My Pattern Wardrobe

Side note: just because these patterms work for me doesn\’t necessarily mean that they will work for you–however, they do all have the Allie stamp of approval so if you\’ve been on the fence, give it a shot!

Simplicity 6820 (vintage//my makes//purchase): I haven\’t made a version of this dress in a while but I ought to return to it soon. My leopard dress is my go-to dress when I don\’t know what to wear–for work, for date night, for whatever.

Simplicity 4475 (vintage//my makes//purchase): I recently made three new versions of the dress after not having touched it for a couple years, and am very thankful to have such an easy-to-make, well-fitting staple dress in my pattern wardrobe. In an easy cotton, it\’s the perfect dress to wear to work with flats or heels, to a outside event with sneakers, whatever–and still get compliments. Between this and 6820, I have a pair of versatile dress patterns that I feel comfortable in and love to wear. Yay vintage!

Rae Skirt (my makes//purchase – cheaper here than the Sewaholic website): I\’ve made about a zillion rae skirts–and I\’ve also used it as the skirt portion of several dresses! The shape is perfect, it\’s economical with fabric, and it\’s very versatile. Make it in 10 different fabrics and it will look like 10 different skirts.

Ginger Jeans (my makes//purchase): I have 5 Gingers now–shorts in black and white and pants in black, white, and blue denim. At this point, if I am wearing pants or shorts, I\’m wearing gingers.

Ogden Cami (my makes//purchase): I\’ve made like 10 of these but you may not realize it since about half are hiding as dresses, slips, pajamas… etc. I went on a weekend trip recently and literally just packed 2 gingers (black jeans and white shorts), four different Ogdens (including one pj top version) and a sweatshirt, and called it done. Packing at it\’s finest.

Granville Shirt (my makes//purchase – cheaper here than the Sewaholic website): I\’ve only made two of these but look forward to making more, especially now that I am more confident in sewing shirt collars and button plackets and cuffs. Cute with short or long sleeves, tuck in nicely, look put-together with very little effort.

Lexi Boxers (my makes//purchase): These are the perfect accompaniment to an Ogden cami top for pjs that are super easy to make but still cute cute cute.

Carolyn Pajamas (my makes//purchase): For \”fancier\” pajamas Carolyn is so perfect. Haven\’t quite decided if it\’s worth it to make the shorts when the Lexi boxers are so much easier, but the long sleeve top is the absolute best pajama top. Possibly the most complex pattern on this whole list, and it\’s for pajamas!

Last but not least, this year I\’ve added some underwear patterns to my wardrobe!

Berkeley Bra (my makes//purchase): A bit cheating since it\’s also the only bra pattern I\’ve made, but I now have two very wearable, comfortable versions of this pattern (in lavender and black) and I\’m excited to add this pattern to the list.

Acacia undies (purchase): A super basic pair of underwear that do everything they need to and nothing else–and it\’s a free pattern!

Obviously, there will always be things I need to purchase patterns for in the future–specific items like coats for example, that I may not have in my stash–but I do feel that I\’m very close to a well-rounded collection of patterns I return to again and again, patterns that comprise the bulk of my physical wardrobe. I\’m going to challenge myself to not purchase any patterns (well, maybe one) for the rest of the year, and do a big purge to get rid of unused ones.

xoxo,