Most of us go through a lot of changes in life – at least the lucky ones still hopping around on this pretty rock floating through space. In your teens, sewing might become creative self expression, in your 20s it might be a reflection of your new work life (or an escape from it.) In your 30s and 40s you might be sewing for kids. During the pandemic, we all pivoted to joggers and cozy loungewear. Despite what the fashion industry wants to tell you, we still want comfortable clothing, we just want to look good.
What if your life has also gone through other changes? Maybe you now work from home full time (I do!) Maybe your job has changed and you now don’t need customer-facing clothing. Or maybe you do!
When most of us started sewing in our childhood and teens, we customize clothing, sew a few things here and there, maybe under the tutelage of a Scout class or a community education class or at a local sewing store.
In the 1990s, I sewed career wear – but eclectic. I loved the Vogue Elements line of patterns (a definite precursor to the style of marketing, photographing and branding patterns that indie patterns all use now.) It was workwear but with an edge. Designed for people like me (in their 20s), it was still professional, but they added in casual clothes that weren’t just loungewear, at a time when we were first experimenting with “business casual Fridays” in our workplaces.
I have friends who work in jobs that aren’t customer facing any more – in tech, or administration. Some of my friends are retired! Some have left “big corporate” for small organizations and some have left their own businesses to work for others – in each of these life changes, sewing and fashion choices change us too.
If you could wear whatever you wanted every day what would that look like? How does your style shift with that change?
Jacket, Wiksten Unfolding in hand dyed (by me!) Kona cotton, thrifted corduory pants
Same jacket, different year, with a Christine Jonson Slit Skirt (sewed with the slit in the center front instead of center back).
Christine Jonson Wide Leg Pants from the Taper/Wide Leg pants pattern. A sleek, not too wide pant (I cropped these) that you can make in 20 minutes.
Many of us have adopted a more casual lifestyle since the pandemic. Sales of “hard pants” (without stretch fabric or elastic) are still down, despite the fashion industry pumping out things and telling us it’s time to buy new (don’t fall for that!) Millennials – who are both struggling with multiple economic hard periods, plus are sick and tired of the “work harder for less money” gig that corporate America gives us, are leaving for self employment – and wearing whatever they want regardless of the job.
The very first thing you should do is make a list of the things you do and the places you go. Then, you want to assess what you need for that lifestyle – first consulting your closet, and then your pattern and fabric stash for the next thing to make. I like to use my Pick One Sew Two planner which is free. Go find one thing in your closet that works for your new lifestyle and then go to your fabric and pattern stash for two other things that coordinate with it and fit within your lifestyle. Here are a few examples:
Have a sweater: Add in a pair of cropped pants or shorts or a full skirt plus a top or tee
Have a blazer: add a pair of pants, a full skirt or, if summer, shorts, see my blazer with shorts ideas here.
Have a skirt: a full skirt looks great with a cropped top, a midi straight skirt looks great with a looser top or shirt/blouse
What do I do with half my sewing patterns when I adopt a more casual lifestyle?
You might also have a bunch of sewing patterns (mostly “of old”) that contain “work clothes” and maybe you don’t wear that many professional work clothes – a pair of pants looks just as good with a tank top and a button down shirt with sandals as it did with that blazer. And the blazer looks awesome over shorts or a casual dress on cooler days with sneakers as it did with those pants. If you have a large enough stash you might also have a lot of patterns that are styled for workplace wear, and with the exception of a fitted, back zip skirt (a garment I probably won’t ever wear again), you can wear the wide leg shorts, the tops, the blazers and the pants, just have to mix them with more casual items, footwear and accessories.
More modern indie patterns tended to trend more casually because they grew out of a world that is more casual. You’ll find a lot of fun clothes that are suitable regardless of your life situation.
What if you’re totally retired or, if you have a job like me, you can wear whatever you want at work? I favor elastic waists and joggers – but a tailored pair of pants with the darts in the back left out and a little straightening of the outer side seams at the waistband make a perfect pair of back-elastic waist pants. Add jogger drawstring or elastic cuffs for a very casual look, or roll the pant legs up. I don’t generally need blazers, but I like unlined ones in a stable knit fabric (like ponte), or a linen/cotton for a little slouch. With the right fabric, almost any dress can be worn casually (with the exception of obvious designs for formal wear.)
What do I do with all that wool in my stash that I was saving for suits?
Many of us have wool fabrics for suiting for making, well, suits. Some is lightweight “tropical weight” wool with a smooth finish and a definite business-like pattern, some is more ‘coat weight’. Obviously coat weight lends itself to, well, coats! A casual coat like the Nova coat, or a color block one from Know Me help you take those wools and do something great with them that you’ll actually wear (we all do need coats!) The lightweight wools make excellent oversized cape, wrap and scarf-like accessories. Wool is also a durable fabric for bags. Tropical weight wools still look great as pants – just choose elastic waist ones. Tropical weight doesn’t usually need to be lined, as it’s smooth and softer. Tropical weight wool is a great temperature regulator year round, so it’s great for multi season wear on all but the hottest days.
Changing your sewing as your life evolves – even with your existing pattern and fabric stash – is a great way to evolve how you feel about yourself.
Wearing garments you have made, love and that look great but are elevated beyond the tee shirt-and-jeans look is also ideal if you have something impromptu – like a Zoom call or a meeting after work. I recently forgot about a photo shoot I’d scheduled, and I was wearing a variation of the Antero shell top with cropped Emerson pants. I simply grabbed my bag and left for the shoot, applying some lipstick on the way. I was perfectly presentable and comfortable for the hot weather we were having that day!