Rich Links on personal style

Posted April 13, 2013 by sewingplums
Categories: personal style

More Rich Links with lots to explore when you get there. And some chatter ! This time on personal style.

Do you know your body shape, colouring, personal style?
What flatters your special combination of qualities ?
What do you enjoy wearing ?
Have you got an effective wardrobe ?
Or do you just enjoy reading about it all :D

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Follow Imogen Lamport’s April Style Challenge at Inside-Out Style.
Get some ideas for re-thinking how you wear your clothes. (Sorry, a bit late now – do it in May instead !)

More inspiration for using your existing clothes to best advantage, from Jill Chivers of My Year Without Clothes Shopping.

Imogen Lamport also has good groups of posts on
body shape.
colour personality. (Posts on individual colour types in the Archive for early April 2010 – scroll down.)
capsule wardrobes.

And a recent series on which neutrals are flattering to wear with your hair colour (allowing for warm-cool differences) :
blonde,
red,
brunette,
grey.

Another Australian site for getting to know what you like to wear describes 6 steps to a personal makeover.
There’s much good advice here, without making any purchases.

The Joy of Clothes has a fun style quiz – even if I don’t recognise myself in much of it !

Lot’s of advice to explore from The Chic Fashionista. Another style quiz (look under Fashion 101 > your personal style) – this one does include me :D except I’ve never owned a pair of black pumps. Interesting advice on wardrobe essentials – ignore that the examples are all white, grey, black.

Or simply search your body shape, for innumerable suggestions. Example for me : “pear body shape”.

If you’re interested in exploring your personal colouring, there are free videos on the 6 basic colour types used by UK Colour Me Beautiful.
The videos are oriented to selling handbags, but you can always move on once you get to that section !

The videos show people who are clearly dominant on one of the UK ColourMB 6 colour types :
Light . . . . . . . . . . . Deep
Warm (yellow) . . Cool (blue)
Clear . . . . . . . . . . . Soft (muted, added grey)
Many of us are a mixture. I need to wear Light clothes in Warm colours with a touch of Soft.

Not the same as the US Color Me Beautiful company, which uses the 4 seasonal colourings based on 2 dimensions :
light-warm . . . . Spring
light-cool . . . . . . Summer
deep-warm . . . . Autumn
deep-cool . . . . . . Winter

Sadly I don’t look good in all the colours suggested by either of these colour schemes. I find it best to use colours directly based on the colours in my hair, eyes, and skin.

US ColorMB’s seasons are similar to the colour system used by Dressing Your Truth. Who go so far as to relate colour of clothes directly to face shape and clothing personality.
DYT . . . . colour . . . . style . . . . . MBTI temperament
Type 1 . . Spring . . . . . Casual . . . . . . SP
Type 2 . . Summer . . . Romantic . . . .NF
Type 3 . . Autumn . . . . Classic . . . . . SJ
Type 4 . . Winter . . . . . Dramatic . . . NT
(DYT claim their system is unique – this way of relating it to well known categories of colour, style, personality is mine !)

Of course this is an extreme over-simplification of all our subtle individual differences. Psychologists long ago gave up on the idea that there’s any link between face or body shape and personality.
Indeed, DYT have to colour people’s hair so they look good in the colour of clothes suggested for their personality. Which to me doesn’t seem a way of respecting the Truth of our own bodies and personalities.

But anyway DYT have a free course on identifying your Type.
And many entertaining free videos about their system. See if you like the ideas and presentation style. Skip the first 10 minutes to avoid the pep talk and get to the content.
Follow this link to get the course currently at 1/3 price.
(Don’t buy the book ‘Dressing your truth’ – expensive and says little about clothes.)

UK Colour Me Beautiful expands the usual 4 categories of personal style to 6 :
City Chic – elegant quality basics with an emphasis on accessories, or minimalism. See Janice of The Vivienne Files for inspiring outfits in this style.
Classic – traditional classic, modern classic, tweeds.
Natural – casual, relaxed, rugged, sporting.
Romantic – feminine, vintage.
Dramatic – edgy, sexy, fashionista.
Creative – a wide range of possibilities, from the Tilton and Sewing Workshop patterns through crafter’s embellishment, Goth/ Lolita/ steam punk, to grunge or the wildest of unexpected shape/ colour/ print/ texture combinations. Or ‘eclectic’ – any style depending on how you feel at the time !

