//THE WARDROBE PROJECT//

Hello lovely readers! With the cold weather outside, nothing is better than a comfy, cozy sweater right? I love sweaters! I love sweatshirts, knit sweaters, monochromatic ones, printed ones, basic ones! But things in the wardrobe can get a little repetitive with sweaters. Same boxy sweater in different colors (rings a bell?? right?). Enter the Zircon sweater/dress pattern from Paprika patterns.

 "With its bold geometric yokes in contrasting fabric, the Zircon Sweater/Dress is sure to make you stand out. The yokes extend into the sleeve, creating an interesting shape and a softly rounded shoulder. The loose cocoon shape is comfortable to wear without feeling swamped. The relaxed fit is complemented by bracelet length tapered sleeves. The crew neck is finished with a neckband.|


The pattern comes with two versions: View A is a sweater, resting above the hips, and View B is a dress of mid-thigh length. They both have really interesting yokes and hem insets. The pattern can be sewed in a variety of stable stretch fabrics such as sweatshirt fleece, french terry or neoprene.
I chose to make View A (sweater) in size 4, without any alterations, in a sweatshirt fleece. I opted for the classic black & white color combination. The pattern is beautifully drafted, and the instruction are really clear! This turned out so comfy!

To be honest, it takes a little time to sew and I recommend sewing this with a clear mind! All the different yokes and pointy ends, require a little patience, and as you can see mine turned out a little more rounded at the corners than they were supposed to be. But the outcome is really rewarding!

I used to have an on-again-off-again relationship with knitting! I learned to knit almost 5 years ago, but I never dived into it seriously. Maybe it was the cheap acrylic yarns I used to buy, maybe I didn't paid much attention to the patterns, but I was always afraid to knit a big garment, like a sweater. I've knitted quite a few neck cowls and scarves, but I always wanted to be able to knit garments! So I decided that this time around I'd make it happen! So, very proudly,  I present you my very first wearable sweater!!

culottes: self-made/ sweater: self-made/ shoes: Adidas Stan Smith

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Hello guys! Hope everyone is well and excited for the new season ahead! Fall is approaching here and I couldn't be happier about it! I knew I wouldn't find peace until I prepared for the new season. So September is my get ready month. I started cleaning, rearranging and redecorating the whole house, I began cooking and baking more and of course I started reevaluating my style and wardrobe.

Lately I'm not really happy with my clothes. Nothing about my wardrobe excites me and the same goes for my sewing. So this new beginning gives me a clean slate to start fresh. So I started eyeing my personal style, making moodboards and planning my fall wardrobe with a new perspective. My sewing mojo came back and I'm really excited for all that's coming. I'll share more of my fall planning soon.

In my research for inspiration I found these really useful posts, that are worth having a look at:

-Wardrobe architect: 5 steps to plan your fall sewing by Colette
-Wardrobe architect: Making your sewing list by Colette
-Fall '15 Wardrobe Inspiration by Grainline
-Into Mind: Define your personal style

I also revamped the layout of my blog. I created this watercolor layout I really love and I feel really inspired by the new space. What do you think about it?

So how about you? Are you doing any planning for the new season?

Hello guys! Long time, no see, right? But, you know...life happens! So I'm back and I can't wait for fall! Fall weather, fall clothes, fall sewing! But, first, it's only right to share the last bits of my summer sewing with you. So, as promised, this is my second pair of McCall 6965. 

I really love these culottes! For this version I used a black pique fabric, which gives the perfect body to these. I cut a size 14, but I made a couple alterations. I subtracted 3 cm from the back waistband and I lengthened the pattern by 6 cm, which made them the perfect length and fit. You can see my first version in a staight size 14, here.

To pair with these culottes I made two crop tops using the Nettie pattern from Closet Case patterns. For both of them I cut a size 10. For the off the shoulder version I used this tutorial from Heather's blog and a medium weight striped knit fabric and for the second scoop front-high back variation with short sleeves I used some lycra knit I had in my stash. 

In my opinion this combo makes the perfect summer outfit! 

So how about you? Are you still sewing summer clothes or are you all about fall sewing?

Hello everyone! So May is over and with it goes this year's Me-Made-May. As you may have noticed there was no Week 3 and 4 recap here on the blog. That's because I only wore handmade 1 or 2 days over these weeks and they mostly were repeat outfits that I didn't feel like sharing again. You could say my Me-Made-May was a failure this year, but I 'll say I feel the opposite! 

Me-Made-May '15 gave my a big inside of my handmade wardrobe! It highlighted the gaps of my wardrobe, it showed me what I enjoy wearing and what fabrics work for me. So Me-Made-May '15 teached me that:

• My summer handmades are mostly skirts.
• I need to sew more tops.
• I could use some more dresses.
• I 'd like to incorporate more prints into my summer wardrobe. 
• I need to think of my wardrobe as a capsule. 

