I think I am nuts . . .

I just went through my stash, which is very little really, and am
rather amused by all the mish-mash that is in it. I have silk and
lovely cottons, and some fabric I bought and never used for a quilt.
Now looking at it - some of it years after buying it - and I realize I
am very much the magpie when it comes to colors. Colors are
everywhere! But the question is, I prefer to sew clothes, so other
than Hawaiian and tropical style stuff, my "to be" wardrobe is pretty
noisy! What to do? I always go for color before I go for taste or
style or fashion.

Yeah, I am nuts. I need help. Something to do with planning a
wardrobe . . . I've lived in scrubs and jeans and sweats most my life
it seems. Now?

HELP!

I tend to buy most of my fabric in the pink/purple/blue range. That's why my
hair color is usually that range too. But a few odd colors do creep in my
stash. My next project is a burgundy purple linen like dress with a boiled
wool vest or short jacket, but my hair is more of a blue/purple with pink
highlights. Hopefully my hair will be a different color by the time it's
finished. But still, I sometimes end up with fabric that nothing matches.
Pick the ones you like the best. Keep a swatch book with you that's has
swatches big enough to show the full color range of the print. You can
include the color bubbles from the salvage too if that helps you see the
individual colors easier. Go fabric shopping for solids that coordinate.
You might be able to make one solid piece that matches multiple prints.

Joy S-E

Sami wrote in message ...
I just went through my stash, which is very little really, and am
rather amused by all the mish-mash that is in it. I have silk and
lovely cottons, and some fabric I bought and never used for a quilt.
Now looking at it - some of it years after buying it - and I realize I
am very much the magpie when it comes to colors. Colors are
everywhere! But the question is, I prefer to sew clothes, so other
than Hawaiian and tropical style stuff, my "to be" wardrobe is pretty
noisy! What to do? I always go for color before I go for taste or
style or fashion.

Yeah, I am nuts. I need help. Something to do with planning a
wardrobe . . . I've lived in scrubs and jeans and sweats most my life
it seems. Now?

HELP!

Turn wild fabric into items that can be worn with jeans---like various shirt
styles. Also, drawstring pants work well in prints. Basically, keep the
clothing style simple when working with a "noisy" fabric.

Sami wrote in message ...
I just went through my stash, which is very little really, and am
rather amused by all the mish-mash that is in it. I have silk and
lovely cottons, and some fabric I bought and never used for a quilt.
Now looking at it - some of it years after buying it - and I realize I
am very much the magpie when it comes to colors. Colors are
everywhere! But the question is, I prefer to sew clothes, so other
than Hawaiian and tropical style stuff, my "to be" wardrobe is pretty
noisy! What to do? I always go for color before I go for taste or
style or fashion.

Yeah, I am nuts. I need help. Something to do with planning a
wardrobe . . . I've lived in scrubs and jeans and sweats most my life
it seems. Now?

HELP!

On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 19:02:27 -0800, Sami wrote:
I just went through my stash, which is very little really, and am
rather amused by all the mish-mash that is in it. I have silk and
lovely cottons, and some fabric I bought and never used for a quilt.
Now looking at it - some of it years after buying it - and I realize I
am very much the magpie when it comes to colors. Colors are
everywhere! But the question is, I prefer to sew clothes, so other
than Hawaiian and tropical style stuff, my "to be" wardrobe is pretty
noisy! What to do? I always go for color before I go for taste or
style or fashion.

Common problem, except among those of us who seem to only collect solids,
stripes and muted plaids. ;-)

Don't know where you are, but if you can get hold of the current issue
of Threads magazine, read Loes Hinse's "Designer shopping strategy: buy
fabrics in groups of three" (pp 42-45) Dec/Jan 2003/2004 -- I think
you'll find some useful tips.

If the fabrics are over-dyeable, dyeing several different fabrics
together in the same load sure helps them blend, and takes out
a lot of the mishmash effect.

Or just go for broke and do wearable art!

Kay Lancaster
who currently has about 50 yards of khaki twill. And it will all get
used. Sigh.

On 1 Jan 2004 10:42:03 GMT, Kay Lancaster wrote:


Common problem, except among those of us who seem to only collect solids,
stripes and muted plaids. ;-)

Don't know where you are, but if you can get hold of the current issue
of Threads magazine, read Loes Hinse's "Designer shopping strategy: buy
fabrics in groups of three" snip


I have NO strategy when it comes to fabric buying - I am seduced by colour,
by feel, by design. I used to be so good at co-ordinating my clothes-buying
and never bought anything unless it went with one other thing in my
wardrobe. I was faithful to black, but with fabric, my natural promiscuity
reveals itself..

Trish

I just went through my stash,

I have silk and
lovely cottons, and some fabric I bought and never used for a quilt.

Yeah, I am nuts. I need help. Something to do with planning a
wardrobe

Hi there. Yes, you need help. try this...... First, get out all of your
stash again, and take it into the room which has the biggest flat surface (bed,
dining table, living room floor........). Now sort into categories by weight -
blouse wt, dress wt., pants/skirt wt etc. Remember, some really jazzy blouse
wt. fabrics make absolutely gorgeous linings for subdued color outerwear.
After you have it all sorted by weight, look at it again and see if you can see
any good combinations, such as "a blouse in this would go with pants in that".
After you have done all this, LIST it on a scratch pad or or something. Now,
you go through it yet again, thinking "This, this and this would all go with
brown pants/skirt" or black ones, or green ones, etc. Also, some blouse
fabrics make gorgeous scarves.
Now, you can make a list of what you need in order to have coordinated outfits,
and go out and buy the fabric you need, such as "two black pants lengths, two
white ones etc. etc......"

