Handmade Wardrobe Goals for Spring

Hello, my darlings! I have so many plans for Spring this year that I can hardly contain myself. Spring is when I start to feel like myself again. My creativity comes back, my seasonal depression subsides and I fill my home with flowers.

I have a mini goal this year of buying less clothing and creating my own. Whether that be through knitting or sewing, I’d determined!

So, here are my Handmade Wardrobe Goals for Spring!

Table of Contents

Handmade Goals for Spring

I’m breaking this down into three sections this season and I don’t want to overload myself. Winter was so much harder this year than in previous years. Thinking of these tasks made it unenjoyable and impossible to pick up. Thus, I made my goals relatively small.

Knitting

I took up knitting in October of last year and I have never been so proud of myself. This took hours of time, learning, and practicing. I’m thankful to youtube and a few favorite channels. I may be a pro and Raglan stitches now!

Finish my green crop sweater

Oh my gosh, I started this sweater the first week of February and it’s still going! I made a plan to knit 1-2 rows every day. That was going well until I changed my morning routine. However, I’m determined to finish this while it’s still chilly outside. It’s not as soft as my last sweater but it’s warm and has a totally different vibe.

I’m loving it and already want to make one in a beautiful salmon color.

Sewing

I’ve come to the terrible realization that I don’t like sewing in the winter months. It’s not something I gravitate towards and it’s been replaced with knitting and reading. No joke, I’ve gone through so many books this winter.

That said, sun dresses are where it’s AT for me. So, you best be certain I’ve already started a new dress!

Finish spaghetti strap blue summer dress

I started Simplicity pattern 8635 (dress B) two weeks ago before my 9-5 got obscenely busy. By the time I logged off work, I was too exhausted to solve a puzzle, never-the-less tailor it to be. The pattern is straightforward but it was designed for someone with an extra-long torso and not a petite person (like myself).

The good news is: It looks like a dress! The fabric I chose is a beautiful, soft, 90s vintage cotton I bought from an estate sale lot on eBay. I knew immediately that this dress would need to be chopped up a lot because I’m 5’3. These dresses are generally designed for 5’5-5’6 women. So I took off 2″ from the bottom when I started it.

That all said, this pattern came with pockets! Which is also something I add to my handmade pieces. I can’t wait to finish it. I think it’ll look lovely in my wardrobe.

The bad news is: I have a lot of work to do to make it fit nicely, and the way I want it. When I put it on, I felt like a little girl. The fit is completely off at the waistline. So, I’m going to take up and I’m also going to give the bodice a deeper v-neck. I love the cottagecore vibe but want to make it a little more… me. I want to add a tiny bit of boho sex appeal to it and then it’ll be perfect.

Make McCalls two piece set

Ugh! This pattern (McCall’s M7937)has been in my heart for over 9 months and I have yet to make it. I want to carve out a whole weekend to just put it all together! I’m desperate. I have the perfect fabric (again from eBay and the same seller who found it at an estate sale). The fabric is 100% vintage cotton but it’s a quilting fabric instead of apparel.

The downside to quilting fabric is, it’s stiff and needs a lot of ironing. However, though not as soft, it’s tough! It’ll be great as a pay suit and I can see myself wearing this two-piece set out all year. Especially at a winery or in the fall with a turtle neck under it… I need to find a way to add pockets to it. 🤔

This is my season to make it!

Fix the plaid dress…

Ugh… this plaid dress. I’ve yet to tailor it BUT, I did pull it out of my closet and give it a good look. I know what I need to do to make it look perfect. I just need to do it.

It’s very clearly crooked. The seams don’t align and the fit is completely off.

I’m going to steer clear of the pattern and go rogue to make it my own. Though it has side pockets, I’m strongly debating adding front square pockets to the back of it to make it more playful. Stand by to see what comes of it!

Dyeing

A new category for us! I have a few good clothing friends that are in desperate need of a dye job.

Fix bleach stains

I’m embarrassed to admit this because these are three of my favorite wardrobe pieces that I love… but have ruined because I couldn’t be bothered to put on a cleaning apron. I literally Clorox bleached the three of them by mistake.

Black jumpsuit – cleaning the sink and I leaned against it. 🫣 I’m short!
Black sweater – I don’t even know how I got these bleach stains on one sleeve only but they’re spots so I’m assuming it was a bleach stray. 😩
Green sweater – ughhhh my favorite $3 thrift sweater that I’ve worn for the past 4 years. Again, I very clearly leaned against the sink while cleaning it. This one I want to re-dye green but I fear it’ll be impossible. Hence why I’m knitting my new sweater above. 😭

There you have it, darling friends! I hope you follow me along on this journey. I know I owe you some travel posts too but I think I’ll be able to get caught up in the next few weeks.

Til then, let’s welcome Spring together! 💕