Personal empowerment is one of the best things about having a few simple sewing skills. You are never dependent on what is currently available for purchase because you can craft something that suits your need and preference.

Own-style ticks all the slow fashion boxes of individual, creative, sustainable, ethical, natural, known provenance, comfortable – and is simply a matter of investing time and applying skills to magic something wearable out of not much.

Now on the home stretch of this Sew it Again year, I’m applying effort to refashion some loose, comfortable shifts for summer as the weather hots up in the Southern Hemisphere. 

I found this long-sleeved Indian cotton top in my op-shop stash and teamed it with a piece of checked linen/cotton gingham I had in my fabric stash. After cutting off/neatening the sleeves and sewing closed the side slit, I attached a piece of the gingham cut on the bias using pinking shears. I guesstimated the length and width, and just overlapped the extra width instead of trying to make an exact join. I stitched the sleeve offcuts together as a hair tie. It took about an hour, no new purchasing and brought engagement with pet cat and chooks in the process.