So many of my fellow Ready to Wear Fasters have been enhancing their wardrobes with simple, beautifully sewn, well fitting basics. I love seeing what everyone posts and those quick sews can be so satisfying.

Starting the process of switching out my closet, hoping warmer weather will finally arrive, made it clear  – I  needed to ditch some worn out skirts and sew up some replacements. Something smooth and simple, with a back zip, so there is no bulk in the front, and pockets, definitely pockets.

The pattern:

From:

The changes:

Hacked off 6 inches in length, skipped the back pockets & belt loops and slanted the angle of the front pockets more, so they laid flatter.

The plan:

Cut out the same pattern from two different print fabrics with black as dominant color. Since all the thread would be black, each step could be sewn assembly line style.

The result:

Cardigans are the one thing I miss buying, hopefully these make it through another season. The pink one I bought in 2005.

These are more casual than what I what I normally wear to work, but tomorrow is the exception. It is the last week of regular classes and reviews are next week. Instead of finals week, art schools have review week and it is fraught with stress. We have a “Refresh Room” where the students can get free healthy snacks, massages were available today and we had visiting puppies to pet. Tomorrow I get to volunteer 2 hours while the puppies visit again. Thanks to a local shelter the puppies get some extra attention and the students get to lower their stress levels.

An Update:

Puppies and students had a great time together.