Hot or cold--nothing in between

Ever have one of those days when you’re either freezing in the AC or sweltering when it decides to stop working?  This has been the case for me at work recently, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.  No, I haven’t learned any HVAC repair skills, but I have made a few outfits that can span the thermal vagaries of my workplace. 

A loose, lightweight pair of pants hides the goosebumps on my legs when the AC is visiting, but the pants also aren’t too hot and heavy when the AC takes a vacation.  For the pants, I used McCall’s 5889, View D, with 3” added to the length, omitted the pockets, and whipped it up from black crepe (JoAnn’s) that I had in my stash.  The pants took about an hour to make—no fuss, no muss!  The longest part was hand-stitching the hem.  No pix of the pants as they look pretty boring on the hanger, but I really like the way they fit, especially how they taper at the ankles.  Super comfortable and more casual than my other black pants.

For the shell, I used a TNT pattern, Kwik Sew 3740.  I’ve made this shell at least a dozen times, and though I haven’t timed my actual sewing (which can’t be more than an hour), I know it takes me nine minutes to cut it out!  This version is made up in turquoise matte jersey from Hancock Fabrics, and I added 2” to the length—the hem on the finished top sits 3” below my waist.  I’m not super pleased with my neck binding on this one, but it’ll do.  The hem and arms are coverstitched.

For the topper, I raided the pattern closet and found McCall’s 8178 which is OOP.  I added 5” in length to the jacket/shirt so that it hits me mid/upper thigh, and used this colorful gauze print from Hancock’s.  I love the colors!  They’re so happy, and the fabric is (thermally) cool.  I love that I can wear so many different colored shells with this jacket:  green, royal blue, black, white, or turquoise.

To wear with this outfit, I found the perfect necklace (pictured) on sale at White House/Black Market and some thick silver hoop earrings.  I do love a little sparkle!  For my tootsies, I wear either my silver Diba sandals (shown below) or my black suede Arche wedges.  Both styles look good with the outfit, although my feet freeze when the AC kicks in!

Shoe love:   I bought these Diba sandals at Nordstrom in Honolulu two years ago while I was shopping with DD (who had gone to Kona for a friend’s wedding).  We met up on Oahu, and one afternoon, when we weren’t lazing on the beach with cheesy magazines and mango iced tea, we took a stroll through Ala Moana to see what we could see.  I fell in love with the clean, chic lines of these sandals, plus I find silver (and other metallics) to be so versatile in footwear. The best part?  They are extremely comfortable.

Happy sewing! ~ Peggy

C'est moi!