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//THE WARDROBE PROJECT//

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    Hello everyone! Today I'm here to share some thoughts on the Slow Fashion October. If you don't have any idea what that is, you can read more about it over on Karen's blog. She started the whole initiative 3 years ago and in my opinion it's one of the most interesting issues that the sewing community has ever raised.


    Slotober for me can be expressed in so many views. Over the years I enjoyed reading many different opinions about the subject from other makers, and it has always been a thought on the back of my head, but I decided that this year I'd like to think more about what it means to me and how it affects my journey as a maker.

    A little bit about my personal history on the matter

    I never been one to be really obsessed with trends or shopping for that matter. I used to enjoy shopping, but now I find the process really tiring and meaningless. I much more prefer shopping for patterns, fabrics, notions and yarn these days. In my early years of college I was the same as pretty much the majority of people on that age. I wanted to have clothes, the more the merrier, quantity over quality and so it goes. I was never really happy with my wardrobe, I constantly had that I-have-nothing-to-wear feeling when I was in front of my wardrobe and I was really struggling to have my own personal style.

    Then I discovered sewing.But for me at the beginning was more or less the same. Lots of cheap fabric(the only kind of fabric my college budget was allowing me), resulting to makes that I didn't love as much and didn't make it in the passage of time.

    Two years ago, I read the genius book called "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo. I threw out my ufos and badly-made garments, donated the majority of my clothes to friends and charities and never looked back. I stopped shopping for clothes except on the rare occasion that something I really like catches my eye and I started being more conscious about my wardrobe. That's when a-very early-stages-form of what my personal style is like started forming. I completely changed the way I sewed. I took some pattern-drafting lessons, that teached me a lot about patterns, what I like and what is worth of my time. I started buying good quality fabrics and giving more attention to details on my sewing.

    But I find that I am still a bit confused with my sewing and with what my personal style exactly is. So I will use this Slotober to try and figure out my style and wardrobe. I find that sometimes with my sewing I get so overwhelmed(I blame Instagram on this!) to make all the things, that I don't pay as much attention as I should to my makes.
    As for the ethical aspect of this issue. I am constantly try to educate myself and be more conscious about what I buy. I wish I could be more selective, but being a 26-years-old hard working to be able to afford my own place, pay my bills and live my life doesn't always gives me the opportunity. I'm fortunate to be able to still buy fabric that has been made locally in Greece, so as fabric goes, this is as close t ethical made as I can go right now. I would like to think that one day I will be able to be the proud owner of a wardrobe of which I would know every origin of every single piece in it.

    For me it is not about being perfect in every little aspect of your life. After all we are all humans living in a very s**t world right now. From animals being treated bad to fast fashion and so many more issues. In my own opinion if everyone, tries to be more conscious even about half of the things  we should be in our everyday life, it will result to such a big impact on our world. No one is perfect, but we can try and be as close to that as we can.

    If you made it until the end of this really lengthy post, thank you so much for reading my thoughts on this issue and I would love to hear your opinion about the subject. What is Slow Fashion October for you?

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    Hello and happy new month lovely people out there! Autumn is officially here and I couldn't be happier! Dressing in layers, wearing my handmade knitted garments, hot coffees and watching a movie under the blanket are only some of the things I love about autumn. It's funny how much we change growing up, I remember I used to hate autumn when I was younger!

    So, I'm here yet again to share with you what happened on the previous month and what I'm planning for the new one!

    THINGS I'M EXCITED ABOUT FOR THIS MONTH:

    -Dressing in layers
    -Lots of knitting
    -Family birthdays
    -Winter fabrics

    ON THE SEWING TABLE:

    -During September I made two pairs of True Bias Lander pants! Guys, I can't begin to tell you just how much I love this pattern. I will have a post about them on the blog sometime this month! 
    -I also was a pattern tester for Kommatia patterns J006 Parka pattern! Another pattern I really loved making!

    For this month I don't have anything planned yet. To be honest I'm not really happy with my wardrobe at the moment and I'm currently in the process of trying to figure out how I can organise my makes better for a more cohesive wardrobe. I'll maybe share more about this in a coming post.