UK CMB have nothing free on-line about these styles, but they have got an on-line course for training professional personal stylists !

The 7 personal styles in the Australian 6-step wardrobe revamp include 6 similar styles and also ‘Alluring’.
Elegant
Classic
Natural
Feminine
Alluring/ Sexy
Dramatic
Creative.
Choose a main style, then a secondary one to add special character to it.

My main style is relaxed, but having a ‘chic’ category helps me include the quality aspect that’s important to me. With touches of creative and feminine. I’m not at all into being highly visible, either dramatic, alluring, or aggressively creative !

‘Alluring’ in one way is like ‘casual’, ‘feminine’, ‘creative’ – there are many situations, such as at work, where it’s either inappropriate or unhelpful. It’s good to know your tendency and preference, so you can think how to get round it. Sometimes your secondary style is helpful. I’m a ‘natural’ and unhappy in classics (as I keep saying :D ) When I was working I focussed on my ‘chic’ side to look successful and competent.

Does any combination of these categories describe your personal style ? Where do you feel you fit in ?

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I’ve looked at many systems describing body shapes, colouring, and personal styles. None of them fit me exactly. Some of them I can fit myself into quite easily, others only with great difficulty. But I’ve learned something or got inspiration from nearly all of them, so it’s worthwhile as well as entertaining.

Have a look at some of this for a bit of enjoyable relaxation.
If it gives you any ideas for your own style, that’s a bonus :D

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Links available April 2013

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Speedy Patterns update 2013

Posted April 6, 2013 by sewingplums
Categories: speedy sewing

The Stitchers Guild annual Sewing With A Plan contest comes to an end on Tuesday April 30. So it’s time for an update of patterns that can be sewn in less than 2 hours – to help with any last minute sprint to the finishing line :D

The SWAP requirement this year is to make a couple of different capsules of :
5 items : 3 tops, 2 bottoms, or
4 items : 2 tops, 1 bottom, 1 dress
plus a linking item which can be worn with both groups.
Giving a total 9, 10, or 11 items.

There’s a very wide variety of patterns available which the pattern companies claim can be sewn in less than 2 hours.
As there are dozens of them, I’m giving more information here about the few that I haven’t covered before, and just giving links to the ones I’ve shown drawings of previously.

Including patterns that are oop but still available from US BMV.

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Wardrobes and outfits

Simplicity 5314 – sleepwear robe and pants. Shorten the robe for casual jacket-pants.

”s5314”

Simplicity 8589 – quick maternity wardrobe, for wovens.

”s8589”

Previously mentioned patterns :
New Look 6816 – knit top, skirt and pants.
Butterick 5225 – Life Style Wardrobe coded Easy rather than Very Easy. Butterick say it (presumably each garment) needs 2 hours of sewing time.

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Outerwear

Nancy Cornwell’s 90 minute fleece book has patterns for capes, ponchos, vests, scarves.

Previously mentioned patterns :
McCall’s 6209 – ponchos with a variety of shapes and necklines.
McCall’s 3448 – even easier, 1 hour ponchos.

And see the capes below.

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Costumes

Make on the day needed. (Though, having once supervised the making of an entire Shakespeare play costumes in style like the nativity ones, in 2 days, I wouldn’t recommend this for peace of mind !)

McCall’s 2339 – nativity.

”s2339”

McCall’s 6142 – clowns.

”m6142”

McCall’s 4139 – vampire capes.

”m4139”

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Dresses

Simplicity 1609 is a vintage 60s dress pattern for wovens, which they call a ‘Jiffy’ dress. In the 60s it was a quick make in comparison to what had gone before. But as it has a back zip and many darts, it’s not quick by today’s standards.

”s1609”

Many quick dress patterns have been shown in previous posts.

Knits

McCall’s 6074 – gathered front, sleeveless.
McCall’s 5893 – empire bodice, short sleeve option.

