basic black

I've been thinking a lot about wardrobe planning. If you've been following me here for awhile, you might know that we started a serious overhaul of our "stuff" maybe a year ago. I honestly believe at this point that we have pared down by half. It's a good thing, too, because the amount of junk we had room for in our old house would have made us crazy living here.

My wardrobe did not escape the purge. I recently did yet another clean out of my closet and gave two huge bags of clothes to a friend who wears them and loves them. Even a few of my handmade things--out the door. That was hard! But, she's wearing them and I wasn't. So, really, it's better.

That said, I think this is the smallest my wardrobe has been in my adult life. But, somehow, I feel like I have more to wear than ever. Isn't that funny!? Part of the reason is that I've been focusing on making pieces that go with other pieces. Having a color palette in mind, with a couple go-to neutrals (mine tend to be black and navy/denim) and then a few color genres. I gravitate toward two color palettes usually. One is a nautical look with blues, kelly green, some coral and white. Another is pink, gray and plum. Pinterest has come in very helpful in this effort to pinpoint what I like. Looking over your style board, you might notice some trends! My mom reminded me that wine is considered a neutral, which explains why that wine colored Stitchfix cardigan matches everything!

Anywaaaaaay, with all this in mind, I've wanted a basic black dress for awhile. Not a fancy LBD that works for cocktail parties, to which I have never been, but an everyday black dress that can be styled a myriad of ways. I finally landed a great knit at JoAnn's last weekend when all the clearance was half off.

I used McCall's 6744, one I've made a couple times before:

 After the dress was completely done, I had to take it apart to take huge chunks out of the sides. I think the bodice is supposed to drape, but this look was not working with this knit, it's too substantial. In the end, I'm glad I made the effort to get it right. The fabric is a perfect weight, with a crinkly texture.

 This purple wrap cardigan is one a made months ago and had literally nothing to wear it with. Dumb! It's such a soft rayon knit and I love the print so much, so I'm glad I finally have way to wear it.

 This button down plaid top is one I just made! I'm really proud of it and it matches several other things I've made, so I'll give it it's own post soon.

 I wore the dress with a simple cardigan yesterday.

I've been sewing fool this week! I whipped up a very simple top yesterday, can't wait to show you!

Cheers :)