My Mini Capsule with Curvy Sewing Collective

I'm an avid reader of the Curvy Sewing Collective blog, and while I always enjoy watching their monthly themes I have very rarely been able to join in because of everything else going on in my life. This month was a little different, but I had no plan of actually joining in at first. It's Capsule Wardrobe Month, so most of the blog posts have been themed at how and why you would make your own mini capsule. I've never really been attracted to the idea of a capsule wardrobe. Those posts always consist of shapeless, mostly black, mostly knit clothing which really does not appeal to me in the slightest. I'm also not willing to be a minimalist, and most people who tout the benefits of the capsule pride themselves on having very little clothing. I like making clothes for myself, and I like making what I want when I want. As soon as I start putting limits on my creativity, things start to feel like work, which then leads to me not wanting to sew. I like to have creative freedom :)

That said one thing I can appreciate is outfit planning. I think frequently we end up with pieces we made because we loved the fabric or the pattern, but we have nothing to wear with the item so it sits unloved. I know I am guilty of that! In an effort to make sure my Tigeröga Hollyburn Skirt fit into my wardrobe, I deliberately planned a shirt to go with it. That was great in and of itself, but while I was taking photos of that outfit and the 2 pieces I made just before them I realized that they all worked together! So I unintentionally made a mini capsule wardrobe along with the CSC, lol.

All of the last 4 things I made can be mixed and matched :) The particulars of each are here:

• Red Swiss Dot Sailor Top
• Deep Teal Boogie Retro Shirt
• Tigeröga Hollyburn Skirt
• Black Hollyburn Skirt

Obviously it helps that 3 of these items are solid colors and one of them is a black skirt, but still, lol. I unintentionally picked colors that would work together. I can get 4 different outfits out of just these 4 items - plus they will easily incorporate with other items I already have in my closet, leading to lots and lots of outfit combinations.

These are just some daily shots of these pieces from Me Made May, but it shows how I've worn it most ways (I have yet to wear the deep teal shirt with the black skirt because I had to wash the shirt, but I think we can all agree they will coordinate, lol). I've had a lot of fun with these pieces this month, and I've worn them all with other things as well. I guess that's really what the whole "capsule wardrobe" thing is about - making sure your items work together. This realization that I accidentally made a mini capsule really helped me see that you don't have to go minimalist and black for it to work as a capsule. I wear mostly separates all the time, so having lots of matching options really stretches out how much I can wear each item. I've worn each of these in different ways throughout Me Made May this year, giving me a running look at how they really work in my daily life.

So yay for mini capsules :) Did you make a capsule with the CSC? Id' love to see!