31 May 2008

Final Storyboard

Storyboard 1c

Here is my final storyboard for the June Capsule Contest with all four pieces, plus the accessory. It is the eve of the beginning of the contest and I confess to feeling a bit overwhelmed. How can I possibly sew all five items in thirty days?! That's insane!

29 May 2008

Storyboard 1b

I headed to the fabric store to look through patterns, and fabrics, trying to find something I liked for my fourth piece. I absolutely fell in love with this leopard print chiffon, which has a green streak running through it that looks great with my green linen. I had to have it. So I found a loose over-blouse pattern that would work well for it. Or I might do a shawl with it, and make something else for my fourth piece. We'll see. I suppose it depends on what I decide to do for my accessory, which still needs to be determined.

Storyboard 1b

I'm starting to get a little intimidated by the idea of sewing FOUR (or five) pieces in ONE MONTH! Seems like a huge endeavor! But even if I only sew one, I'll have sewn more than I would have without this contest!

27 May 2008

First Storyboard

What is my June Capsule challenge going to be? Hmmm. Other contestants are doing these amazing "storyboards" with sketches, and swatches, and patterns. I'm amazed by the skill of these women. I'm nowhere near that good, but the beauty of it is, I don't have to be. I only have to be as good as I am, and I love that. Besides, this will definitely challenge me to do things I'd normally be too lazy to attempt. Like storyboarding my plans before I sew! (Of course, that's rather why it's called Sewing With A Plan!)

I never even had to think twice about what kind of capsule I'm sewing. I need summer clothes. Badly. I need clothes that fit, that I feel pretty in, and that will weather the scorching heat here in my desert town. Since I see that many of the participants in these contests name their collections, I'm debating something like Heat Wave, or Scorching Lace. (That latter will only work if I have a lace theme in all the garments, though, and I'm not sure if I'm going with that.)

Right away I know two of my pieces. That lacy camisole that's been an unfinished object (UFO) in my sewing room for the past year, and the pair of white shorts I've been meaning to make for ages.

I think the only summer weight fabric I have in my meager stash is white muslin. My budget is extremely tight, so I can only buy a minimal number of supplies and materials and I'm thinking patterns and notions need to be the priority there. It needs to fit, after all!

So back to the storyboard thing. I have two items of the four (plus one accessory). One doesn't have a pattern picture, so I get to figure out how to storyboard that one. The other is going to be made out of white muslin, so I get to figure out how to photograph that one. And I need to settle on two more pieces. I'm thinking maybe the lime green dress I bought last month. (Then I might have to call the capsule collection "Limeade". Oh! Oh! I think I like that!) If I can find a good pattern, I'd like to do a sun shirt. Something to keep the sun off my skin, yet not give me heat stroke, but also doesn't make me look frumpy. That's a lot of requirements for one pattern! The real trick is going to be how to keep from looking like I'm wearing a sheet, yet still finish four items in one month!

Storyboard 1a

I just spent a shocking amount of hours creating this storyboard! I had no idea it would be such an involved process! And I still have two items to add!

26 May 2008

Sewing a Life into Being

Tonight, in my internet travels, I stumbled across something that has lit a fire in my belly. It's called Sewing with a Plan. I've done some research in the past on how to buy a simple work wardrobe (for saving money), but I never thought to apply the concept to sewing. I've been unhappy with my wardrobe for a long time. My body is a new shape, my tastes have changed, and my lifestyle has different clothing needs than it used to. I've been thinking of a number of things I need to add to my wardrobe, especially for the summer that is fast approaching. I even have a few patterns in my new size. Only a few, though. So when I stumbled upon this idea of sewing with a plan, planning a wardrobe of interchangeable pieces, and sewing them as part of a contest, it was a little like love at first sight.

So I joined a contest. The June Capsule Contest (JCC), which requires the sewing of four coordinated pieces, plus one accessory. There are some other rules involved, just to make it interesting. One piece must be a top, and one must be a bottom. One of the five pieces can be store bought, and one can be made before June. That before June thing isn't much of an option for me, since this contest begins so soon! And nothing can be black. I don't want black for summer-time anyway, so I'm good with that one.

I've surprised myself by jumping into this challenge without really spending much time to consider it. I feel like I'm grabbing a bull by it's horns, and making a stand that something is going to be for me. I'm going to sew My Life into Being. I'm going to have a brand new clothing capsule, it's almost like a whole new wardrobe! (Only a bit smaller.) I already have ideas bouncing in my brain, but that's for a different entry. So wish me luck, and don't call me crazy because I've decided that I'm going to sew most of my clothes this year. And keep coming back, because June is very soon, and I should have lots of sewing updates as I rock this challenge!