My first review of the wardrobing article in Australian Stitches had so much response, that I thought I should post an update. Please know that I have no affiliation with this magazine; my only interest is personal. I really enjoy the magazine (I am particularly addicted to the glossy pictures). I find that Stitches suits my sewing style better than any other sewing magazine at the moment. The articles are useful and the clothing is something that I would want to wear. There are also enough challenging articles in there to get me trying new techniques.

So, I just wanted to let you know that the editor, Lynn Cook, has added another seven pieces to her wardrobe. This selection has her going off in another colour direction, but many of the pieces still work with the previous wardrobe. This wardrobe is much more casual, with pants and shirts being the mainstay, plus a great casual coat in one of my all-time favourite fabrics, corduroy. This update is available in Stitches Vol. 7,No. 4 and these issues are available from the address given at the bottom of this article. For those without the magazine, I have scanned the pictures here for you.

New colours from Lynn's closet - Pictures scanned from Stitches Magazine

More items from the new plan Notice the colours are all in the same tones, with sage green, cream, beige, and taupe, a muted wardrobe that suits Lynn's work-from-home lifestyle.

Once again, notice the lack of prints. Solid colours have much more versatility when it comes to mixing and matching. Besides, everyone remembers your printed clothes and they look "older" faster.

Tip: When adding new items, make sure that the new addition will work with at least 5 other items in your closet to make this plan really work.

The patterns Lynn used for this wardrobe are: white jacket - McCalls 2341, corduroy coat - Burda 3079, beige pant - Burda Studio 3130, sage pant - Butterick 6420, cream blouse - Simplicity 8973, short-sleeve blouse - Simplicity 8973, and beige shirt - Butterick 5208.

In the same volume, there is a second wardrobe article. This one was made up by Maree Pigdon, a dressmaker and sewing teacher in Australia. Note the difference in colours - this is a high contrast collection, perfect for the person with strong colouring.

Maree's wardrobe plan

Maree based her wardrobe around the Harris tweed blazer, then added pants and skirts that would coordinate. I particularly like her use of casual shirts in this other-wise dressy wardrobe.

More of Maree's wardrobe

In Volume 7, No. 5, Maree has injected charcoal and red into the plan.

Splashes of colour really spice this up.

Note again the use of casual shirts and tops in this wardrobe.

This mix can be dressy or casual depending on your fabric choices.

I noticed that there is a busy discussion on one of the Sewing World chat boards about sewing a wardrobe. Quite a few sewers have taken this plan to heart and are busy making their own collection. It certainly inspires me to get into my sewing room and "sew with a plan" instead of sewing on a whim. If any of you have pictures of your own wardrobes, that you would like to send along, I'd be happy to see them. Perhaps we could start a file of your wardrobes for others to see!

All of the above pictures were scanned from Australian Stitches Magazine.

FYI - Stitches Magazine is published by Express Publications Pty Ltd. It is distributed in North America by Quilters' Resource Inc., 2211 N Elston Avenue, Chicago IL 60614. Phone 1-773-278-5695. Their website is www.expresspublications.com.au