Jaime and Amber's Most Worn Makes: Summer 2018

It's that time of year when the weather changes and Amber and I think about our most worn makes of the past season. When focusing on creating a handmade wardrobe, it's always great to reflect on what gets the most wear, and what garments stand the test of time. Summer has us reaching for tees, tanks and dresses. 

Jaime

This summer was all about my uniform of jeans + boxy tee. I have made several different patterns that are essentially boxy tees and they are all amazing and in heavy rotation pretty much all the time. I have the most of Sonya Philips' Shirt no 1 (the double gauze ones are my faves), but this summer i branched out to some new patterns. I tried (and love) the Lou Box Top by Sew DIY in a Nani Iro cotton sateen. I also made a Woman tee in a Japanese double gauze. This is a free pattern on Nani Iro's website. Our very own Fen is another great boxy top. I pair these with black or blue jeans or jean shorts and sandals. This is a super casual look, but i feel like the subtle prints elevate it a bit beyond a t-shirt and jeans.

One surprise most worn make this summer was my red linen maxi Brome. I never knew when I made this very-bold-for-me dress that I would wear it all the time. When I made this I thought it would be a "special occasion" dress, but when I packed it in my suitcase and took it to Portugal it was the outfit I reached for the most. From then on I wore this thing all summer long. It is comfortable and cool making it an easy choice on a hot day and I almost always receive compliments when I wear it. 

I don't remember when I made this Sonya Philip Dress no 1, but I feel like its been at least a year. I love this lightweight lawn fabric, but when I finished it I found I never wore it because it was too short. This summer, maybe in July, I put it on and again, decided it was too short for me to go outside of the house and be comfortable... that's when I had the brilliant idea to shorten it. It had patch pockets so I hacked out about 4" bringing the hem right up the bottom of the pockets and re-hemmed it. The result is another most-worn make! I love my new tank-tunic and have worn it constantly since altering it. Everyone also compliments this and asks when I made it since it seems "new". I'm so glad I took the plunge and turned a failure into a win! 

Amber

I spent a lot of my sewing time this spring working on the release of the Brome pattern and, with all that testing and sample sewing, I happily ended up with some summery Bromes in my wardrobe! My linen Brome maxi was a top pick for me over the summer. When I wear it I feel ready for a fancy backyard party, and at the same time, it's honestly the most comfortable dress of the summer. When the days were too hot for my regular go to (jeans), this dress was the first thing I would reach for. 

After that pattern release, I surprised myself when I decided to make yet another Brome! I really wanted a basic, navy, tea length Brome for our trip to Portugal. I picked a beautiful cotton/tencel that was navy on one side and cobalt on the other. The two different sides made me want a reversible travel dress. It was a real craft crunch to finish it at the last minute before we left, but so worth it to have in my suitcase! Such a comfortable, versatile garment was perfect for the trip.

Next up on my list of summer wardrobe besties are my many Adventure Tanks. I pretty much live in these during the heat of summer. I wear them gardening, dog walking, hiking...castle wall climbing. They are a no-fuss, basic wardrobe staple. The ones I tend to wear the most are my hemp jersey Adventure Tanks. Hemp is perfect for hot days, and makes a fabric that's resilient to things like rose bush thorns and puppy paws. 

A surprising appearance on my most worn of the summer list--a garment that was also included in my most worn of winter! My Junegrass Sweater is really just my perfect year-round sweater! It keeps me warm when the Colorado temperature dips in the evening, but this sweater really had a chance to shine on my trip to Alaska. I wore it almost every day. I found it has the perfect sleeve length for reeling in salmon, managing fish hooks, shoveling ice, and tying off boats. My hands were free to work and I stayed cozy in the cool damp weather. This sweater has seen some serious wear, and I still love it so much! 

A recent addition to my wardrobe is my Inari Tee, but it has already become a favorite. I love the print, and the Inari fits into my wardrobe like a t-shirt, but with a bit more style. This tee just makes me happy and so it pretty much goes from the clean laundry pile back onto my body. Bonus: In about five minutes I made the leftovers into a little elastic waist skirt for my niece, and she thinks it's the coooooolest that we have matching clothes. I mean, obviously, it is the coolest. 

With the change of seasons, we are getting excited for a whole new world of wardrobe options. Hello, Autumn sweater weather!