Sewing with the seasons in mind is a fantastic way to maximise your sewing time, be more sustainable, make your garments last longer and enjoyed all year round.
By using appropriate fabrics, layering, altering and sewing clever designs your makes can be appreciated no matter what the weather.
In this blog post we break down all the ways you can sew for all the seasons.
Knowing which fabric is suitable for which seasons will give you leverage when planning your makes.
For example; French Terry, Alpine Fleece, Teddy and Sweat are perfect for Autumn/Winter. Their cosy properties make them the excellent choice for outer layers such as hoodies and jumpers.
For the warmer months Cotton Plains and Prints are a great choice for breezy dresses and dungarees with Jersey being excellent for staple tees and leggings.
Denim and Corduroy are versatile fabrics that can be used for all seasons depending on what you use them for.
A capsule wardrobe is excellent for sewing across the seasons. A capsule wardrobe is a collection of around 30 pieces of clothing that can be mixed and matched to create hundreds of different looks! We discuss more about capsule wardrobes in this blog.
This outfit here can be broken up into several different outfits or worn altogether. The t-shirt and leggings for spring/summer, add a jumper for autumn and add the cowl for winter.
You can do this for so many different combinations. A summer dress can become a winter staple simply by adding leggings and a jumper.
Bearing this in mind when creating your garments allows for a multitude of possibilities.
Next time you’re choosing a pattern for your project, think about ways you can extend the life of the garment.
Sewing for children and using the same garment for different seasons can be tricky as they outgrow items quickly. There is always passing down to younger family members but wouldn’t it be nice for the same child to enjoy clothing.
One way of doing this is using a grow with me pattern such as the Maxaloones from Max and Meena. Grow with me patterns are named as such because they grow with your child – having extra long waistbands and cuffs you can fold over and unroll as your child grows.
Other ways to extend the life of a garment include: removable hoods on jumpers for warmer days, linings you can remove, trousers you can unzip into shorts… the possibilities are endless.
By keeping the seasons in mind when sewing you can truly ensure your garments are perfect all year round.
Please do show us your makes in our Facebook group, we can’t wait to see what you sew up.
