Summer Colours and a Capsule Wardrobe

Because I clearly don't think I'm sewing enough!  Following Gillian from Crafting a Rainbow as she created an autumn capsule wardrobe using her wonderful colour palette method made me look a little differently at my summer wardrobe sewing plans.  So when I found my coloured pencils while spring cleaning the studio I spent an afternoon assessing what I want and need, what I actually want to make and what colours I'm loving for summer to bring it all together.

I started with my November and December outfits, navy blue and some bright floral fabric I really want to use for summer.  Then I gathered all the patterns I had been setting aside for summer.  Finding a balance between what I want to make and what I want to and am likely to wear was tricky.  I want to make them all!  That's why I collect all these patterns, every single one of them.  I took the floral fabric as a starting point for colours.  All the colours go well with navy, so that's a base colour confirmed.  Then there is red, pink/coral, yellow, teal and turquoise.   At this point I decided that the floral print gets to be a Wiksten tank dress.

Using the Fashionary printable technical templates, I got to planning.  I love my big fashionary journal and I have a little neon light in my bag at all times, I think I'll get the tech template sticky memo pads too, they're wonderful.  And here's what I've come up with: 

Shorts: Navy, and stretch geometric patterned denim, both from Burdastyle Magazine.  The denim shorts are the bottom of December's outfit.

Dresses: Floral Wiksten Tank dress with elastic casing at the waist, 1980s Vogue wrap dress - I'm hunting for another bright patterned fabric for this one.

Shirts: Chambray sleeveless shirt - this one came from the shirt originally planned for September's outfit and already cut, white sailboat sleeveless shirt from Burdastyle mag 06/2012 - there will be enough left over from Darron's November shirt (aw yeah matching his and hers).

Tops, tees, and tanks:  A Wiksten tank - this one in red voile, a white jersey Elise tee (November's top).  

Scoop neck bodysuit in coral jersey, navy jersey scoop necked button front tank (December's top).

Skirts: Yellow (possibly eyelet lace, maybe a print, it looks like I may have to dye to get the golden yellow I'm after) wrap skirt from a late 1970s Simplicity pattern.

Blue and white seersucker Button front skirt, this one is November's bottom.

Swim suit: Turquoise 1970s halter neck.

So in theory all these colours work together and any top and bottom from the collection should look good.  It seems like a lot to tackle, but most of the garments are quite simple.  The chambray shirt is already done and awaiting buttons and the Wiksten tank is cut and ready to sew.  So by knocking over a garment every now and then between other projects I should have a well stocked wardrobe in time for summer!