I'm getting stoked for the long weekend, and besides lots of sewing projects I plan to start or finish (finishing up the white linen pants, plus a cami-and-tap-pant, two pajama sets, and a peignoir and nightgown set started) I plan to organize my closet also. I have a grand mishmash of wood hangers, a hanging sweater shelf, and two or three varieties of plastic hanger, and the popular thin felt/velvet hangers in my closet right now. Time to sweep all that out and start fresh!
I want to get all-wood hangers in my closet, and will probably incorporate them (some of them were prettily-decorated with painted flowers by either my mom or me) in either this closet or transfer them to the stuff in the hall's coat closet (which also has an interesting collection of hanger types). My thinking is that I'll keep the number of hangers the same and this will help keep my wardrobe down (especially if I don't cheat and buy more hangers!).
This collection should be enough to store my entire planned wardrobe, plus a few extra hangers for "dog park", "tango practica/milonga", and "workout" capsules.
10 - Premium Walnut Coat & Shirt Hangers
10 - Trouser or Skirt Hangers (I haven't decided, but I'm leaning towards the skirt hangers even though I like the look and ease of the trouser hangers)
24 - Blouse Hangers (4 sets of 6 - I could get the case of 36 hangers but that sort of defeats the whole point of actively forcing myself to have a smaller, nicer wardrobe)
1 - Belt Hanger
1 - Scarf Hanger
This should provide more than enough hanging capability for my planned wardrobe + extra capsules.
In addition I think I might go ahead and organize my nightstand drawers with better/nicer boxes to put undergarments and socks into. Maybe something like these (Container Store used to have pretty Linen & Silk boxes, but I guess they stopped making those. . . ), but I'll have to take notes at home about exactly what I need and should get. It would be nice to make a lot of organizing progress and consolidate my nightstand clothes down to two drawers so I can use the top one for storing all the stuff that's currently on top of the nightstand (Books, Glasses, More Books, Sentimental Cards, Hand Cream, More Books).
The 40-hanger-closet gets cited a lot on the internet, and it's not a bad article to start with. I've been a little frustrated with most of the drawer organizing tips online, because they end up being filled with "get a box!" sort of advice, but no clear information on what size works best for what items. Plus, all the images I've seen of "organized" drawers look like removing one item will cause the whole system to crash. Not what I'm looking for.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
Hemming Jeans
I've hemmed a couple pairs of jeans now, one for my fiance and one for myself.
This is the technique I use, which is very similar to the one on Coats & Clark's blog:
1. Measure the length to shorten, in my case it was 3" exactly.
2. Fold up half this length (1 1/2") and stitch very closely to the original hem.
3. Flip the hem out and press.
4. Stitch in the seam or slightly above the new hem seam to help the hem not flip out later.
5. Cut off the excess if necessary and finish the edges.
This takes me about 20 minutes from start to finish, so there's no reason not to do this yourself as opposed to taking your jeans to a tailor. I use denim needles, even on the thinner "designer" denim, and a denim thread from Gutermann. I should look into getting a darker denim thread for darker washes, but from 6 feet up no one will notice the hem!
This is the technique I use, which is very similar to the one on Coats & Clark's blog:
1. Measure the length to shorten, in my case it was 3" exactly.
2. Fold up half this length (1 1/2") and stitch very closely to the original hem.
3. Flip the hem out and press.
4. Stitch in the seam or slightly above the new hem seam to help the hem not flip out later.
5. Cut off the excess if necessary and finish the edges.
This takes me about 20 minutes from start to finish, so there's no reason not to do this yourself as opposed to taking your jeans to a tailor. I use denim needles, even on the thinner "designer" denim, and a denim thread from Gutermann. I should look into getting a darker denim thread for darker washes, but from 6 feet up no one will notice the hem!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Work Clothes Capsule
I have a lot of work-only clothes, and my work-only clothes don't really fit who I feel I am outside of work. Once something has been designated as a work-clothes item, I rarely wear it for anything else.
