A few days ago I was thinking about fabric and sewing patterns, placing some orders, and it had me reflect on themes that have emerged so far.
1. Colours and prints – I’ve gravitated towards vibrant colours and prints consistently so far. Interestingly, they’re a really small part of my RTW wardrobe. I’d say in the last year I was buying more bright prints, but I’m almost exclusively buying printed fabric and beautiful colours like mustard, tobacco, rust etc. Is this a reflection on the limitations of RTW plus size fashion, or are new themes and tastes emerging as I sew (or both)?
2. RTW style vs sewn style. A large part of my RTW wardrobe is jersey fit and flare dresses. Interestingly, that’s not something I want to sew. I have some patterns and fabric, I’ve got a few makes in mind – but I’m not excited about them. I’m heavily favouring wovens and loose boxy shapes that don’t require fastenings – which is really interesting as I’m wanting to make the sort of stuff I’d never think to try on in shops. I think a large part of this is that I knew jersey fit and flares were a flattering option, didn’t have fit issues because of the knit fabric, and could be dressed up or down. They’re also abundant in RTW plus size fashion. But I’m really enjoying seeing my tastes deviate from those, and potentially to having a wardrobe that doesn’t feature many of them.
3. Jeans. Historically, I heavily favour dresses over trousers. If I wear trousers they’re usually jeans or a loose cotton in mad patterns. But the last 6 months or so, I’d definitely started wearing jeans more. So far though, I have zero desire to sew them – this isn’t because I love my RTW pairs (I don’t, they’re what I could find in RTW that I didn’t hate) and I don’t think it is even necessarily influenced by the weather – I think I’m just not very excited by them as garments, even if they are a necessary part of my wardrobe.
4. Embellishment. I naturally tend to avoid embellishment on RTW clothing, whether beading, trim, sequins, embroidery etc. I’m quite picky and I’ve always gone for “plain” clothing in that sense. And yet my most recent mad purchasing spree has been for embellishments – for iron on embroidered patches, badges, etc.
5. I’ve also found that I’ve really enjoyed exploring fabrics and techniques from other cultures. For example, I’ve purchased some fabric that used to be a vintage kimono, but was unstitched and sold off in panels, and I hope to make this into a bomber jacket. I’ve also explored Ankara/African wax print fabric. I’m not totally decided on what I want to turn that into yet, but I love the bright colours and patterns. Likewise, venturing into sashiko has given me the idea to incorporate it into garments – in some cases as a decorative feature, but also potentially to use the base indigo fabric as the main fabric for a garment and embroider all over it. It has also been great to support independent businesses run by entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, which is especially important now more than ever. There has been some brilliant work on instagram by Pink Mimosa by Jacinta to put together a list of inclusice sewing resources, vendors etc – make sure to check it out, it is really valuable work!
Have you found that sewing has brought out new aspects of your style? Do you have any recommendations for independent businesses run by entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds?
Sew Pippa 