Planning my 6 Month Capsule
The weekend long read.
This morning I was listening to a podcast that's a couple of weeks old and the hosts were talking about new years resolutions. It felt like old news already even though it’s only the 3rd week of January. I’ve slightly forgotten my own resolutions for the year and I thought how funny it is to hype up resolutions for the first 2 weeks of the year for them to then drop off a cliff. Even with this reminder of how fleeting there are I know I’ll always enjoy setting goals for the year and reflecting on life.
I know there are lots of people who have committed to sewing more this year and I have a great cohort already signed up to the 6 Month Capsule Course. I’m genuinely so excited to see where this is going to take us and this week I started the planning for my own capsule. In amongst the new year plans I’ve been battling with the London rental market so it was a welcome relief to sit down with my fabric stash and start to pull some ideas together for my capsule.
Compared with my previous capsules this one has been easier to plan as I have set a programme for what the course will cover each month. It took the pressure off choosing styles and I just had to fill in 3 gaps. The first was ‘Jersey month’ and I’ve opted to sew a Rib Sweater. The second was the ‘trouser month no.2’ and I’ve chosen Spring Trousers (as shorts) as my other pair are the comfiest shorts I own. And lastly for the ‘showstopper month’ I’ve gone for a jumpsuit; I wear my summer version so much I’d like a second so I can alternate. For the other 3 months I’ll be making a Frida Shirt, Over Shirt and Worker Trousers.
Part of my design process is having the sketches in-front of me to pair with fabric ideas. I drew each of these designs out on paper and then started to pull out my existing fabric stash along with samples from shops and suppliers. I thought I'd share the thinking behind each design and fabric pairing as it's probably my favourite part of creating a capsule wardrobe.
Worker Trousers
The vision for this capsule started with the fabric for the Worker Trousers. I recently sampled a pair of mens worker trousers (yes, new pattern coming soon) in a stunning brushed twill from MacCulloch & Wallis. It’s one of the loveliest twills I’ve ever come across and it comes in 4 colours. I knew this had to be part of the range and I opted for the blue which looks navy but is quite bright in real life. This turned out to be the starting point for building the fabric range.
Rib Sweater
Next I knew I wanted a neutral colour for the Rib Sweater. My past colours for Rib Sweaters include bright yellow which is lovely until you want to wear it with pink trousers. I wanted to make a Rib Sweater that was totally neutral to go with absolutely everything. I dug out a sample for a lovely mottled grey jersey and I already own some cream ribbing. So this was the next garment sorted.
Frida Shirt
I have had this swatch of this printed cotton saved for about 2 years and it felt right to finally give it a time to shine. This fabric immediately became the one that other fabrics needed to match. Even though it was the 3rd fabric chosen it has become the centre of the collection. I’m SO excited to use it (purchased from MacCulloch & Wallis).
Over Shirt
Next came the sage canvas for the Over Shirt. This fabric is incredibly beautiful and also incredibly expensive so it’s TBC for the moment. It’s the perfect weight for an Over Shirt which is on the heavy side, sturdy yet soft and the kind of colour that would go with most of my wardrobe. It will also help to make it the perfect holiday garment, something that is thick enough to layer and light enough to wear on warm evenings.
Jesse Jumpsuit
For the jumpsuit I played with a lot of different colours based on the existing 4 fabrics and I’ve ended up with something crisp and tonal. This is a lovely crepe which is light but not transparent which is important for a summery jumpsuit.
Spring Shorts
Lastly I chose the fabric for the Spring Shorts by finding a weight and colour that matched the existing range and not compromising on the functionality and mood of that piece. This is a beautifully soft and supple cotton (again from MacCulloch & Wallis I believe).
Overall this capsule is giving me 'cool and calm' vibes along with being timeless and in-keeping with the other colours I wear on a regular basis. When I look at this mood board I see 6 pieces that I know will get a lot of heavy wear over the coming 10 years which is EXACTLY the outcome I'm aiming for.
If you would like to join us on the 6 Month Capsule Course you still have until 31st January to enrol.
This week I've been working on a forum for people on the course to use. We'll be able to introduce ourselves, share our projects and ask advice from each other. This is definitely the part that excites me the most - leading a group of people from all over the world on their making journeys and sharing the process together.
In the past I've shared the whole process of making my capsule with you all but from here on all of the course content will be exclusively for those on the course. This is the last of any capsule related reading but I'll be back to sharing more sewing content soon (just as soon as I have time)!
If you have any questions about enrolling please don't hesitate to hit reply to this email.
Hetty x