So given the wardrobe I'm working towards, I think it's going to be better to separate the work clothes from my other clothes. I tend to borrow tops into my work wardrobe, but very rarely will I borrow clothes from my work wardrobe into my every-day stuff (except for my black blazer).
Here are the pieces I'm thinking will work for my work wardrobe, more detailed than my general wardrobe.
I'm more set for work clothes than I thought. I've been living without some items like the sheath dress and navy blazer for a while.
I can definitely cut out a few of these pieces. I could ditch the white patterned cowl top as I've never been in love with it, and the embellished tank is a bit see-through (I always have to wear a blazer on top of it). I like it but it doesn't fit with who I am outside of work. The tan cardigan I have was a gift but I rarely wear it (I look much better in black and navy), and the emerald cardigan I got on sale from J. Crew. I probably only need one cardigan to be honest, and to be brutally honest it's neither of the cardigans I have already. I'm thinking a smoky grey cardigan would fit in with the look I'm trying to achieve, maybe from Burda 03-2013-107
I think I'll separate these clothes out from the rest of my wardrobe, which should make it much easier to get ready in the morning. Plus from the looks of things I'll be able to focus on making and wearing fun clothes, which is, well, more fun!
Things I need to make or buy:
Navy Blazer - Probably buy the next time Ann Taylor has a sale, not sure I'm up to making a blazer just yet
Grey Dress Pants - Probably can figure these out on my own
Aloha Shirt - Ready to make this as soon as I muslin out the pattern
Black Sheath Dress - Probably buy, but I have a navy wool crepe I could make a sheath dress from
Black Skirt Replacement - I can make this one, just need the material
So given the wardrobe I'm working towards, I think it's going to be better to separate the work clothes from my other clothes. I tend to borrow tops into my work wardrobe, but very rarely will I borrow clothes from my work wardrobe into my every-day stuff (except for my black blazer).
Here are the pieces I'm thinking will work for my work wardrobe, more detailed than my general wardrobe.
- Black Blazer - have
- Navy Blazer - don't have
- Tan Cardigan - have
- Emerald Cardigan - have
- Black Dress Pants - have
- Grey Dress Pants - don't have but could make from Vogue 2907 with this suiting from Mood.
- Dark Grey Skirt - have
- Navy Pencil Skirt - have
- Black Skirt - have, need to replace
- White Button Down - have
- Blue Button Down - have
- Lavender Button Down - have
- Teal Cowl Shell - have
- White Patterned Cowl Shell - have
- Light Blue Embellished Tank - have
- Muted Purple Polo - have
- Corporate Branded Polo - have
- Aloha Shirt - have materials (including buttons!) and pattern (Burda 04-2012-116)
- Black Sheath Dress - don't have
I'm more set for work clothes than I thought. I've been living without some items like the sheath dress and navy blazer for a while.
I can definitely cut out a few of these pieces. I could ditch the white patterned cowl top as I've never been in love with it, and the embellished tank is a bit see-through (I always have to wear a blazer on top of it). I like it but it doesn't fit with who I am outside of work. The tan cardigan I have was a gift but I rarely wear it (I look much better in black and navy), and the emerald cardigan I got on sale from J. Crew. I probably only need one cardigan to be honest, and to be brutally honest it's neither of the cardigans I have already. I'm thinking a smoky grey cardigan would fit in with the look I'm trying to achieve, maybe from Burda 03-2013-107
I think I'll separate these clothes out from the rest of my wardrobe, which should make it much easier to get ready in the morning. Plus from the looks of things I'll be able to focus on making and wearing fun clothes, which is, well, more fun!
