Planning my Autumn Collection
The weekend long read.
It doesn’t feel right to start thinking about autumn clothing when it’s 31 degrees but here we are. I have been pondering autumn fabrics for a few weeks with the idea of introducing some autumnal sewing ideas this weekend so I’ll press ahead.
There are a couple of things I wanted to mention alongside sharing my ideas for an autumn capsule. If you’ve been subscribed for a while you might have seen the summer capsule I did and the journey of making it. If you’re newly subscribed you can catch up here.
One of the outfits from my summer collection.
My summer capsule collection was an idea that seemed to get a lot of you excited about making your own mini collections. I’m SO happy about this and I’m loving seeing posts about plans for autumn capsules.
I just wanted to preface my own autumn collection email with a couple of words on making in a sustainable way. I found that one of the benefits of making a summer capsule is that I designed 6 pieces that were totally interchangeable and this meant that I have got a lot of wear of them. Perhaps more wear than if I’d made 6 random pieces.
The process of designing a mini capsule means you need to think about how the pieces go together - both practically and visually - and it also reduces the chance of you making 2 items that could do the same job. The result should be a more well rounded body of work that pushes you creatively and is genuinely more useful for your wardrobe. I found it to be an immensely satisfying way to work.
I think that planning your capsules should help to make your sewing more sustainable, however I know that a lot of you are concerned about over consumption in home sewing with lots of people on instagram sewing masses of clothes at a fast rate. I think that designing and sewing your own capsule collection could easily get swept up in this ‘fast fashion’ mindset and it might be important for us all to take a step back.
I’ll be sewing a 5/6 piece autumn capsule but other makers might make a 3 piece capsule or a seasonless capsule to last you all year. It might be something you do every 12 months or every decade. The focus is on creating a body of cohesive work that ensures the pieces you do make are more wearable.
With that in mind, my autumn capsule is built around filling slots in my wardrobe and also having a play with some of my existing patterns. I really like to get as much use from my patterns as possible and so I'll be re-imagining one of the designs for the capsule. You shouldn’t need to buy endless patterns to create more clothes, you should be able to apply your own creative vision to switch up the ones your already own.
I’ve listed the designs and fabrics I’ve chosen below and I’m really really excited to share this journey with you again!
Hetty x
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1. The Boatneck Top
You probably won't recognise this piece because it's not in the collection yet... that's right, new pattern alert!! This is a simple jersey top that is perfect to wear on its own or for layering under knitwear in winter.
I plan to make this piece in a couple of jerseys ahead of the launch and I'm also going to give a stretch silk fabric a go...
I'm currently getting this new pattern tested by pattern testers and I hope to be able to release it by the end of the month! So it's only fitting that this pattern takes prime position in my autumn capsule.
2. Silky Sunday Trackies
This one is a bit of a curveball. I wanted to have a go at making some slinky evening trousers using the Sunday Trackies pattern. I'll leave this description vague for now but I'm quite excited for the challenge.
3. Stripey Classic Shirt
I found this very lovely cotton shirting, the kind that is so crisp yet soft. I'm keen to make a slightly over sized Classic Shirt using a size that's one or two bigger than my normal option. I'm also keen to play with adding a jet breast pocket which I'll share the pattern and instructions for.
4. The Darcy 'Trench'
I call myself the jacket queen (very modest) but I often find myself in need of a smart, sophisticated coat that elevates an outfit from nice to really nice. I'm keen to make a Darcy Coat out of a tight twill or gabardine fabric for a classic 'trench' style coat.
5. Corduroy Trousers
When I was on holiday in Scotland this summer I came across a tiny local fabric shop selling lots of beautiful corduroy. I find it hard to come across good colours in corduroy so I bought 3 different colours on the spot. I want to use this lovely olive colour for a pair of trousers. I haven't figured out what pattern to use so the sketch is a little ambiguous for now...
