When Two Fabrics Become a Whole Capsule Wardrobe

What happens when two coordinating neutral knits offer more possibilities than you expected? Kasey turned Sand Piqué and Sand and Ivory Chevron knits into four versatile separates, creating a mini capsule wardrobe with mix-and-match potential. Using favorite tried-and-true patterns, she created comfortable tops and skirts that work together, with white, and with other pieces in her handmade wardrobe. It’s a great example of how thoughtful fabric choices can make every new garment work harder.  Thanks, Kasey!

Is the remote working?

I got the reversible knits in Sand Piqué and Sand and Ivory Chevron from Roz a couple of months ago, I don’t remember if she’d just put them out or if I’d waited a while to get them, but I did instantly think they’d make a nice set of neutrals that would mix and match with my sewing plan for this year, as well as a few pieces I’ve already made.

My initial thought was to have the chevron pattern on the bottom and the solid on the top. But when I pulled the fabrics to prep them, I suddenly thought they might look better in the reverse. After washing them, I waffled yet again, thinking perhaps the print was better for the bottom.  After consulting with Roz about whether a print looks better as a top or bottom (doesn’t matter –depends on the fabric and what you like…), I decided that my indecision meant I needed to get the fabrics again so I could do both!

I washed both fabrics in warm water on delicate, and did run them through the dryer to get them damp dry; I let them hang to dry completely. The Sand Piqué is cotton, and it did shrink by about 10%, but only in the lengthwise direction, the width of the fabric was fine. When you order this fabric, make sure to take that into account. The Sand and Ivory Chevron didn’t shrink at all, and in fact, seemed to grow a bit in the width by about an inch… perhaps a weird fabric thing, perhaps poor measuring on my part.

The Sand Piqué has a lovely sheen that I really liked, but it did “fade” a bit after washing; if you want to keep the sheen as high as possible, dry cleaning may be a better option for you. It’s also a bit thinner than the Sand and Ivory Chevron. The Sand and Ivory didn’t feel as nice to me at first, but after washing had a cuddly, lofted feel to it. I’m sure it’s all down to fabric finishes and how they process it, but be aware that machine washing and drying will change the characteristics of both fabrics slightly.

I went with a favorite pattern for the tops, Vogue 1567 (OOP). I’ve made this several times now, and I think it’s about to get TNT status with me. It’s a quirky but fun and quick top to make. It does want you to use a 60-inch fabric, which the Sand is not, so I decided to shorten the sleeves a bit to fit it on the fabric. The Sand and Ivory was more than wide enough, so I didn’t make any changes. I’ve worn both tops and bottoms for a few weeks now, and while a bit warm for our summers, I think they’ll be perfect for spring and fall – quick, easy and comfy to wear.

Now, on the Sand Piqué, I did forget to take into account the shrinkage – well, I won’t pretend, I didn’t notice that it was cotton until I tried to place my top pattern and suddenly didn’t have enough space, and measured and realized – it shrunk. Because it’s cotton…. Well, not a big deal, I moved the pattern pieces a bit and had ½-inch bottom hems instead of 1-inch, and made a separate facing for the neckline instead of the cut-on one… but had I noticed beforehand, I would have ordered an extra quarter yard to make sure my pattern fit comfortably.

I don’t always topstitch my knits to finish the hems, it really depends on how the samples come out. For some reason, the sheen on the Sand seemed like it would be better not to be interrupted with topstitching, as nicely as the thread matched, so I did hand blind hemming instead. That, and I feel (though perhaps I’m wrong), not topstitching it gives a high-end look. And hand sewing, of course, is always a good excuse to catch up on your Midsommar Murders episodes…!

For the skirts, I used my TNT K3877 (OOP), as well as the new elastic Roz is carrying, the cut-to-width here. I’ve used it a couple of times now, and while it’s a little strange to cut it width-wise, it’s worked out well so far in several projects.

For this skirt, though, which I turned into a pull-on elastic waist, I used the full width of elastic. I also used the chevron knit fusible interfacing for the waistbands, as well as the 1-inch fusible stay tape to reinforce the pockets. I constructed my pieces on the serger, but if you’re using a sewing machine, don’t forget your ballpoint needles; I found a size 90 to be fine when I constructed the pockets and closed the waistbands on my sewing machine.

I won’t bore you with all the possible combinations: they’re nice together or mix-n-match and work well with white.  I’ve got some lyocell twill in espresso and walnut (both sold out) that I think they’ll go well with them, as soon as I make them into pants!

Yeah! The remote is working!