*Disclaimer: Lisa sent me this pattern in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. 

photos from my Instagram

Hello everybody! Week 2 of Me-Made-May '15 is over! How time flies! So another recap of my weekly outfits is due: 

OUTFIT 1: Self-drafted pencil skirt
OUTFIT 2: Pin Pegs mini skirt from Sew This Pattern (blogged here)
OUTFIT 3: Self-drafted kimono sleeve dress

One thing I've already realised is that my me-made summer wardrobe is limited to mainly bottoms. I should really start making more tops! Is there anything you already realised about your wardrobe through the course Me-Made-May?

Hello everyone! I'm here to share an awesome project with you! A few weeks ago, Annie from Nine Stitches  contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in testing her first pattern, after seeing this post on my blog. At first I was a little hesitant because I didn't know if I really had the time for it, but after seeing some pictures of the pattern I knew I had to say yes! 

This is the Pin Pegs mini skirt. The pattern is a downloadable sewing pattern perfect for the advanced beginner or the intermediate sewer. This pattern is right up my alley. I'm know to love a good mini skirt and usually I have to shorten most skirt patterns. But not this one! This is THE perfect mini skirt. The perfect twist to the classic skirt, with modern, clean lines and an asymmetric hem design and zipper closure. The pattern fits me like a glove! I sewed a size 12 without any alteration. I used a cotton fabric with a bit of elastane for better movement. 

For those of you that aren't a mini lover, Annie will have a Pin Pegs long skirt pattern coming soon, as well as a tutorial on how to lengthen the Pin Pegs mini skirt. I definitely recommend buying this pattern! The final outcome is really satisfying and it's the perfect pattern to spice up your wardrobe. 

You can see more about the pattern here.

Hello everyone! The first week of Me-Made-May '15 is officially over! I pledged to wear at least 3 me-made garments every week and this week I managed to wear 4. I'm really happy to explore my handmade wardrobe and use my me-made garments with creative ways. Here are the recap of this week's outfits:

OUTFIT 1: Self drafted skirt
OUTFIT 2: Mandy Boat Tee from Tessuti patterns (blogged here)
OUTFIT 3: Plantain tee from Deer&Doe patterns
OUTFIT 4: Self drafted skirt (blogged here)

Are you participating in Me-Made-May '15 ? How are you doing so far?

Happy May everybody! So spring is officially here and with it comes the greatest sewing challenge, Me Made May. Me Made May is a challenge designed to encourage people who sew/ knit/ crochet/ refashion/ upcycle garments for themselves to actually wear and love them. You can read more about it over at 'So, Zo...What do you know' 's blog. 

So yesterday I made my pledge: 

'I, Mady from The Wardrobe Project  sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I endeavour to wear at least 3 me made garments each week for the duration of May 2015'

I'll share my outfits on my Instagram and I'll try to make a weekly roundup on the blog like I did in last year's challenge. But for me this year the most important thing is to see what works for my wardrobe and what's not and what percentage of my me made garments are actually worn by me.

So, how about you? Are you taking part in Me-Made-May'15? What is your pledge?

Hello everyone! Long time no see! So spring is officially here! Temperatures are rising and spring clothes are coming to full rotation. As I mentioned in my previous post, I started taking pattern drafting lessons recently. When you start learning how to draft your own pattern based on your own measurements the first garment you learn is a skirt. It's the easiest pattern and requires only three measurement, your waist, your hips and your desired length. So first of all you learn how to make a straight skirt and then you are able to modified it to almost any skirt you could imagine. 

This is my first straight skirt based on my own measurements. Sewing patterns from companies of course are awesome and all that jazz, but there's just this thing when you make something out of your own measurements and fits like a glove that makes you feel satisfied in a whole new level. This is just a basic skirt with two front and two back darts and a waist facing. I hand stitched the hem with a blind stitch and serged all the inside seams. 

The fabric is a lovely cotton with 3% elastane that I won from House of Pinheiro on her 3 year blog anniversary last May. I fell in love as soon as I saw this fabric and I waited patiently until I found the right project for it. I'm very happy with how this skirt turned out and I've already worn it numerous times. Here I paired it with my Mandy Boat Tee(free pattern!)from Tessuti.

So how about you? Do you like drafting your own patterns? Did you ever had pattern drafting lessons or are you a self-taught pattern drafter? 

So this post is a little belated, but nonetheless I wanted to share with you my progress for last month's Wardrobe Architect. To be honest, I didn't do much this month. I went through a major wardrobe cleaning session sometime over September, keeping things, throwing away and giving away things. So when February's worksheet came, I didn't have much to report. 

Tracking worksheets of wardrobes don't really work for me, as I am a more optical type of person. I didn't write down the things left on my wardrobe, but I can already tell that I own far too many black casual shirts, long sleeved, short sleeved, you name it! A few dresses I rarely wear, some skirts, some pairs of jeans, a couple of black jeans and some leggings. Looking at my wardrobe the only thing coming to mind is boring! What I really miss from my wardrobe is print, color and more wow-factor pieces. 

I'm really looking forward to spring sewing and fabrics and I can't wait to start organising my spring/summer capsule wardrobe. How about you? Are you participating in Wardrobe Architect?