my sewing plans for spring and summer

bringing some focus to the chaotic collection of sewing patterns and fabric I've been piling high

One large element of my creative expression has always been my wardrobe. However I’ve never had it very dialed in like I want. I have a tendency to go towards the path of least resistance and reach for the most practical outfit for my current circumstances. When I worked at a large capacity warehouse, that included a lot of clothing that I could easily move in and wouldn’t mind getting ruined as I threw around 80 lb boxes each and every day. Which, as you can imagine, doesn’t make for a very pretty wardrobe. Then when I moved to working from home, I started wearing all of my rattiest loungewear. Now I’ve gotten to the point as a creative that I’m so beyond sick of just putting on a random outfit. I want my wardrobe to say something about me. I want it to be colorful and fun and brighten my day each and every day. There’s only so many times I can wear sweatpants with holes in them before I get sick of my bad habits and need a change.

Hence the recent focus on my wardrobe that nicely aligns with my new possession of a sewing machine. So now I get the opportunity to sew the perfect wardrobe for myself!

There are so many reasons to sew my own wardrobe. Number one being that I can actually make clothing that FIT my body. But another big reason is that I am a designer with very strong opinions about patterns and color in clothing and I can finally create wardrobe pieces that are designed to my specifications. I can’t even tell you the HOURS I’ve spent scrolling through thrift stores like ThredUP to try and find clothing in my size that are also attractive colors and patterns to join my wardrobe. It’s an impossible feat. But now I have the freedom to pick the fabric and create my own clothing pieces that are exactly as colorful as I want and sized perfectly to join my wardrobe.

So with this newfound power, I’ve spent all of my time looking for patterns and fabrics to make this dream wardrobe of mine come to life. I’ve collected a ton of fabric so far (I blame Joann’s going out of business) but now I need to narrow down the patterns I’m going to focus on for this spring and summer to make the perfect pieces for my wardrobe.

After scrolling through some of my collected ideas on Pinterest and large sewing pattern wishlist, I was able to create three big focuses for my spring and summer sewing: comfy shorts (that aren’t too loungewear), matching sets (that I can also wear separately) and flowy dresses (that I can throw on and go).

Focus One: Comfy and colorful shorts that feel like pjs but are cute enough to be seen in public wearing

I don’t know about y’all but I could wear pjs constantly and be happy. However so many of my pjs are not suited for public viewing so I need to make some new options! Not to mention the current boxer short trend that’s created so many new cute options for me. I have my sights on the Apron Pocket Pants that Matchy Matchy Sewing Club is currently in the process of previewing and finalizing. I’m obsessed with the ruffle detail and am a total fan of the design having both a long and shorts options. Hopefully we see it soon on their site! Until then I’m eyeing their Bow Boxer Shorts pattern as a backup option.

I would also love to make some shorts that aren’t so much like pajamas and have my eyes on some fun options that have ample pockets (I’m starting to notice a trend in my favorite patterns always having extra pockets). One design is the Weekend Chore Shorts from Matchy Matchy Sewing Club (another favorite obviously). The huge pockets are the perfect place to bring in a fun pattern and their designs are always perfect for patchwork, mismatched fabrics which is my favorite way to create. If I can pattern mix, I’m going to.

Another pattern that’s at the top of my wishlist is the Chanterelle Pants from Sew Liberated. I’m especially in love with the longer pants, but the shorts option is especially cute with it’s pocket detail. Plus sewing patterns with multiple options are some of my favorite because who doesn’t love a three-for-one deal??

I also plan to make some more lightweight linen versions of the Kite Pants pattern (that’s been heavily featured in my instagram stories). I’m loving it in cotton canvas but a more breezy linen will be better suited for the incoming warmer weather. I have an order of linen fabric incoming from Stash Fabrics with a trio of fabrics I plan on using together on the Kite Pants. Here’s hoping it’s lightweight enough to wear through the spring (I’ll probably wear them all the time regardless).

Focus Two: Matching Sets that I can wear to be on trend and also wear separately when this trend inevitably goes away

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve seen these matching sets all over the place. A lot of versions are far more neutral, but I prefer the far more colorful options myself. The best part of these sets is the pieces can be worn together or separate for double the outfit possibilities. I especially love when the top and the skirt can look like dress when worn together.

But honestly this focus entails soooo many different patterns. You can make any design into a matching set if they somewhat match style-wise and are made from the same fabric. I’ve collected a number of beautiful fabrics that would be perfect (and hilariously they’re all pink and mostly involve stripes). So I just need to decide on the right combinations for the sets I want to make and I’ll be golden!

I’m currently working on a simple pink floral linen midi skirt and drafted a pattern for a basic crop top to match it. Now that I’ve created a bodice block using my personal measurements using an incredibly helpful video / channel called Thuy Phan Made with Love I can make nearly anything! It’s incredible. So now I need to muse on the type of tops that would best suit some of the unique bottoms I’ve picked out. One is going to be a variation on this free Ballet Bow Skirt pattern from Matchy Matchy. I plan on making one slit in the front with the bows and it’s going to be adorable. Maybe a crop top with a bow detail somewhere?? I see some experimentation in my future for it.

I also have the free Peppermint Mag Pocket Skirt pattern that I’ve been meaning to make and would be perfect as a matching set with the right top.

I’m also eagerly waiting for Sydney Graham’s next pattern which will be a swirly skirt. She’s showing sneak peaks of it on her social if you’d like to see what she’s up to. I’ve loved following her for sewing content and learned a ton from her learn to sew series on YouTube. Highly recommend.

There are so many different ideas in this focus and I’d love to hear from you if you have any advice on the kind of pieces I should combine into a set! Have you seen any especially cute ones? Send them my way! Collaboration is one of the most fun parts of any creative practice.

Focus Three: Flowy Dresses that I can throw on and have a complete outfit with zero effort

This focus is my least developed. I’ve been keep an eye out for good dress patterns that are simple and effortless but none have been interesting enough to warrant a pattern purchase yet. Honestly it’s probably because I recently thrifted the most perfect Madewell dress (pictured in green down below) and I’ve compared every sewing pattern to the way this dress makes me feel. I can most likely draft something simple from the basic bodice I created with Thuy’s help so I’ll be looking into that soon. She also has some beautiful dress patterns on her YouTube channel that will probably be exactly what I want. Let me know if you’ve seen a sewing pattern you think will result in the perfect flowy dress for my spring and summer wardrobe! I’m very open to ideas.

I have big plans for my sewing plans this spring and summer and I CANNOT wait to see what I make. I have so much amazing fabric so I have no doubt I’ll be able to come up with something amazing. I’ll be sure to post updates as I work on things so keep an eye out.

If you made it this far, thanks for listening to all of my master plans. Sewing has been a lot of fun in this transitional phase of my life and an awesome outlet for my creativity. Let me know if you have any helpful advice for my matching sets or flowy dresses! I’d love some new ideas to add to this pile of inspiration as I go into the planning mode for all of these projects.

Happy Friday and I hope you have the most sunshiney and amazing weekends.