it.

Once I had a written list, it was time to sketch. Even though I'm the creator of a notebook specifically for project-planning, I do still use my Fashionary for sketching sometimes. Especially if I don't even have an exact fabric in mind and just want to "see" it first.

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, the Wardrobe Architect series has been a huge influence on my sewing. I have a focus and with that, projects feel meaningful. The money I spend feels purposeful, and now the purpose isn't only "sewing" (although that has its merits, don't get me wrong!). Oh, and one other little thing, I LOVE THE CLOTHES! And if you love the clothing you're wearing, you love the way you feel, you love the day just a bit more. Who wouldn't want that?