    ON MY NEEDLES:

    I believe that this is the month I will finally finish my Find Your Fade shawl by Andrea Mowry! This one has been on my needles, since June!

    I also working on a birthday present for a friend and I casted on the front piece of my Ondawa sweater.

    I thinking about making a Penguono by Stephen West, after seeing Molly's (A Homespun House) version. Has anyone made one? Any thoughts about it?

     READING:

    I'm currently reading "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed. So far I like it!
    If you do have any good book suggestions, please let me know in the comments!

    OTHER THINGS:

    Last night I finished watching the third season of "Broadchurch". This series is sooo good. I totally recommend it if you like mystery and are looking for a new series!

    So, I totally failed on #sewphotohop this month! I did participate until the middle of the month, and then I fell off the wagon. But I really loved seeing everyone's posts and I did discovered lots of new accounts!

    I'm really excited for Slow Fashion October this month! If you don't know what that is, you can read more about it on Karen's blog.

    I hope you had a lovely September and are excited for the new month. Do you have any sewing/knitting plan for October?

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    Hello lovely people! I hope you all had a good weekend. I spent mine chilling, cooking, watching movies and knitting! A perfect one, if you ask me!
    Some days ago I mentioned in my Instagram that I'm working on a secret project and I'm finally able to share more about it! I hope you'll love it as much as I do! 

    This is my Kommatia patterns J006 parka and I'm in love! In my opinion this is the perfect transitional outerwear! It is an unlined parka pattern with a very loose fit, featuring a zipper fastening, dropped shoulder, drawstring hood and flap pockets. If you never sewed any outerwear before this is the pattern you want to go with. The instructions are really clear and well illustrated, which makes the whole process go by really smoothly! 


    I love how modern Kommatia patterns are and this one is no exception! You can use so many different types of fabric to create different looks with this one. I went with a workwear gabardine(the kind they use in workwear overalls) for my version and I'm really happy with the final garment. All the little pattern details make this seem so professional and well-made. 


    I cut a size M with no modifications, since the pattern has a very loose fit. I used a gold metallic separating zipper, black cord, plastic black stoppers. And that's about it! I'm planning making another version of this in a waterproof fabric, or in other words a perfect garment for walking the dog in the raining days ahead! 



    Do you have any outerwear sewing plans for the coming months? I would love to hear about them! 
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    Hello and happy new month everyone! I always loved September! There is something about the new beginnings feeling that comes with the month, the motivation to re-start things, the firsts chills that make their appeareance.

    The blog got a little makeover recently and I decided to try something different. Lately I really neglected this little space and I really miss it. So I'm here to share my September plans and thoughts with you!

    THINGS I'M EXCITED ABOUT FOR THIS MONTH:

    -The temperature dropping and the first autumn chills.
    -Cozy nights at home.
    -Hot coffees.
    -Autumn clothes.

    ON THE SEWING TABLE:

    I'm currently working on a very exciting secret project. I promise, you'll love this one!
    Other than that, I don't have anything planned for this month. Being the first month back to work and everything I thought, I'll just go with the flow and if inspiration hits, I'm here, willing to obey.

    ON MY NEEDLES:

    I'm currently working on my Xanthe shawl from Ambah O'Brien, as well as my Find your Fade shawl from Andrea Mowry.
    And I'm thinking about possibly casting on a Puntilla sweater from Joji Locatelli



    READING

    I'm finishing Irvin Yalom's "When Nitze Swept". Such an amazing, well written book.
    I think I will be starting "Wild:from Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Cheryl Strayed next.

    OTHER THINGS

    I've been thinking a lot about personal style lately. I'm not such a big fun of my wardrobe at the moment, so I'm trying to figure out what needs to change, in what clothes I feel most comfortable in and what is my personal style leaning towards at the moment. Maybe a blog post will follow.

    Will you be participating in #sewphotohop this year? I'm excited to connect with all the amazing makers out there again! It's an amazing opportunity to discover more amazing people!



