Sewingplums

Nancy Nix Rice is publishing a series of posts on wardrobe planning. She has given much good advice on colour and proportion, and has just started talking about her idea of a 12-item core wardrobe.
Her typical core wardrobe consists of :
– a ‘Core 4’ of top, jacket, pants, skirt in a dark or light neutral colour.
– another Core 4 in 1 or 2 other neutrals.
– a knit top and cardigan in an accent colour.
– a top and skirt in a print fabric that combines all the other colours.
If the shapes co-ordinate well, she claims you can make nearly 100 different outfits.

I wrote on Nancy’s 12-item core wardrobe 6 years ago in a series of posts suggesting patterns (goodness, was it that long. . .). The links to her Lessons in these posts no longer work.
Nancy Nix-Rice : core neutrals, personalising colour and style
Adding colour and print
Extras (Nancy now includes many of these styles in her current pattern suggestions.)
Two-piece dresses
Accessories
More thoughts

Note – My posts in these links were written years ago. Many of the patterns mentioned are now out of print, and the Big 4 have changed their sites so most of the urls have changed. So just take the images for styling ideas.

The patterns in my posts are not ‘high current’, but happily Nancy has recently published an interesting group of posts on patterns for tops, bottoms and layers. She doesn’t include some types of garment that I wear all the time, so I’ve added my own comments.

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Tops

Nancy’s suggested patterns for tops
Disappointing for me as these are all knit tops, which I don’t wear.

I need a post on pretty blouses. For a start, Sew Over It is a pattern company that has several current ones.

My new favourite is the Liesl & Co Recital shirt – with frilly high collar, optional front tucks, princess front seams (good for fitting and for easy re-styling), back yoke – for me that’s ‘what not to like’.

I would add cuff frills, and back princess seams for easier fitting over my rear.
Yes, a blouse with frilly high neck and cuffs is my ‘signature’ garment, not something for occasional wear. But I do know it’s not to everyone’s taste.

Of course Nancy is choosing patterns which will work as core styles for the majority of people, not trying to cater to fringe interests !

Dresses

I don’t wear dresses myself, so it took me a while to notice that Nancy doesn’t mention patterns for them. Her core wardrobes include a top and skirt made from the same fabric so they can be worn together with the effect of a dress, or with other clothes as separates.

Many other stylists do include one dress in their suggested basic wardrobes. True dress lovers want the convenience of ‘one piece’ dresses, and have favourite styles such as wrap dresses, sheaths, shifts, vintage, or tank dresses for hot weather. Shirt dresses are very current. There are quick and easy versions among Butterick’s Sew and Sew patterns. Two of the many indie pattern companies which specialise in dresses are Sew Over It (UK) and Colette Patterns (US).

Bottoms

Nancy’s suggested patterns for bottoms : pants, jeans and skirts.

Two very popular indie patterns for jeans are :
Closet Case Ginger Jeans – there are several variants of this pattern, and an e-book on sewing them.
Jalie Eleanore jeans for 20% stretch fabric.

As I’m pear shaped I always wear the most inconspicuous of bottoms, so I’m not complaining that there aren’t any more ‘interesting’ styles here (and I never wear a knit skirt – they cling lovingly to all the lumps and bumps which are in the ‘wrong’ places).

Anyway Nancy in her 12-item core wardrobe is concerned with having basics which you can wear over and over, and which co-ordinate with everything.
Your favourite exciting and interesting garments are add-ons with much more personal style and variety. Like my blouse, you may be the only one who loves them. And they may only co-ordinate with a few other items in your closet.
Unless of course you love athletic / pretty / arty / lagenlook /. . . in which case your whole wardrobe will be like that and you won’t be looking to Nancy for pattern advice 😀

Layers

Nancy’s suggested patterns for jackets

I’m a great fan / needer of layers. Nancy again suggests the most popular jackets. For a somewhat different selection of ‘current’ jacket styles, see about half way through this post.

Nancy doesn’t mention a point which I think is important for sewers – if you wear under-layers with sleeves, especially long sleeves, always check the armhole and sleeve width of patterns for layering over them, and go up a size in that area if necessary. For some reason, many jacket patterns assume you only want to wear a tank/cami underneath.

Nancy only shows one vest / gilet, and vests are my first choice when temperatures lower a little. Many jacket patterns can be made without the sleeves. Often if you look at the line diagrams of a jacket pattern you’ll find a vest version is included.

And Nancy never mentions pullover layers, which I wear all the time, especially slouchy ones, which she also keeps well away from 😀
Here are some of my past posts on these favourites (pattern urls probably don’t work now) :
Oversized tops
Sweatshirts
Fleeces and hoodies
Stylish fleeces and hoodies
Basic comfort styles – pyjamas for loungewear

I also now have some pinterest boards which are relevant here. This is just a selection :
Stylish big tops (style ideas).
Yokes and smocks (patterns and style ideas).
Over-sized jackets (patterns).
There are many many indie pattern companies which have patterns for casuals, both basic and chic/edgy. Some of my favourites are on my other pinterest boards.

– – –

Well, I’ve probably done the opposite of what Nancy intended, by vastly expanding your pattern options, instead of simplifying things to a small range of styles so it’s easy to know where to start. So Good Luck with settling on your own basic pattern choices.
Here in summary are Nancy’s posts :
Tops
Bottoms
Jackets
Perhaps start from Nancy’s suggestions, and only expand outwards if you find she doesn’t cover some of your wardrobe needs.

Does the arrival of a change in temperatures set you off on a flurry of wardrobe planning ? Enjoy 😀

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Patterns and links available October 2017

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This entry was posted on October 14, 2017 at 9:13 am and is filed under Nancy Nix-Rice. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.