Things I need to make or buy:
Navy Blazer - Probably buy the next time Ann Taylor has a sale, not sure I'm up to making a blazer just yet
Grey Dress Pants - Probably can figure these out on my own
Aloha Shirt - Ready to make this as soon as I muslin out the pattern
Black Sheath Dress - Probably buy, but I have a navy wool crepe I could make a sheath dress from
Black Skirt Replacement - I can make this one, just need the material
Capsule/French-Inspired Wardrobe
Now that I'm done with graduate school, I'm theoretically going to be able to have time for all this sewing that I want to do. I was thinking about refreshing my Tim Gunn project but I think that's just going to remain a giant unfinished project. I'll probably dismantle it soon although I recently read Tim Gunn's book on style and thought he made some excellent points. In fact, some of his ideas really inspired me to update my own style.
Now I've been really fascinated with clearing out my closet and building a wardrobe that actually works for me. It's like waking up one day, looking in the closet, and saying, "Wow. None of this is really working for me. Except for my prized Burberry trench (which I purchased with a bonus one year). That can stay."
Somewhere in all of my online wanderings I stumbled across the idea of a 10-piece wardrobe, or a French-inspired wardrobe. Having a few items that are really awesome in quality sounds really nice! When I moved to Dallas a two years ago, I had to pack up most of my stuff and only bring what clothes I needed for work. I was wearing all my best stuff at my new job for the month I had to wait to move into my new apartment and have my household goods delivered. It never really clicked that I could update my whole outlook on clothes by continuing to live that way.
I feel like the 'rules' on most 10-piece wardrobe websites are a bit fuzzy. . .I mean, if 'basics' like t-shirts don't count, then theoretically I could have 100 t-shirts that I rarely wear! It defeats the purpose of having a small wardrobe. I get that one might want to keep three of the same basic black t-shirt or tank top around, since one wouldn't want to do laundry every night.
Also, some people count outerwear like jackets and others don't. I kind of like the Project 333 idea because it seems more realistic as to the exact number of pieces one actually has in the closet.
I guess the point is that I want to develop/curate a small wardrobe of nice clothes that I wear all the time. I probably could extend this to patterns (so many evening dresses I'll never make!) and my fabric stash!
I'm not French by any means, but I'd certainly like to be considered stylish and chic. So I think until I have completed building my wardrobe, every time payday gets here I'm going to buy one item I don't have (or the materials for it) that is on the list. I'm no where near a good enough seamstress to sew all of my own clothes, but there is quite a lot that I think I could make.
My work is a bit more conservative and formal that I would prefer to dress, so I might break off a subset of these clothes as a "work capsule" since I don't really wear my work clothes outside of work.
I tend to look best in neutrals like white, black, and navy, so I don't think I'll have many tans or browns in here. I also look great in reds and vibrant blues so I think those will be my accent colors, although I've had great success with some shades of purple and green.
Here is a first draft. Obviously if you do this exercise at home your list would be different. I list the brands of some of my clothes to help me keep in mind where I got what.
Outerwear
1. Trench Coat - have, Burberry trench
2. Leather Jacket - have, Wilson's leather
3. Jean Jacket - need to replace, Levi's trucker jacket
4. Black Blazer - have
5. Chanel-inspired jacket - need to get materials, will most likely make Vogue 8804
Bottoms
6. Black Dress Pants - have, Banana Republic Martin Fit Lightweight Wool Trousers
7. Jeans hemmed for flats - have, need to hem
8. Jeans hemmed for heels - have, probably need to hem a bit
9. White Linen Pants - have materials and pattern (Burda 2012-04-121), need to make
10. Dark Grey Skirt for work - have, Ann Taylor
11. Navy Pencil Skirt for work - have, Ann Taylor
12. Black Skirt for work - need to replace, will probably make McCall's 4783
13. Denim Skirt - have
14. Chanel-inspired skirt to match jacket - need to get materials, pick a pattern. Most likely McCall's 3830, McCall's 5523, or McCall's 3341
Tops
15. White Button Down - have, Brooks Brothers (I also have the same shirt in a light blue and lavender)
16. White Silk Blouse - don't have, need to pick pattern
17. Silk Chiffon Blouse - have materials and pattern (Vogue 2850), need to make
18. Basic T-Shirt - have, Banana Republic Timeless V-Neck in black and white
19. Basic Tank Top - have, Banana Republic Timeless Tank in black and white
20. Breton Top - don't have, would like to get a St. James one in white and navy
21. Sweater - have materials and pattern (McCall's 6796), need to make
22. Bow-Tie Blouse - have materials (except buttons) and pattern (Style Arc Tiffany)
23. Polo Shirt - have, muted purple Ralph Lauren polo
24. Raglan Top - don't have, need to get materials for Burda 02-2013-127
Dresses
25. DVF-inspired wrap dress - have, will need to replace soon with another Vogue 8379
26. Kate Middleton ISSA knockoff - don't have, need materials to Frankenpattern Vogue 8921 and McCall's 5752 (which I don't have but will probably draft the tie)
