#Client Makes-Cruise Capsule Wardrobe

I’ve gotten a lot of sewing done these past few weeks; one blouse, four tees, a tunic, a pair of pants, three skirts, and a shirt for my husband – whew! All in aid of a cruise next month – woo hoo! It’s a four-night cruise with smart-casual dinner dress. I followed Roz’s recommendation to use TNTs to get a capsule out quickly and painlessly.

(The three items in front are not from Sew Much Fabric.)

It may be an October cruise, but it’s in the Caribbean, so bright, breezy colors and fabrics were my inspiration. My first piece is actually a two-piece “dress” made from Feeling Blue Cotton Lawn (sold out); if any fabric was going to put me in the mood for vacation sewing, this was it! The ocean in fabric…. This lovely lightweight lawn is perfect for the Decades of Style Butterfly Blouse, #3005. The pattern is a bit of a puzzle, so take your time to figure it out. Sewing tip: the cotton lawn is also a sateen weave, so it ravels very easily. Make sure to use a good seam finish like your serger or French seams or you’ll have lots of pokeys and shreds. For the matching skirt, I used good ol’ Kwik Sew 3877, this time turning the a-line into an elastic band waist. I used cotton batiste to underline/ line the skirt, just to support the lawn a bit. Don’t forget to also use stay tape for the tie slits on the blouse and pocket seams on the skirt!

Up next, is my faithful Bonnie tee from Blue Ginger Doll Patterns (OOP) in rayon jersey knit in three new colors (Red, Lemonade, and French Blue). Two boatneck tees and a banded tee for a bit of variety (my own variation, not a pattern option.) Again, use stay tape in the shoulder seams for stability. A note on the yellow color; it’s a bit sheer, so be mindful of your undergarments with that one.

Basically, almost all the tops and bottoms match for endless day and night variations.

 

 

How about a bit of pizzazz? Roz says use TNTs with fab fabrics for quick evening wear! I like the look of the Ivory/ Gold Brocade (sold out) with Seafoam Knit (sold out), but I’m not feelin’ this tee pattern, McCall’s 6963 (OOP?) It’s a Palmer Pletsch that they have you fit like a woven, but it’s got a tunic vibe when I follow their fitting and alteration directions. I think I’ll shorten the bodice and sleeves by cutting off the current hems, then slim down the top by taking in the side-seams an inch. The skirt is Kwik Sew 4137 (OOP), an elastic waistband circle skirt, with added pockets of course! A tip on the gold brocade: you can press it, but be gentle and press from the wrong side; I pressed from the right side, and the gold evaporated away – oops! I don’t know if you can see it in the photo, right along the seam line.

 

But what about the beach? As you saw in a previous newsletter, I’ve got that covered too, as in cover-ups! The White Cotton Double Gauze is the perfect weight for pull-on beach pants. Light and breezy, the fabric dries quickly and is made to match the tunic top with embroidery! See my blog post here for more info. The pattern is Kwik Sew 3203 (OOP), with a few pattern changes.

 

So with a few previous makes – a Navy Rayon Jersey tee, a Chambray Lyocell skirt, and a Simply White Linen Skirt (see them in a previous post), I’ve got a cruise wardrobe all ready to go!