Wovens

Butterick 5211 – shift, short sleeves.
McCall’s 6551 – shift with 2 necklines, 2 sleeves, 3 hems.

McCall’s 6465 – slightly a-line, 4 sleeves, 4 hems.
McCall’s 6102 – a-line, cup sizes to C and D, sleeveless or short sleeve.
McCall’s 9172 – a-line, sleeveless or short sleeves.

New Look 6804 – sleeveless.
New Look 6889 – sleeveless or cap sleeve.

New Look 6890 – gathered neckline, 5 raglan sleeve options, 3 lengths.
McCall’s 6558 – peasant style, 3 bodices, elastic waist, 4 hems.

This post – Quick patterns update 2012 – tops, dresses
includes quick dress patterns from independent designers.

Or find some of the fabric that is shirred along one side. Simply cut a length to go round you comfortably. Sew one seam to make a tube with the shirring at one end, and there’s a sun-dress. Well, you might like to take the time to add some straps.

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Jackets

I haven’t found anything new, but there are many existing possibilities.

Knits

Butterick 5224 – many empire waist options.
McCall’s 5241 – cascade style cardigan, 3 front lengths all with the same back.

Wovens

Butterick 4989 – various cascade/ waterfall front options.
McCall’s 6084 – cascade shawl collar with 4 sleeve lengths.

Butterick 4138 – unlined blazer they say can be made in 2 hours ! Choice of pocket styles and long or short sleeves.
Not so quick, the Palmer-Pletsch 8 hour jacket, McCall’s 6172.

These posts – Quick patterns update 2012 – skirts, pants, jackets, and Fast jackets – both include quick jacket patterns from independent designers.

Least-effort jacket ? Shirley Adams shows how to make a fleece jacket in a few minutes – in her Bog coat video.

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Vests

McCall’s 2260 – unlined vests

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Tops

Several tops which I have given pictures of before, and which are still available :

New Look 6807 – 4 raglan sleeve options, knits.
New Look 6892 – raglan ‘peasant’ style, many sleeve options, wovens.

McCalls 5855 – 1-hour kaftan.

Butterick 5948 – dartless pullovers with various necklines, body and sleeve lengths. Site used to say they could be sewn in 2 hours, but no longer does. Borderline perhaps!

Also the Palmer-Pletsch shirts ;
McCall’s 4518 – 2 hour shirt with convertible collar.
McCall’s 4079 – 3 hour shirt with band collar.

And many of the dress patterns can easily be shortened to make a top.

This post – Quick patterns update 2012 – tops, dresses
includes quick top patterns from independent designers, mainly for knits. Peggy Sagers demonstrates sewing Silhouette patterns 600 Classic Blouse for wovens in 1 hour in her associated webcast.

Many people have tee/ knit patterns they can make in a whiz on a serger/ overlocker. But if the pattern company doesn’t claim that, I haven’t mentioned it.

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Skirts

Previously mentioned patterns :

McCall’s 5430 – wrap flared skirt.
Silhouette 2050 – straight wrap skirt with darts, button closure, no vertical seams.
McCall’s 6567 – elastic waist skirt with various lengths and hems, also a mock wrap version.
Simplicity 2368 – dirndl, mock wrap and 4 gore styles, 3 lengths.

Or make a dirndl skirt by cutting 2 fabric rectangles and sewing a casing for elastic around the top.

Skirt and pants
Simplicity 2414 – tiered skirt + elastic waist pants.

Pants
Butterick 5153 – one-seam pants, for women, men, children, various lengths.
McCall’s 6568 – elastic waist pants, 3 lengths, 2 leg shapes.
McCall’s 5889 – 1 hour tapered leg pants include several lengths.

This post – Quick patterns update 2012 – skirts, pants, jackets – includes quick skirt and pant patterns from independent designers.

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Dozens more quick sewing patterns at AllFreeSewing. Though of course there’s no guarantee of the quality of the patterns or instructions.

What a rich selection, so many styles to choose from – pretty, casual, elegant, business-like. Which do you like ?

24 days left to the end of the SWAP contest.

