Ruggedly Chic SWAP (comments in the discussion thread, please)

[Grasshopper]

Wandering by the Light of the Moon by Louise O'Hara

I am feeling very inspired by the red fox in nature (and my similarly shaded red Heeler pup) this year.  This painting mixes brighter warm tones with neutrals in shades of brown and denim with golden accents, all with varying degrees of softness.  It is an accurate reflection of my fabric stash, which has been accumulated over a period of time in which I worked with different personal color analysis results. I have some beautiful fabrics in softer, more muted tones as well as fabric in warmer caramel and chocolate hues.

Personal Goals
• Explore & successfully achieve a wardrobe collection that mixes softer tones like taupe, gray, and muted navy with warmer tones like caramel, chocolate, and rust.
• Use more fabrics in my stash and have fewer new fabric purchases.
• Sew long-planned projects and reduce guilt; turn fabric taking up space into useful clothing.
• Discipline myself to tame the "shiny object" syndrome and finish projects to completion before starting something else.
• Avoid sewing orphans.
• Achieve some dressier outfit combinations for my casual job.
• Refine my personal style.

Style Recipe:  Ruggedly Chic

My plan is loosely based on the 2017 SWAP.  I am determining what, if any, modifications I will make to the rules from that year.  However, I am thinking that I want to sew the following:

2 overs (ex:  vest, jacket, etc.)
5 uppers (ex:  knit top, blouse, etc.)
4 lowers (ex:  skirt, jeans, trousers, etc.)

Photos of potential fabrics to follow.

[Grasshopper]

Potential Muted Tone Fabrics


Gray Taupe Moleskin
Dk. Taupe Pinstripe Wool
Cream Jersey
Taupe Wool
Dusty Navy Sweater Knit
Taupe Crushed Velvet
Muted Navy Silk Tweed

[Grasshopper]

Warm-Toned Fabric Options


Golden Brown Polka Dot Print
Chocolate Jersey
Brown/Caramel/Gray Print
Chocolate Suiting
Caramel Pinstripe Suiting
Feather Print Charmeuse

[Grasshopper]

More thoughts and observations have yielded a couple of important points.

Self-Realization Item 1:  I prefer a relaxed fit.
Lately, I have come to realize that my childhood self really knew what she was doing.  As an active, outdoorsy child, I remember hating anything that wasn't comfortable.  I preferred looser fit clothing that was easy to move in and the tactile nature of fabric was also very important.  I was generally averse to anything too stiff, tight, itchy, or scratchy.  And after a few days as of late of wearing various items in my current closet and feeling like I was going to go stark raving mad before I could make it home to change, I have decided to listen to that inner child once more.  So, going forward, comfort is going to be the primary concern with everything I make.

Self-Realization Item 2:  Natural fibers are my friend.
One of the side effects of a daily medication I take is the tendency for my body temp to run warm.  As such, I am finding that natural fibers wear better because they help regulate my body temperature better.  Thus, I will likely be doing some weeding out in my closet and also thinking carefully about the garments I sew using fabrics containing synthetics.

Self-Realization Item 3:  I found my perfect pants! Now, I just gotta figure out how to make them. 
I came into adulthood in the late 90s and early 00s, when wide leg pants and jeans were in fashion.  As I started my work career, I transitioned from wide leg jeans straight to wide leg trousers and all was right with the world.  As pant trends changed and leg width narrowed and length shortened, I never found myself being able to get on board.  I confess that I still like what was fashionable when I came of age.  Moreover, those shapes are what my body finds comfortable.  Happily, wide leg pants are coming back into fashion but what I find this time around is most everything is high rise, which is terrible for my straight, short-waisted body.  A lower rise is more comfortable as it hits at the perfect spot on my lower abdomen to not feel like it is squeezing the life out of me and it gives me the illusion of a longer torso.  This image has been circulating around on Pinterest, but all sources seem to lead back to online retailers generally deemed to be scams or suspicious.  I would love to have pants like these in various denim washes as well as colored twill and corduroy.  In fact, this entire outfit is an example of something that would work well for my job (obviously with the top buttoned up higher and minus the scarf when on the shop floor).  I expect that I will be on the hunt for a pattern for something similar, or more likely, I will end up trying to hack together something like these from the various jean and trouser patterns I own.  Drafting an entirely new pattern (and especially for something like pants or jeans) is something that would definitely qualify as a stretch goal / new technique should I decide to change my plan to using the SWAP 2020 rules.



I have also started a Pinterest board for my plans and have included a sub-board of outfit inspiration to help with deciding on what garments to sew.

[Grasshopper]

Given that my main goal is to sew up long-planned projects and predominantly use stash fabric, here is my current plan. 

• Dusty Navy Pleat Neck Knit Top, Butterick 5354 View C
• Muted Navy Silk Tweed Skirt, Simplicity 8019 View B
• Taupe Crushed Velvet Knit Top, Pattern TBD
• Slate Blue Floral Charmeuse Top, Pattern TBD
• Taupe Wool Cuffed Dress Trousers, Considering Butterick 6715 View B or Simplicity 4965 View A with View B cuffs
• Vanilla Cream Jersey Top, Pattern TBD
• Dark Taupe Pinstripe Wool Skirt, Pattern TBD
• African Daisy Print Rayon Crepe Blouse, Pattern TBD
• Cream Waterfall Knit Vest, Pattern TBD
• Gray Taupe Moleskin Draped Collar Jacket, McCalls 5937
• Wide Leg Jeans, Pattern TBD; or RTW Bootcut Jeans

Rather than get too ambitious too soon, I'm starting with the first two projects listed, which I also already have cut out, and I'll go from there on determining patterns/sizing based on fit and what I have available in each fabric.  Some of these fabrics are cuts remaining from other projects, so finding a use for them will help to clear out the stash and make room for future fabric purchases.

[Grasshopper]

I really wanted to create a plan that combined the more muted fabrics with some of the warmer ones, but the fabrics that kept speaking to me ended up being mostly on the muted side.

[Grasshopper]

The plan for my first two garments.  The knit top shall hopefully be my item finished prior to December 26.

[Grasshopper]

My Butterick B5354 top, made in a dusty navy sweater knit, is finished.  I hope to get photos posted soon!  The pattern has some incorrect markings for the center front pleat that caused me to have to unpick and redo and if I make it again, I may draft a back neck facing piece as I wasn't entirely thrilled with only having a facing on the front.  The knit was also a bit frustrating to sew, but overall, I am pleased with the outcome.

I confess that I have been a bit stalled out due to uncertainty on pattern sizing and measurements, but this past weekend, my mom and I spent some time taking measurements of me and some well-fitting RTW pieces I own, then comparing to the actual garment measurements on the patterns I've been contemplating and I'm glad to say that I finally feel like I have a clearer plan for moving forward. So now, I have started working on the Simplicity 8019 skirt in silk tweed, as well as cutting out what will hopefully be my next garment, Simplicity 2614, if I can squeeze out all the pieces from the slate blue floral charmeuse leftovers on hand.  I have plans to modify the skirt so that it actually has a zipper in the back and the button placket in the front stitched closed to prevent potential gaping due to my round lower abdomen shape.