Capsule collections

I first heard about the idea of a capsule collection from my favorite pattern designer, George and Ginger Pattern Co.  Intriguing, right? Get a whole crap ton of outfits from just a few basic patterns. No need to worry about, "Does this top go with these pants?" The entire collection is designed to be worn in any combination and still look great.
So before biting the bullet on a capsule collection for myself (using significantly more fabric), I was delighted to see a testing call for a collection from Grammies Dolls. The idea is the same, take 2 shirt patterns, 2 bottoms patterns, and a jacket pattern and make an entire wardrobe. Done in the right combination, you could easily make 27 different outfits when you add in accessories.
So here's our version of Miss Daisy's Wardrobe.

Sweet Sophye shirt (altered)
paired with grey corduroy
Bella's School Days Skirt

Sweet Sophye shirt (altered)
paired with Bella's School Days Skirt
and topped with the Summer Breeze Jacket

Sweet Sophye shirt (altered)
paired with Bella's School Days Skirt
and topped with the Summer Breeze Jacket
(She was over the photo session already!)

Sweet Sophye shirt (altered)
paired with denim
Bella's School Days Skirt

I loved the chevron fabric! It did not lend itself well to the buttons that the Sweet Sophye shirt called for. So I did a little pattern altering. The pattern is so cute as written, but little miss Parker is quite independent and didn't want to have help getting dressed, so buttons were out. I instead cut 2 back panels and then eliminated the placket from the pattern. Instead of a neckband, I made a casing for a 1/4" strip of elastic to give a more traditional peasant top look. I then serged and turned under a hem on the sleeves instead of adding more elastic. Parker loves that she has a shirt she can "step in" because the child will NOT pull a shirt over her head. 

Outfit count: 4

Sweet Sophye shirt 
paired with Bella's School Days Skirt

Sweet Sophye shirt 
paired with Bella's School Days Skirt

So you can see, same two skirts from above, this time with a straight from the pattern Sweet Sophye shirt. I loved this Michael Miller watch fabric! Scored it for $1/yard from a sale I went to last year!!
Outfit count: 6

Sleeveless Bella's School Days Shirt
paired with the corduroy
Bella's School Days skirt

Sleeveless Bella's School Days Shirt
paired with the denim
Bella's School Days skirt

Sleeveless Bella's School Days Shirt
paired with the denim
Bella's School Days skirt and
topped with the Summer Breeze Jacket

Sleeveless Bella's School Days Shirt
paired with the corduroy 
Bella's School Days skirt and
topped with the Summer Breeze Jacket

Outfit Count: 10

For this last one, I had a sizing mishap and cut out a too small Bella's School Days Shirt. Ugh! I hate when I do that. But, not wanting to waste the fabric and the time I put into sewing it, plan B. Turn it into a jacket. So, instead of putting in a placket on the skirt, I simply cut it down the middle and followed the instructions for attaching it to the bodice. How stinking cute is that as a jacket? And by this time in picture taking marathon, Parker was done!

Sleeveless Bella's School Days Shirt
paired with the corduroy
Bella's School Days skirt and topped
with the Bella's School Days shirt turned
jacket!

Outfit count: 11

I did not sew up the Carla's Pantaloons. Parker is not a pants girl. She loves some leggings and a skirt and that's about it. I could probably have bribed her with some gummy bears to wear them, but then they would have been worn for the pictures and that's about it. Totally opposite of the concept of the capsule collection. 

But, add in one pair of the Carla's Pantaloons...

Outfit count: 17

Then, let's say you play with accesories...add in a pair of leggings. They can be worn with all the shirts by themselves...

Outfit count: 20

Add leggings with the shirt and then add one of the Jackets:

Outfit count: 24

Add a simple tank top to the mix. Pair that with each skirt, and each jacket separately: 

Outfit count: 30

Ya'll! That's an entire month's worth of different outfits from just a few basic pieces that all coordinate. I'm all for making life simpler! The older kids have school uniforms and it is amazing! So simple! Making the little girl's wardrobes just as simple, but still cute...SIGN ME UP!

Out takes are always the best...

enjoy!

 

Lydia photo bomb

Just when you're ready to throw in the towel,
she turns and gives you one of these...

Pattern Hack

Pattern testing has become one of my secret guilty pleasures. Pattern designers work tirelessly to create magnificent patterns and then put out a tester call to get seamstresses to test the pattern before it is released. When Kristi from George and Ginger Pattern Co. put out a call to test her fall line, there was no way that I was going to not apply for that one. These patterns are some of my favorites!!
The Ginger dress was my favorite this past winter. I made one during naptime when I couldn't figure out what I wanted to wear. Then made another one. And when you have a tween in the house, you make another one...

Quicker to make this than do laundry!

Brooklyn wore this for casual wear in

her middle school pageant.

My favorite. Wore this at least 

once a week during the winter.

Then there was the Downtown Coat that Miss Tween had to have and I loved sewing this one! That collar was to die for! And she rocked that circle skirt in a big way!

Downtown Coat

Enter the V-neck tee. This pattern is everything you would ever want in a shirt pattern. The pieces go together so perfectly. Kristi's directions, attention to details, and super stylish pieces are what makes these patterns so amazing!

The V-neck has a wide neck opening, longer length, and loose fit sleeves...everything that I love in a pattern! But, because it is a straight pattern from the armpit to the bottom hem, my big hips posed a bit of a problem. Though I am in the size range for the pattern, I'm a little uneasy with having things snug on my hips.

Dream fabric! Amazing pattern! But, do you see the stretching across my

midsection and hips? Not terrile, but not great.

So I looked at my favorite longer tunic shirt and noticed there were these awesome side vents. Looked easy enough! So here's my version of how to put these vents in a shirt.

SIDE VENTS:

1. Decide how high you want the vent to go. Because this pattern was a longer length pattern, I felt comfortable with the vent going up 7 inches from the bottom hem.

Cut a slit a the desired top of the vent, the depth of the seam allowance.

Pin the vent down from slit to the hem with WST and topstitch that down. This was a rayon/spandex blend fabric, so it won't fray. You can finish the edges first and then topstitch down if you'd like.

Put your front and back pieces RST as the pattern calls for and stop serging before you get to the top of the vent! You can see my serging thread is white and the black stitching is where I continued to stitch from the end of the serged seam to the just above the top of the vent.

Fold the seam allowance open from the clipped part up to the end of the serged seam. Topstitch that down each side. Then I closed the vent up just a teeny bit and stitched across it, up the side again, across the top and back down the other side to create a square around the top of the vent.

Then hem the shirt as directed. This technique would also allow for a very easy high/lo hem to be created. Just hem the front a bit more than the back!!! That just gave me an idea for the next one...

Here are some side by sides of before and after adding the vent at the hem.

Released all that gathering across my hips!

No more belly pooch showing! Woohoo!

And another one...

Paired this one with my new LulaRoe Leggings. OBSESSED!!!

And there's one more. This one was the first attempt at the vent seam. I only cut the vent 3 inches here. Still very wearable, but I'll likely go in and raise that vent up.

Now, where do I get that amazing V-neck pattern you ask? And how much is that pattern?
Well...Kristi has generously listed this pattern at a steal price of only $5.00!!! Can you believe that? AND Friday only, it is on sale for only $4.00!!! No coupon code needed for the sale price, but it is only for Friday.
Click HERE to go to Kristi's ETSY page to purchase the pattern.
And don't forget to join the Facebook Group for George and Ginger.