Planning for Spring and Summer

With the warming weather, I have gotten less excited about winter sewing, and am looking ahead to what I need for spring.

To that end, I spent some time this weekend rearranging "The Stash," hoping to identify any holes that needed filled. I was quite surprised when I saw that I already have what amounted to three separate "sets," one in black, white, and red; a second in turquoise and grey; and a third in lime green and purple. I also have determined that I am going to use ONLY patterns that are already in the house. No more patterns! I already have a full 4-drawer filing cabinet. I will never sew all of them in my entire lifetime.

Short of restocking interfacing, thread, and purchasing coordinating buttons I already have everything I need for a productive spring and summer of sewing.

The first set of coordinates that I put together consists of black, white, and red:


A total of 16 coordinating fabrics that would be appropriate for spring/summer:

1. White on Black Floral Rayon Twill (Short Trench Coat from McCalls 5525)
   
2. Red and White Polka Dot Charmeuse (Lining for Trench)
   
3. Zebra Print Cotton Pique (Pencil Skirt from Butterick 5249)
   
4. Black Cotton Pique (Jacket from McCalls 5859)
   
5. Red Embroidered Stretch Twill (Jean-Style Jacket from Butterick 5616)
   
6. Black and White Embroidered Eyelet (Self-Drafted Tunic)
   
7. White Batiste (Underlining for Tunic)
   
8. Black Sateen (Shirt Dress from Vogue 1107)
   
9. Black RPL (Hot Patterns Marrakesh Pant)
   
10. White Stretch Sateen (Wrap Top from Butterick 5328)
    
11. Black and White Charmeuse (Top, Button-Down, possibly ruffles at front, or pussy bow)
    
12. Black on White Floral Print T-Shirt Knit (Dress, McCalls 6069)
    
13. White Bamboo Knit (Asymmetric Tee, Kwik Sew 3790)
    
14. White Zebra Burn-Out Rayon Knit (Draped T-Shirt, possibly Hot Patterns)
    
15. Black Slub Rayon Knit (Cardigan, possibly Burda Wrap Cardigan)
    
16. Black, White, Beige, and Grey ITY Knit (Faux Wrap Dress, McCalls 6163)

Clearly, black and white is a favorite of mine! I think I will start with the short trench, since that will be a good piece as we transition to warmer weather.

The second set consists of a combination of grey/taupe and shades of blue and turquoise. There is a bit more color variation in this set, but I think it is still fairly well coordinated:


For this grouping I have more dresses planned, so it won't be a wardrobe on interchangable pieces so much as a unified set of clothing:

1. Turquoise Stripe Stretch Cotton Sateen (Hot Patterns Weekender Shirt Dress)
   
2. Turquoise and Grey Floral Cotton (Princess Seam Button-Down Top)
   
3. Grey, Turquoise, and White Bird-Printed Cotton (Vintage Dress)
   
4. Grey and White Stripe Stretch Cotton Sateen (Shirt Dress, Butterick 5315)
   
5. Brown Slub Knit Rayon (Hot Patterns Kimono Wrap Dress)
   
6. Turquoise Slub Knit Rayon (Contrast for Kimono Wrap Dress)
   
7. Grey Slub Knit Rayon (Hot Patterns Kimono Wrap Dress)
   
8. Lilac Slub Knit Rayon (Contrast for Kimono Wrap Dress)
   
9. Beige Floral Rayon Knit (Boatneck Tee)
   
10. Tuape/Grey Worsted Wool Suiting (Pants from TNT Pattern)
    
11. Blue/Brown Swirl ITY Knit (Wrap Dress from Vogue 8379)

The final set is a range of greens and purples. The piece in the upper left that looks gray is actually a suiting with alternating threads of purple, turquoise, gray, and brown. It sounds insane, but it actually looks very nice and is very similar to a pair of pants I purchased from Ann Taylor a few years ago:


This will add some more casual pieces to the wardrobe, less work-wear and more weekend-wear:

1. Chartreuse Batiste (Blouse with Waist Tie from Kwik Sew 3620)
   
2. Purple Tone-on-Tone Polka Dot Silk (Short Sleeve Top with Waist tie from Burda)
   
3. Purple Gauze (Tunic)
   
4. Taupe/Purple/Turquoise Suiting (Pants, from TNT Burda Pattern)
   
5. Purple/Green Madras Plaid (Top from McCalls 6122)
   
6. Chartreuse Stretch Sateen (Jacket from Vogue 1093)
   

I don't know if I will sew one capsule at a time, or skip back and forth between the three, but I am thrilled that my indiscriminate fabric purchasing has yielded some fairly well-coordinated sets.

So, what are your plans for sewing form the changing weather? I'd love to hear what you all are up too!