Saving Time Money and Gas - Quicker Summer Tops

Supposedly there is a heat wave on the way. I say supposedly because the news hasn't been very good at predicting the weather lately. But, just in case I am trying to get prepared.

My summer sewing got off to a good start last week, when I made these quick summer tops. Now I need a few quicker summer tops, because this heat wave is supposed to start tomorrow.

Living out in the middle of nowhere means that a trip to the store is a 45 minute drive each way, plus the time it takes to shop. I could sew a shirt in that amount of time. In fact I could do better than that.

½ hour + sharp scissors + thread = three summer tops

Here’s how.

I cut the sleeves off three long sleeve shirts. They’ll grow out of these before they need long sleeves again.

Then I hemmed the sleeves with a simple straight stitch on my machine.

I cut a Hello Kitty Applique out of an old pair of winter pajamas. 

It already had a border so I used a straight stitch again to attach it to the black t- shirt.

There you go, 30 minutes to three quick and free summer tops. Save your gas. Don’t go to the store, you have everything you need at home.

My Evolving Signature Style

Project Sewn has once again forced me ask myself some tough questions. I wonder if they knew from the start that they were leading their followers on a journey of self discovery. This week I had to ask myself what my signature style was.

How do the clothes I choose to wear define who I am? What message do I tell the people around me without ever saying a word?

A signature style is what you are known for. It says something about you. Classic, sporty, earthy… It could be anything.

Most days I just throw on one of my six pairs of black yoga pants and whatever stretched out t-shirt happens to be at the top of the drawer. So what does my style say about me? The only word that comes to mind is "indifferent". Not exactly the message I want to portray, and it doesn't reflect who I feel I am either.

This article is getting some attention from the sewing and fashion communities. It is about how people dress now compared to the past, and what it says about them.

Personally, I won’t be wearing gloves and a hat on my next trip to the grocery store, but I will think twice before wearing something that could pass for pajamas.

Despite all of the thinking and reading I've done, I still have no clue what my signature style is.

Because this is a sewing completion, I am bound mostly by my sewing ability.

I started with a simple refashion for the pants. They're a mix of the skinny jeans that are popular now and a retro high-water style pant. I think I  hit the mark with them. I love the style and the fit, and they work great with my lifestyle.

Coming up with a top was much more frustrating. It took three attempts to find a pattern that I could actually sew and that fit me well with the few adjustment I know how to make.

I ended up using a free Colette pattern, which was amazing. It was more professional than most of the paid patterns I have used, and reading it felt like being taught how to sew by a friend. Since I also own her  book, I used that as a reference for adjustments.

Despite loving the pattern, I don’t think I would call this shirt my signature.  I’m sure that my style will evolve as my sewing skills improve. But for now I will call this look my signature style in progress.