So you need no more than 5 minutes of sewing time a day to make one of these patterns in the time available.

Or – whew – starting from scratch ? There are so many of these patterns to choose from – you could make one item a day starting from now, make a whole SWAP wardrobe, and finish with two weeks to relax and recover before the end of the contest !

Enjoy your sewing, make what you love.
So only do speedy sewing if you find it fun :D

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Patterns and links available (some patterns oop and only from US BMV) April 2013

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Comments: 2 Comments

Fun fashion and sewing links

Posted March 26, 2013 by sewingplums
Categories: current fashion, sewing technique

I don’t think I’ve ever done a purely “have a look at these” post. But here are some starting points for inspirational Weekend-Web-Wandering over the holiday. Links to links !

Enough for two weeks of this – first on fashion and sewing. Later on personal style.

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Fashion

Here’s a list which claims to be the top 99 most influential fashion blogs.

It’s a good season for remembering the difference between style and fashion. Have been looking at a UK magazine issue for this month. Which says this summer we must wear black and white, or bright colours in big florals or blocking. Emerald, sunflower, red, bright blue, fuchsia.
Well, those will only flatter people with ‘Winter’ or ‘Spring’ type colouring.
And within those colour groupings, only people with some colour personalities and some personal styles would be happy wearing them.
Also apparently neutrals (grey, navy, dark brown) are a no-no this season.

Actually that leaves out a big colour story this summer, the pale beiges and pastels (see Cos) – good for some ‘Summers’.
‘Autumns’ ? – how about some gold or bronze metallic, or tangerine, greyed jade, chartreuse.
Here’s the Pantone spring 2013 colour report.
And there’s the grey/ silver metallics and sheers.

Happily other sources have a wider range of ideas about this season’s possibilities.
Here’s the Style.com US Vogue spring 2013 trends.

YouLookFab lists must-haves for spring/summer 2013.

And have a look at what M&S thinks we should be wearing this summer. Set the occasion on the left, the current ‘look’ at the top, and see what they suggest !
Fashion of course, no allowance for personal style. Plus lots of videos of models wearing the outfits. I don’t find them at all tempting (they might not mind this – I doubt I’m their target customer :D ), but they are entertaining.

Yet more delight from looking at clothes ? explore the outfits at Polyvore.

While Style.com have already listed all the RTW fashion shows for winter 2013.

And Style.com’s pre-season report says the Fall 2013 trends (click on ‘The pre-fall Guide’) are :
Candy coloured coats
Leopard print
Quilting
Plaid
Turtleneck sweaters
Modest coverage evening wear
Big proportions
Oxfords and saddle shoes

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Patterns and sewing

Sewaholic patterns come out top pattern company in the Pattern Review of top patterns in 2012.
Good instructions, and some patterns have on-line sewalongs (sorry, they’re for pear shape people).

There are many easy free download patterns from Hot Patterns, if you’re looking for an ‘instant gratification’ project quick enough to make over the weekend.
(well except that assembling a download pattern isn’t instant gratification. . .)

Dozens more quick free sewing patterns at AllFreeSewing. Though no guarantee of the quality of the patterns or instructions.

Or look through the Hot Patterns videos – they are intended (and effective :D ) to get you to buy their main pattern line, but there’s a lot of useful information as well.
They actually have a ‘channel’ on YouTube.
Click on the words “Uploaded Videos” in the button.
(The Favorite videos are something else entirely.)

Or explore FashionSewingBlogTV if you like to watch easy videos about technique.

Get inspired by the wondrous wardrobe sewing at Stitcher’s Guild. This year’s Sewing With A Plan contest ends in April. Use your Tried ‘n True patterns and there’s still time to take part if you enjoy speedy sewing :D
Or do it without pressure and follow the seasonal capsule sew along – always one in progress.

And if you get to the end of the weekend and find you’ve made a wadder – make a special sewer’s frustration tool from Shirley Adams at Sewing Connection. Make it from the worst bit of your wadder :D

Back to serious – you can sign on free for a couple of days at The Sewing Guru (it’s easy to cancel the instructions at PayPal).
You might manage in one weekend to watch all his videos on making a tailored jacket, but would you remember it all :D If you get hooked you may want to stay a member so you can watch them slowly.