    I hope you liked this little segment. And I would love to know what are you most excited about the new month? What are your sewing/knitting plans for the coming season? 
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    Hello sewists around the world!

    Today’s my turn to share my project for Schnittchen Patterns’ Sewing Around the World series: a blog tour of 12 sewists in 12 cities making 12 Schnittchen patterns. You can see the makes of the other amazing bloggers taking part in this series on the Schnittchen blog.

    I picked the Carla Jumper, one of the new Summer 2017 patterns, a loose jumpsuit with wide cropped legs, a V-neck on the front and back and an elasticated waist casing.


    We were given a voucher to a fabric store of our choice, and I picked the Fabric-Hemmers fabric store. I new I wanted something drapey for this project, so I went with a Viscose Voile fabric in a mini flower black & white print.  This turned out to be the perfect choice of fabric for this project!

    This is the first Schnittchen pattern I ever made and I was really impressed with the fit and design details. I didn't make any alterations to the pattern, except for shortening the shoulders by 5cm. I cut a size EUR 40/ US 8/ UK 12 and I'm really satisfied with the fit of the garment. 

    I love everything about this pattern! The V front and back neckline, the pockets and the hem height are all on spot and they make for the perfect summer garment! The Carla Jumper has been on rotation in my wardrobe ever since I made it!

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    Hello everyone! I'm reporting from Germany's heatwave. I'm currently here spending some time with my family and the heat has hit us hard and sudden. Next week I'm returning to Greece, where I'm sure nothing-in terms of temperatures-will be different!

    So, it's time for the summer wardrobe to make it's appearance! So, on the first line of the battle against the high temperatures we have the newest By Hand London's pattern, the Orsola dress & skirt.

    Orsola features two dresses and one skirt version. Both dress variations feature a fully lined sleeveless bodice with a delicate bateau neckline, a deliciously elegant wrap back with a curved back neckline and a back hem, and the option of a tulip scallop or a straight and simple front hem. All variations have a faced hem for a beautiful finish.

    A beautiful pattern that can take you seamlessly from day to night, and from everyday wear to cocktail parties and summer weddings! Best feature of the pattern, of course it has to be the closure. No fiddly zippers or fastenings!



    I made the skirt variation with the straight hem option in my usual 10/14 size and it turned out perfect. Due to the wrap closure, sizing can be more flexible than with the usual woven patterns. I used a beautiful, drapey viscose in a summer print. It was a fairly quick and easy sew, with well-illustrated and easy to follow instructions. Only advice I would give, would be to determine your final length from the beginning. Due to the shape of the skirt it's not easy to alter it once you cut your fabric. Next time I make this I plan to shorten the hem a bit, just because I like my skirts on the shorter side.


    What else can I say about this pattern?? Another amazing pattern from the amazing By Hand London ladies!

    *Disclaimer: I received this pattern from By Hand London patterns for free to test, but all opinions are my own. I sent feedback on the draft to the girls, which were included in the final pattern. I was not paid to test this pattern, and was given a free copy of the final pattern as compensation.*
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    Hello everyone, from sunny, spring-y Greece. I'm here to share with you my SW603 Cocoon Cardigan from Kommatia patterns. I've been following Kommatia patterns for quite a while on social media, always admiring their work. I've never got around to make one of their patterns, so when I saw there well looking for pattern testers, I grabbed the opportunity.

    As it was expected their work is excellent. Beautiful drafted patterns and really interesting designs!


    The SW603 Cocoon Cardigan is the perfect spring garment in my opinion. Long and cosy, but also airy. It has a kimono sleeve with a wide sleeve band and inseam pockets. I sewed a size M in a soft sweater knit. I love the length of the cardigan and the fact that the pattern includes pockets. 


    I sewed the whole cardigan with my serger and the whole process from printing to finishing took about 3 hours! I love the final outcome and I can't wait to try more Kommatia patterns!