Finally, when you bring the coordinating fabrics home, store them with the
existing fabrics so you can make one outfit at a time - and don't forget to get
thread and buttons, zippers etc. while you are out.

Good luck in your planning.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

In reply to Sami's post, Dec 31, 9:02pm, which I cannot copy for
quoting, for some strange reason:
OK, I laughed: I have the same stash! Are you sure that our stash
rooms aren't one and the same, existing in a parallel universe?
Oh--wait--they can't be--I have tons of mismatched, colorful, assorted
prints and such, and you say yours are limited.
The one time I actually planned and executed a co-ordinated wardrobe,
I used the prints for blouses and tops, made a couple of neutral,
go-with everything jackets, and pulled the colors from the tops to make
solid-color slacks and skirts. Did a couple of print skirt/top outfits,
too.
It turned out to be a great season-spanning wardrobe, and I loved the
process of laying out the fabrics and pulling it all together. The
mix-and match possibilities were numerous.
It was a bit time-consuming, but a lot of nerd-like fun. ; )
Cea

wrote:

In reply to Sami's post, Dec 31, 9:02pm, which I cannot copy for
quoting, for some strange reason:
OK, I laughed: I have the same stash! Are you sure that our stash
rooms aren't one and the same, existing in a parallel universe?
Oh--wait--they can't be--I have tons of mismatched, colorful, assorted
prints and such, and you say yours are limited.
The one time I actually planned and executed a co-ordinated wardrobe,
I used the prints for blouses and tops, made a couple of neutral,
go-with everything jackets, and pulled the colors from the tops to make
solid-color slacks and skirts. Did a couple of print skirt/top outfits,
too.
It turned out to be a great season-spanning wardrobe, and I loved the
process of laying out the fabrics and pulling it all together. The
mix-and match possibilities were numerous.
It was a bit time-consuming, but a lot of nerd-like fun. ; )
Cea


Put me in the color column. I love color. I often clash,
and I don't care. If it makes me smile, I wear it.

I grew up in the days of no two patterns, no print with
plaid, etc. No blues and greens together. No reds and
yellows together. Redheads did not wear red or pink.
Well, that didn't last, did it? I am old enough to wear a
red hat with a purple dress - and I like bright, vivid
colors. So sue me. Put on your sunglasses if I bother you.
--

Joanne @ stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/
Life is about the journey, not about the destination.

Trishty wrote:
On 1 Jan 2004 10:42:03 GMT, Kay Lancaster wrote:

Common problem, except among those of us who seem to only collect solids,
stripes and muted plaids. ;-)

Don't know where you are, but if you can get hold of the current issue
of Threads magazine, read Loes Hinse's "Designer shopping strategy: buy
fabrics in groups of three" snip

I have NO strategy when it comes to fabric buying - I am seduced by colour,
by feel, by design. I used to be so good at co-ordinating my clothes-buying
and never bought anything unless it went with one other thing in my
wardrobe. I was faithful to black, but with fabric, my natural promiscuity
reveals itself..
Trish

I'll reccommend a book to everyone here, 'Colour me Beautiful' by Carole
Jackson. If anyone wants further details on the book I'll post them if
requested.

--
Melinda
http://cust.idl.com.au/athol

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans wrote this excellent suggestion.......
cut Now sort into categories by weight blouse wt, dress wt., pants/skirt wt etc. Remember, some really jazzy blouse
wt. fabrics make absolutely gorgeous linings for subdued color outerwear.
After you have it all sorted by weight, look at it again and see if you can see
any good combinations, such as "a blouse in this would go with pants in that".
After you have done all this, LIST it on a scratch pad or or something. Now,
you go through it yet again, thinking "This, this and this would all go with
brown pants/skirt" or black ones, or green ones, etc. Also, some blouse
fabrics make gorgeous scarves.
Now, you can make a list of what you need in order to have coordinated outfits,
and go out and buy the fabric you need, such as "two black pants lengths, two
white ones etc. etc......"

Finally, when you bring the coordinating fabrics home, store them with the
existing fabrics so you can make one outfit at a time - and don't forget to get
thread and buttons, zippers etc. while you are out.

The only problem I find with it is in the "Finally" part at the end
where whe has us shopping for more stash.......and then storing more
stash. I love it up till then, but I think I would prefer to shop as
I go on those expensive notions. Great planning on the rest as I know
I have all those same problems. Thanks Olwyn.

And, about the suggestion Melinda made about the "Color me Beautiful"
book.......does that not help you determine what colors are right for
you / skin tone or something? I never could figure that out. I
suppose it would be good to wear colors that look best on me...but
what if they are not the colors I like? I guess I have avoided that
book because I have been afraid to find out I have been wearing the
"wrong" colors. Color evokes such emotion that it would be so sad if
you couldn't wear your favorite.
On the other hand, my husband got me a book on how to dress for your
body shape and I re-evaluated some of my favorite items in my wardrobe
and discovered they really did make me look dumpier than I am. It was
kind of funny because my daughter was shopping with my husband for
Christmas and she was trying to tell him "Daddy, you got her the book
- mommy doesn't do scoop neck shirts anymore, we have to get her the
"v" neck."
Joy