Sewing for Spring - So Sew English Capsules

April 30, 2019

Sewing for Spring - So Sew English Capsules

It's officially Spring, well it's trying to be at least! Back in March I saw that So Sew English Fabrics was having a Spring Sewing Capsule Contest in their Facebook Group and thought "Well heck I want to sew some new clothes just for fun!" When I shared my idea of sewing up a capsule using only Striped Swallow Designs patterns with Erin and Mandalynn, Erin jumped on board! 
The rules laid out by So Sew English were pretty simple. We needed to sew 6 items using only SSE fabrics, and one item needed to be a bottom (ie. skirt, shorts, pants or leggings). 
Onto my fabrics! Picking fabrics was so hard for me, it usually is. I have a lot of SSE so that was not the problem but narrowing down fabrics that I felt would be good together was where I got stuck. Once I narrowed down my fabrics choosing patterns came much easier to me.
The first SSD pattern I chose was my bottom. I immediately thought of the Midsummer Dream. The midi length skirt separate is a staple for me during spring and summer. This was my first time sewing one in double brushed poly spandex and it is the most comfortable and flowy skirt I now own. I used the Periwinkle Watercolor Tropic and it's so bright and pretty. 
I knew I needed at least one Cypress Choker dress. I chose to go with the basic neckline for this one using the Lorraine ITY
The At First Glance was my next choice. This top is one of my all time favorite patterns, I only have 6 hanging in my closet right now haha. I went with white Micro Viscose Cotton for this one and the drape is so pretty!
A capsule wouldn't be a capsule without a Shorewalk dress!! There are so many options for this pattern but with Mandalynn's help I went with the midi length and low neckline. The Blush Pineapple Tropic was a pretty choice for this one. 

I needed at least one more top. This time I went with the Sundown Tank, the high twisted back again in white MVC!

Remember when I said it's still TRYING to be spring? I decided a cardigan definitely couldn't hurt. I made the Lost Coast Cardigan in Honeycomb sweater knit. 

 

We don't typically have a lot of time to sew for fun so I am very happy I was able to squeeze this capsule in. I hope you enjoyed my makes and maybe you will sew up a capsule yourself soon! 

 

xo,

Ashley 

 

It's been awhile since I've been back into the swing of sewing (after having major abdominal surgery in November), so when Ashley brought up the SSE capsule contest, I was really excited by the idea of jumping right back into things.  Over the past several months, I have realized that despite the insane amount of clothing I have sewn up, I tend to gravitate to the same few staples of solid tees in dark colors. I kept this in mind as I chose my capsule fabrics.

The first two items I sewed up were the Hideaway and Coachella Shorts.  I love the Hideaway for showing off my tattoo, but most of mine are long sleeved for autumn/winter, so I definitely needed a spring-weather one.  I used charcoal modal; it's so incredibly soft and breathable, with beautiful drape.  The Girls Bite Back digital cut file in black flocked vinyl was a fun way to create a subtle, tonal design element and add extra dimension to the tee.

I make myself at least one pair of Coachella Shorts every spring/summer.  Like so many of our customers, this pattern is what initially drew me to Striped Swallow Designs.  I made these in distressed navy jacquard; while it's a knit, it's stable with little stretch, which makes it great for bottoms.

My third piece was the Desert Breeze with slim-fit add on in black modal.  Again, I love showing off my tattoo, and modal is so comfortable.  As one of my friends described, this Desert Breeze is "the little black dress" of tees!

While not a requirement for the contest, I feel a capsule always needs a piece of outerwear.  I sewed up the Warrior Kimono in this pretty navy watercolor chiffon.  I have such a love/hate for chiffon; I really despise sewing with it, but I keep buying more because it is seriously just such a dream to wear once you're finished with it, haha.

The Warrior Kimono is a very emotional piece for me, and if you would like to know more about the significance of this pattern, you can do so here. (You must be a member of our Facebook group to view the post.)

I then sewed up what started as a Shorewalk in dark red modal (in case you haven't noticed the trend, modal and bamboo are my favorite fabric bases!). The Shorewalk is my go-to top pattern, I have a ton.  Almost all of them are curved hem tunics with tee length vents.  This started the same, but I changed my mind once I was done with it and hacked the curved hem off, leaving me with a basic tee.  The vinyl I added here is a matte silver in our Not an Object digital cut file.

And finally, a Harbor Knot Tee (lower knot). It's a simple but beautiful tee, and that's really what I'm trying to do with my wardrobe: keep it simple but interesting.  The slate variegated stripe in bamboo/lycra was the perfect choice with the right amount of recovery and drape.  I love how it brings out the blues in my kimono.

I hope you are inspired to sew your own SSD/SSE capsule; they're a match made in sewing heaven!

xo, Erin




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