27. LBD sheath dress for work - don't have, most likely will get J. Crew's Emmaleigh in Super 120s
28. Cocktail Dress - have, Burda 04-2012-128.
29. Denim Shirtdress - have materials and pattern (McCall's 5847), need to make
30. Maxi Sundress - making now, Vogue 8870 (trendy item, most likely won't last a year and I'll replace it with another sundress)
Some immediate thoughts:
I like dresses. A lot. I have a few other dresses in my head that I'd either like to make or already in my current wardrobe. I have three or four other dresses that I could have listed but didn't.
I haven't listed very many tops - most online sources give a 2:1 ratio of tops to bottoms. I have a handful of t-shirts that I like to wear and some other random tops that are work-only tops. This makes me think I need to separate my work clothes from my "me" clothes (I'll never wear a work-only top or bottom outside of work). Who I feel I really am really is in conflict with the person I feel I'm supposed to be at work. Maybe a sign I need to get a different job?
I go tango dancing at least once a week. Excepting the cocktail dress, I don't have anything nice enough to wear to milongas.
I have a couple layering pieces like cardigans but haven't listed them.
This doesn't include my whole sleepwear wardrobe I'm making - I have two cami-and-tap-pant sets, a silk nightgown and peignoir set and a cotton Japanese-inspired PJ and robe set in the pipeline.
I'll have V8870 done sometime over the weekend (it's super easy; I'm at the attach-the-straps and make-the-bodice phase), and then I can hem those jeans and cut out my linen pants.
Now I've been really fascinated with clearing out my closet and building a wardrobe that actually works for me. It's like waking up one day, looking in the closet, and saying, "Wow. None of this is really working for me. Except for my prized Burberry trench (which I purchased with a bonus one year). That can stay."
Somewhere in all of my online wanderings I stumbled across the idea of a 10-piece wardrobe, or a French-inspired wardrobe. Having a few items that are really awesome in quality sounds really nice! When I moved to Dallas a two years ago, I had to pack up most of my stuff and only bring what clothes I needed for work. I was wearing all my best stuff at my new job for the month I had to wait to move into my new apartment and have my household goods delivered. It never really clicked that I could update my whole outlook on clothes by continuing to live that way.
I feel like the 'rules' on most 10-piece wardrobe websites are a bit fuzzy. . .I mean, if 'basics' like t-shirts don't count, then theoretically I could have 100 t-shirts that I rarely wear! It defeats the purpose of having a small wardrobe. I get that one might want to keep three of the same basic black t-shirt or tank top around, since one wouldn't want to do laundry every night.
Also, some people count outerwear like jackets and others don't. I kind of like the Project 333 idea because it seems more realistic as to the exact number of pieces one actually has in the closet.
I guess the point is that I want to develop/curate a small wardrobe of nice clothes that I wear all the time. I probably could extend this to patterns (so many evening dresses I'll never make!) and my fabric stash!
I'm not French by any means, but I'd certainly like to be considered stylish and chic. So I think until I have completed building my wardrobe, every time payday gets here I'm going to buy one item I don't have (or the materials for it) that is on the list. I'm no where near a good enough seamstress to sew all of my own clothes, but there is quite a lot that I think I could make.
