Sewing basics

Here's a little confession for you all: this particular skirt is probably one of the only wearable items I ever made that can be considered a 'basic'.

The pattern is the Ginger skirt from Colette patterns, and I often refer to it as my TARDIS skirt. The blue is slightly more vibrant in real life, not unlike a certain police box! I love the pattern and I love the fit of the skirt, even though it could be considered a bit of an exception in my handmade wardrobe.

You see, when I'm shopping for t-shirts or sweaters or underwear, I tend to go for the 'goes-with-anything' kind. It will probably be navy, grey or white and not look weird in a year. But when I'm thinking up new projects I seem to find it impossible to make anything simple and solid, something to go with everything...

I'm currently working on my floral linen Ceylon dress, and the initial idea for this dress was entirely different. I had linen in my head, but off-white, solid, with fabric-covered buttons. It would make the lines of the dress stand out and be something I could wear all spring and summer on different occasions. But something strange happened at the fabric store: I stood in front of the linen section and all the solids just looked... bland. The pretty white picture vanished and I returned home with a floral print.

So even if I have the intention of sewing something simple and basic, I rarely go through with it. Truth is, I'd rather work on something slightly mad or outrageous than on something ordinary. If I go through all the effort of making a garment for myself, I want it to be fun to look at. So I'll skip the beige and make a bright red trenchcoat instead.

What do you think? Should I give the basics a chance or is there nothing wrong with a wardrobe full of prints?