Spring 2016 Inspiration | Blue Palms

Inspiration

Over the past month or so I’ve been working towards something really fun that I’ve always wanted to do - creating a mini spring collection for my closet! It’s not for any professional purpose or for sale or anything, just a project for the fun of it! I’ve used a mix of commercial, indie and self made pattern designs and then selected fabrics to compliment my theme and the different silhouettes. I’ll be debuting each look next week and talking about the patterns and fabric in even more detail! Stay tuned! 

The mood I’m going for is like a hazey blue sunset during an early 1950s Florida vacation - a faded snapshot from the beach full of full skirts, play suits and halter tops.

Palette and Fabrics

This collection is all in cool tones - teal palm leaves, bold kelly green, faded chambrays, navy, and an over dyed stripe.

I’m super limited with what fabrics I can buy locally and I really like to feel them in person and see how they move.  These pieces used both quilting cottons and upholstery fabric (!!!) but I love how the end results have a vintage vibe.  To get the colors right, I overdyed my stripes in the washing machine with a package of indigo and navy Rit dyes. I love how it transformed the colors.

Silhouettes

My skirts are all simple circles that I measured and cut without a pattern and then added a simple waistband to bring the focus to a natural waist. The shorts (which I’ve stitched before) also have a high rise.

For the tops (minus my vintage alteration), I started with sketches and then found commercial patterns that had the same feel I was going for (so for clarity, these aren’t my original designs!) I actually really like using store bought patterns because a) they save massive amounts of time and b) because I really like sewing from instructions! I think one of the things I enjoy most about it is the precision of pinning and sewing the pieces together, creating perfect seams and pressing the garment. Sewing nerd alert! 

Accessories

To coordinate with my looks I’m blocking a new sunhat (no photos yet, still a work in progress!) and a pair of hand made espadrille shoes. I dug through my collection of vintage silk scarves to tie around my hat or beach bag and pull each look together. I also bought a couple pair of cheap-o sunglasses (one pictured below) that are a little experimental for my style. Matchy matchy forever.