At the advanced end of the technical skills scale, couture companies like Chanel give more details about what underpins their collections.

Hermes have videos about the work of their expert artisans.

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Second post planned on links for exploring personal style.
Following up all this could take weeks not days !
Have leisurely relaxing fun over the holiday weekend :D

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Links available March 2013

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‘Dressmaking’ book – intermediate skills

Posted March 23, 2013 by sewingplums
Categories: learning to sew

A new wardrobe pattern book, ‘Dressmaking’ by Alison Smith, includes good photo instructions for making about 30 garments, based on classic patterns for tops, skirts, pants, dresses, jackets (see my post on the styles included).

This book sparked off so many thoughts, my comments expanded to several posts. I’ve already posted about help for complete beginners and advanced beginners. This is a review of the ‘Dressmaking’ book. I’m writing another post on other routes to intermediate skills.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I like project based learning. It’s good for people who like very classic styles and want to learn intermediate sewing techniques, plus starter skills for pattern altering to make new styles. Very good on technique. But difficult to read and look things up.

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General limitations of the ‘Dressmaking’ book

In this book the typeface is small and low contrast so it’s difficult to see. The pages look lovely, but you have to peer closely to read the text. As this is an instruction book not a coffee-table book, I don’t think this is good book design.

There are pages and pages of tools which you apparently have to have before sewing a single stitch. I’ve been sewing for 70 years and I still haven’t got all of them.

There’s a good general section on altering a pattern to fit, but not much detail. As so often happens, there’s next to nothing on how you know what you need to alter on the pattern, or by how much ! You have to work out for yourself which parts of this are relevant to your project and your body shape. There’s a brief section on making a muslin to test fit, but very little on how to evaluate and alter it. So this is not a book to turn to if you need help with fit. (Index page 2 lists my posts on fit.)

This is a project based book. When techniques are described within projects, you need a good index if you want to look up a technique away from a particular project. Sadly this index is in such dim type you need a strong light to read it. And it’s not good. For example there are a couple of pages on openings (plackets), but they’re not mentioned in the index.
Hmm – 5 out of the first 6 things I looked up in the index aren’t there, though they are in the text.
So once you’ve learned to sew from this book, it’s not so good as a reference afterwards.

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Quality of instructions

I do like the technique instructions in this book. Lots of close-up photos. A huge amount of thought and work must have gone into preparing such detailed and effective illustrations. They give a high level of ‘I could do this’ confidence. (Though there isn’t enough to support complete beginners.)

I’ve read the whole thing and only found :
3 techniques which I think a first-timer would like a bit more help with.
3 techniques where I do things a bit differently. (I finish the neckline treatment while the garment is flat, before sewing the side seams, if possible.)
2 small omissions.
And in 200 pages packed with sewing instructions, there were only 3 steps which I didn’t understand.
Is this a record :D

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Project based learning

Alison Smith’s other books describe techniques and have drawings rather than photos. This book is about projects. If you work through these projects, you’ll have a good grounding in sewing techniques up to intermediate level, though only for standard weave woven fabrics. But she doesn’t suggest a best sequence for learning. You could choose any project, with minimum guidance on how difficult it is.

If you do want to learn from a sequence of increasing difficulty, it’s probably best to work through all the projects in this book in the order given – from a skirt with darts, zip, waistband, to a lined jacket with lined patch pockets and shawl collar. Not as far as a structured notch-collar blazer. The technical descriptions for later garments are briefer and refer you back to earlier in the book.

If you work through the whole sequence, you’ll learn competent sewing of standard woven fabrics and simple pattern altering. There’s usually only a few clearly explained new skills in each project. It would be a good learning experience to work through all the projects in this book – except that making 31 ultra-classic garments is a major commitment !

I wrote a list of the pattern altering and sewing skills covered in each project in the Dressmaking book, for my own reference.
It won’t be of general interest, but some people who use the book might find it helpful. So here’s a pdf version :
31 projects.A4.pdf
31 projects.USletter.pdf
It might also act as a guide to a sequence of learning intermediate skills.