My work is a bit more conservative and formal that I would prefer to dress, so I might break off a subset of these clothes as a "work capsule" since I don't really wear my work clothes outside of work.
I tend to look best in neutrals like white, black, and navy, so I don't think I'll have many tans or browns in here. I also look great in reds and vibrant blues so I think those will be my accent colors, although I've had great success with some shades of purple and green.
Here is a first draft. Obviously if you do this exercise at home your list would be different. I list the brands of some of my clothes to help me keep in mind where I got what.
Outerwear
1. Trench Coat - have, Burberry trench
2. Leather Jacket - have, Wilson's leather
3. Jean Jacket - need to replace, Levi's trucker jacket
4. Black Blazer - have
5. Chanel-inspired jacket - need to get materials, will most likely make Vogue 8804
Bottoms
6. Black Dress Pants - have, Banana Republic Martin Fit Lightweight Wool Trousers
7. Jeans hemmed for flats - have, need to hem
8. Jeans hemmed for heels - have, probably need to hem a bit
9. White Linen Pants - have materials and pattern (Burda 2012-04-121), need to make
10. Dark Grey Skirt for work - have, Ann Taylor
11. Navy Pencil Skirt for work - have, Ann Taylor
12. Black Skirt for work - need to replace, will probably make McCall's 4783
13. Denim Skirt - have
14. Chanel-inspired skirt to match jacket - need to get materials, pick a pattern. Most likely McCall's 3830, McCall's 5523, or McCall's 3341
Tops
15. White Button Down - have, Brooks Brothers (I also have the same shirt in a light blue and lavender)
16. White Silk Blouse - don't have, need to pick pattern
17. Silk Chiffon Blouse - have materials and pattern (Vogue 2850), need to make
18. Basic T-Shirt - have, Banana Republic Timeless V-Neck in black and white
19. Basic Tank Top - have, Banana Republic Timeless Tank in black and white
20. Breton Top - don't have, would like to get a St. James one in white and navy
21. Sweater - have materials and pattern (McCall's 6796), need to make
22. Bow-Tie Blouse - have materials (except buttons) and pattern (Style Arc Tiffany)
23. Polo Shirt - have, muted purple Ralph Lauren polo
24. Raglan Top - don't have, need to get materials for Burda 02-2013-127
Dresses
25. DVF-inspired wrap dress - have, will need to replace soon with another Vogue 8379
26. Kate Middleton ISSA knockoff - don't have, need materials to Frankenpattern Vogue 8921 and McCall's 5752 (which I don't have but will probably draft the tie)
27. LBD sheath dress for work - don't have, most likely will get J. Crew's Emmaleigh in Super 120s
28. Cocktail Dress - have, Burda 04-2012-128.
29. Denim Shirtdress - have materials and pattern (McCall's 5847), need to make
30. Maxi Sundress - making now, Vogue 8870 (trendy item, most likely won't last a year and I'll replace it with another sundress)
Some immediate thoughts:
I like dresses. A lot. I have a few other dresses in my head that I'd either like to make or already in my current wardrobe. I have three or four other dresses that I could have listed but didn't.
I haven't listed very many tops - most online sources give a 2:1 ratio of tops to bottoms. I have a handful of t-shirts that I like to wear and some other random tops that are work-only tops. This makes me think I need to separate my work clothes from my "me" clothes (I'll never wear a work-only top or bottom outside of work). Who I feel I really am really is in conflict with the person I feel I'm supposed to be at work. Maybe a sign I need to get a different job?
I go tango dancing at least once a week. Excepting the cocktail dress, I don't have anything nice enough to wear to milongas.
I have a couple layering pieces like cardigans but haven't listed them.
This doesn't include my whole sleepwear wardrobe I'm making - I have two cami-and-tap-pant sets, a silk nightgown and peignoir set and a cotton Japanese-inspired PJ and robe set in the pipeline.
I'll have V8870 done sometime over the weekend (it's super easy; I'm at the attach-the-straps and make-the-bodice phase), and then I can hem those jeans and cut out my linen pants.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)