Feeling restless today, so I thought I'd puzzle out a few more sheet garments for wifey before bed. The items I already planned out are individual flair pieces. So the shirt will dress up jeans nicely (good for wifey because she works in a business casual setting, and the matching pullover and bonnet will help her doll up if/when she wants to for an evening out with her union buddies ifn she likes). The slacks are gonna be a nice wine color, and they'll be gorgeous, and I can make her a nice lil pocket square to doll up a shirt to go with it (I'm thinking florals, or a nice print design for that).
But I want these other pieces to come in matched outfits, basically mix and match sets that she can wear together as she likes. I'm thinking two pairs of pants, a long sleeve, and a short sleeve blouse for each, and of course removable underpinning layers that can be washed separately. Oooh, I should set snaps for those into all of her blouses and slacks and make her two weeks of underpinnings, one week short sleeve, one week long sleeve, and two weeks of knee length blooomers, that way she can wear her blouses and slacks multiple days and just change out the underpinnings each day.
So what I was thinking is I would pick out fitted and flat sheet sets as best I could from the thrift store, that way I can make the slacks from the flat sheet, and the two shirts from the fitted sheet. I would want to pair the sheet sets to each other so that it could either be worn as a full matched outfit or as a complementary one matched across patterns. Although the matched outfits might be an overwhelming amount of one pattern for wifey, she tends to like variety in her outfits. Maybe worth snagging three complementary sheet sets? Make the six garments all fully complentary and then have extra fabric left over for flair pieces or underpinnings? I think I like that idea better. Might even just plan to snag as much variety of sheets as I like and can find since the underpinnings won't be seen and can be all kinds of dramatic and fun. Wifey likes color, even if she's not always comfy wearing it loudly, so colorful underpinnings might be just the way to go.
The question is style. I should have wifey look at cuts she likes with me Monday at the tailor's website, and then I can make some sketches in my draftbook of what we might put together. That way I'm not guessing or just putting her in what I think makes her look hot lol. I have a few ideas already from what I've seen her look at in the past and there's one thing I really want to do because I think it would be gorgeous. I want to knit her some trim for that shirt to match wifey's wine colored slacks. I have the PERFECT yarn for it, and I already know exactly what neckline I want to give her for the trim to go on. It's the sleeves and body I haven't settled on yet. I feel like I want to make it a long sleeve and make or buy a pair of sleeve garters to go with it? Some kind of decent cuff for sure, but nothing too fancy, something that still speaks "getting your hands dirty." A peasant blouse in the body then, I think, but with a knitted belt to match the trim that can be adjusted to any point wifey likes to alter her silhouette. I'm picturing one of those old-school sort of golden cream colored sheets with the little pink and purple flowers printed on them for this, but I can be flexible about it as long as it's in warm tones.
The rest of the patterns, I'll let wifey pick when we're at the thrift store, or I may pick a couple if there are some I really like since I should probably start upcycling my own wardrobe once we're done with wifey's, and anyway underpinnings can be anything. I wonder what I could do with that old red dress, that's a MOUNTAIN of fabric that definitely no longer fits me. Hmm. I could probably make some decent shorts from that. I would say underpinnings, but man that fabric would show through ANYTHING. I mean I might honestly turn it into a blouse for me. I'd love another button up, especially a red one. I always loved red button ups actually. I could probably make a couple shirts for me with that. Maybe a button up and a Titty SuperMax. I could probably turn the bodice into a real punkass vest too. Fuck yeah never mind I'm doing that with it.
Okay, so let's make it a half dozen sheet sets over the next few weeks of thrifting, a button jar, some snaps, replacement sewing scissors, and a grommet kit. Some may need to be purchased new, but ideally as little as possible. And just like that I have a handcraft again, and wifey will have a VERY nice tailored new wardrobe with a bit of time added. I think I can make a piece a week. Major drafting, draping, and initial construction of the garment over the weekend, fiddly details in the evenings after work during the week. That's for the fancy outer layer clothes, though, underpinnings will be easier. I actually think I was wrong about "oh just make a bunch of short and long sleeve blah blah" but still it should be fine to make three copies of the same undershirt for a uniquely cut blouse the same week in a way that making three unique outerwear garments in that same week would not be.
The bloomers are LITERALLY all going to be copy paste so I think I will at some point just set myself to speed running bloomers to see how quickly I can get through 14 pairs lmao.
As far as unique outerwear garments go, wifey is getting 10 pieces, 3 pants, 6 tops, and 1 pullover. Give myself some leeway and say that I'll have wifey's wardrobe done by Spooky month. Obvi it's a process so she will have more and more of her pieces as time goes on,and while we're thrifting we'll be on the lookout for whole garments as well. So it's not like she'll be clothes'less until then (damn) but I do still kinda wish I could just take two weeks off work and DO this for her. It frustrates me that working takes up so much of me. But that's for a different kind of post!
Anyway, 3 months is a pretty solid timeline for churning out garments ifn I do say so myself, and I'm not gonna spit on my own hard work here, theoretical though it may yet be. I'm kinda looking forward to it. Especially because I'm also planning in my head a little cloth "tag" on each garment and its respective underpinnings that's marked with a little embroidered symbol. Not sure which underpinning is which because everyone here has ADHD and just shoved shit in a drawer? (*through gritted teeth* working on it) Just match the tags and off you trot! Ideally, garments will be stored in a cubby with only their respective underpinnings and nothing else.
That reminds me, I'm going to need a label maker.