    *Disclaimer: I received this pattern from Kommatia patterns for free to test, but all opinions are my own. I sent feedback on the draft to Jessica, which were included in the final pattern. I was not paid to test this pattern, and was given a free copy of the final pattern as compensation.*
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    Hello guys! Here is some spring inspiration to brighten your Tuesday morning! I've been thinking a lot about capsule wardrobes, organising and refining. I have too many sewing ideas, but it seems that nothing gets done lately. Have you noticed a theme going around? Not so many bloggers, are so active as they used to be around the blogosphere. On the other hand, vlogs and YouTube channels seem to be the place to be right now. What are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer reading blogs or watching vlogs? And are you a blogger or a vlogger? 
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    Hello everyone! A couple of months ago I was asked if I would like to be a pattern tester for Megan Nielsen's new pattern Rowan and of course I said YES! Megan's patterns are always so perfectly drafted and her designs are modern and easy to wear.

    "Rowan is the ultimate wardrobe builder fitted tee and bodysuit. The pattern features figure hugging close fit, three neckline options, three sleeve lengths and tee or bodysuit versions."

    I went with version 5, the V neck bodysuit with 3/4 sleeves. The first thing I loved about this pattern is that the instructions include which pages you need to print for each version, so you don't end up printing and sticking together all 36 pages just to make one version of the pattern.


    I used a classic black jersey for my version, because I wanted this to be a basic mix&match piece in my wardrobe. I went with a size M, which was the perfect fit for me. I love how the pattern includes both Imperial & Metric charts, saving all the conversion troubles. What I specially love about this pattern is the fit around the bum area. It covers enough, without causing ugly lines and it is really flattering.

    As always, the instructions were really clear and beautifully illustrated. I would totally recommend this pattern to everyone, despite their sewing level. Rowan is a true wardrobe staple and the customizing possibilities are endless.

    *Disclaimer: I received this pattern from Megan Nielsen patterns for free to test, but all opinions are my own. I sent feedback on the draft to Megan, which were included in the final pattern. I was not paid to test this pattern, and was given a free copy of the final pattern as compensation.*
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    Hello??...is anybody here? If there is still someone out there, hello and happy new year(yes, I know that January is almost over!), but you know, work and life get in the way and things don't always go as planned. When the new year came around I thought a lot about resolutions and lists. I didn't want to make a list of resolutions, just for the sake of it, that I already knew I wouldn't stick to past the first month. I wanted to think a lot about what I wanted this new year to be about. So I dedicated this month to thinking what I'd like to achieve the coming 11 months. And since this is the space to share my creative and sewing thoughts, I'm here to share my #makenine2017 list with you.

    I'm sure that a lot will change throughout the year, but these are some of the things I would like to make in 2017.


    For me, 2017 is all about comfort and effortless casual chic. One of my goals for this year is to start sewing my own lingerie. The Boylston Bra by Orange Lingerie has been in my list forever and I think it is time to tackle it. A little while ago, I discovered Evie la Luve's shop and I fell in love with her lingerie designs, I bought the Esme panties over the Thanksgiving sales and I can't wait to make it! As well as undergarments, I'd love to up my loungewear game. I believe the Ultimate Pyjamas pattern by Sew Over It would be a perfect starting point.

    I don't think I have to say a lot about the Toaster Sweater by Sew House Seven. I believe it is in everyone's to-sew list by now and of course it couldn't miss from mine. Another beautiful pattern that caught my eye is the Blaire shirt & dress by Style Arc. I've seen some beautiful versions of this and I can't wait to make my own. I would also like to tackle a more demanding pattern this year and the Kelly Anorak by Closet Case Patterns is the way to go I think. And of course we can't talk about comfort, without including a relaxed t-shirt pattern. The new Seamwork Jane pattern is the ultimate classic t-shirt that everyone has to have in their wardrobe. Coming spring I know I would love to have a light duster coat, like the Londres trench Coat & Jacket by Orageuse Patterns and last, but not least, I'd love to make a long shirtdress, like the Hermes by I Am Patterns.

    So, what do you think? Do you have a #makenine list for 2017? I'd love to hear about it! 
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    About me

    Schnittchen6
    I'm Mady and I'm a self-taught seamstress and knitter. This is my journey towards a handmade wardrobe!

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