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When I first got the ‘Dressmaking’ book I wavered wildly for and against. It is difficult to read and find things in. The patterns are ultra classic. I’ve settled on being very impressed with the instructions for technique. Very easy to learn from at intermediate level.

With over 300 large pages, this book is packed with information. But it can’t be all things for all people. The techniques are unusually easy to understand, but you may want to know about other fabrics or styles, easier or more advanced techniques, more guidance about fit.

The techniques included can be used for making a wide variety of styles, not just classics. But the patterns are more limited.
I love project-based learning rather than just working through a list of techniques, but I agree it is difficult to produce projects that everyone wants to make !

This also works well for me as an instruction book as I’m happy to sew at intermediate level. I have little wish to learn more advanced sewing techniques. But for some people that’s their big love. My interests are more in the direction of learning to make my own styles.

Which level of skill are you happiest to sew at :D

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Links available March 2013

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Comments: 10 Comments

Loungewear

Posted March 16, 2013 by sewingplums
Categories: my choices, personal style

What are the people who go to the supermarket in pyjamas aiming for ? – extremes of lazy comfort. Is it possible to have that lazy comfort and still look stylish ?

I don’t think it’s the style elements that make you look slobby-sloppy-shoddy in pjs. I think it’s the state of the fabrics – unwashed, overwashed, stained, pilled, fraying. Basically pjs are classic casual styles.

Though sometimes overwashed, stained, fraying is a high fashion style statement, or even a political one – all style rules can be broken :D

The higher the quality of fabric and finish the better, if you want to look classy in casuals – quality always counteracts a casual effect ! My current favourite style words are “Relaxed Luxe”. Happily the days when stylists thought casual style meant you didn’t care about quality are long gone.

Love tailoring ? elegant chic ? always wear pretty dresses? Of course there are many people whose personal style means they never get near the point where casual becomes slovenly, but what about the rest of us ?

I’m inconsistent on this. I automatically hang up blue jeans. But I do like to be very comfortable and can easily slump into definitely-not-chic.

So what are these comfortable comforting but stylish clothes ? This all got a bit long, so I’ve made the section on pj patterns into a separate post.

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New casual shapes for the season

Lots of ‘bomber/ baseball/ varsity’ jackets in the high street here (summer 2013). Such as Simplicity 1940.

”s1940”

And ‘slouchy’ pants are loose at the hip but tapered at the ankle. Such as McCall’s 6514 view A.

”m6514”

Many patterns for ‘slouchy’ tops. Oversized tops in soft drapey fabrics, so they show the body shape rather than standing away from it. My favourite easy slouchy pattern is Butterick 5651, now oop – shows the idea has been around for a while !

”b5651”

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Cosy indoor ‘jackets’

Before Christmas I bought a ‘cardigown’ – a hip length dressing gown (US robe) made in light cuddly fleece.

”cardigown”
Rocha John Rocha

Apart from a down vest, this has been my most worn garment this winter. A double breasted wrap hoodie. So what would be a good pattern for copying it ?

Saf-T Pockets Portlandia coat.

”portlandia”

or Design and Planning Concepts Hooded Orknot coat.

”desplancoat”

Make thigh length in snuggly fleece for a cosy indoor version.

And for deep winter I have a Lands End robe (dressing gown) made with down. I’m planning to shorten it for next winter as I think jacket length will be more useful.

”ledown” Lands End

I confess these robe/ gown ‘jackets’ are so cosy and comfy it’s had a disastrous effect on my willingness to ‘get dressed properly’. Hence I’m planning a post on pjs and similar patterns. See also my posts on designer Sweatshirts and Fleeces and hoodies.

I would like to resolve this problem of how to look good while being very lazy. This isn’t just an over-reaction to the ultra-classic styles in my last post !

Ah, it’s just a matter of all the usual themes. Make sure sleeping-slumping clothes co-ordinate and are in good condition. And in flattering favourite colours, shapes, styles :D

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Links and patterns available March 2013

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Comments: 4 Comments

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