Back to school season is upon us, and oftentimes, this means a new wardrobe in the next size up. I am particularly excited because this is Emery's first year of school; she will be starting pre-k and cannot wait! However, she will be attending pre-k at The Little Gym, and gymnastics and sports are incorporated into every class, so I knew I needed to sew her more movement-oriented clothing; her dresser drawers are overwhelmed with full-skirted dresses and billowing tops.
I decided to take on the idea of a school capsule based around the idea of movement and the ability to play freely, while still maintaining fun colors, prints, and textures. A capsule wardrobe is a minimalist approach to clothing, where each piece is an essential item that coordinates with the other articles. For this mini wardrobe, I decided to make nine articles of clothing: four tops, four bottoms, and one piece of outerwear. To make the wardrobe as friendly to all seasons as I could, I also decided all tops would be short sleeved. I can of course add to the collection later with long sleeves when it gets colder, and shorts and tank tops when it warms up again next year.
First, I chose my nine fabrics. I wanted to keep it simple with solids, but not boring, and for there to be pops of fun throughout; after all, Emery is not quite four! I made sure to have a variety of textures, including cotton/lycra, bamboo/lycra, athletic knit, jacquard, and more.
Left to right, top to bottom: athletic knit - Sincerely Rylee, bamboo/lycra -Wanderlust Designs Custom Fabric, jacquard distressed knit - So Sew English, lightweight jersey - swap meet find, cotton/lycra - Dark Matter Fabric, bamboo/lycra - So Sew English, cotton/lycra - Wonderground Fabrics, cotton/lycra - Dark Matter Fabric, stretch corduroy - So Sew English.
Once you've chosen your fabrics, assign each one a pattern!
I like to write everything out and play with my Happy Planner.
Then, get to sewing! Once you have completed sewing everything, you will have SIXTEEN complete outfits!
Row 1: Harbor Knot Tee in bamboo/lycra
Row 2: Cypress Choker (basic neckline) in cotton/lycra
Row 3: Desert Breeze top in bamboo/lycra
Row 4: Shorewalk tunic with tee vents in lightweight jersey
-SVG: Confetti in metallic silver heat transfer vinyl
Column 1: Rhapsody Joggers in athletic jersey
Column 2: Juniper Joggers in jacquard knit
Column 3: Rhapsody Joggers, capri length mod in cotton/lycra
Column 4: Juniper Joggers, capri length mod in stretch corduroy
Diagonally: Wildflower Kimono in cotton/lycra
* To modify for capri length joggers, I simply measured how far up from my daughter's ankle I wanted the capris to hit, and cut that much off the base pattern. Additionally, I cut the length of the cuffs in half.
* To modify for a lack of stretch and recovery, the jacquard Juniper waistband is the exact size of the opening of the waist, and features encased elastic.
And there you have it! A super versatile, active-toddler wardrobe that is sure to result in effortless mornings. No more "no, those two don't match" arguments ;)
And well, how about a coupon code so you can get your seasonal school sewing in, too? Now through next Tuesday, August 28th, 2018, save 20% off all girls' sewing patterns and SVGs (digital cut files) *bundles excluded! Use code B2S2018 at checkout!
Shop girls' patterns here.
Shop SVGs here.
Happy sewing!
xo, Erin
Comments will be approved before showing up.
