Summer Clothes You Can Sew in Less Than 2 Hours
If you, too, are torn between the desire to sew summer clothes and the discouragement at the thought of spending hours at the sewing machine when the weather is nice outside, we have just what you need!
A selection of easy-to-make pieces that can be completed in less than two hours—perfect for refreshing your wardrobe without spending days on end doing it.
A lightweight, flowing top
To beat the summer heat, there’s nothing like wearing loose-fitting, oversized clothes. They have the advantage of not clinging to the skin and allowing the body to breathe.
If you don’t have much time to devote to your summer wardrobe, you can sew the Antéros top from Mangue Chocolat. This pattern features a very modern cropped cut and simple details: cuffs on the sleeves, an open back, and a single buttonhole to fasten it…
It’s also a perfect project to make if you have a one-meter scrap of fabric. All you’ll need is some iron-on interfacing and a button.
To ensure this piece drapes beautifully, opt for a very lightweight fabric—preferably a natural fiber. Airy linen, cotton gauze, cotton voile…You can choose a colorful polka-dot fabric to be right on trend this season.
An oversized T-shirt
Perfect for beginners, Libertina by Muna Patterns is a very easy-to-follow pattern if you’d like to sew some comfortable T-shirts for the summer. It’ll be even quicker to make if you have a serger. But you can tackle this project with your sewing machine—just be sure to use a stretch stitch and a jersey needle.
Its wide sleeves and flared cut make it very comfortable to wear on hot days.
If you want to sew a T-shirt for your children, you can follow our pattern.
For these T-shirt styles, choose a stretchy jersey fabric. Opt for cotton jersey rather than a synthetic material like polyester. This summer’s trend is all about color: pink, lilac, bright red, cobalt blue, yellow… Or color-blocking, which involves mixing shades on a single garment—for example, by sewing the sleeves and body from different fabrics.
Enough to make several T-shirts and put together a vibrant wardrobe for vacation.
A headband for sunny days
A headband is a great summer accessory—it adds a unique touch to an outfit. It’s a great way to echo a color or pattern in an outfit by sewing it from the same fabric as a skirt or pants.
It can also be used to spice up a solid-color outfit. A polka-dot headband will give a simple jeans-and-T-shirt combo a vintage touch.
The Sola headband by Modèle Nature (available in three sizes) is very quick to sew. And as an added bonus, it’s a great way to use up your fabric scraps! You’ll just need to have some elastic on hand to finish it off.
A cute elastic-waist skirt
An elastic-waist skirt is a great foundation for putting together a summer look. It can be worn with a simple T-shirt, a blouse, sandals or sneakers, a denim jacket, or a blazer… It’s also a very easy and quick piece to put together—even if you’re just starting out and haven’t quite mastered your sewing machine yet!
Once you’ve traced the pattern, you can sew several of them in no time at all and easily customize them to your liking by adding ruffles, making them longer or shorter, using different fabric colors or patterns… The most tedious step is threading the elastic through the waistband. To do this, secure the elastic firmly to a safety pin.
You can follow the Miss Cactus pattern, which is available in several lengths. Or use the free tutorial from Prima Mercerie for kids.
A dress with a belt
If you want to sew a flattering dress without spending hours on bust darts or installing a zipper, you can make a straight-cut dress that you slip on through the neckline and cinch at the waist with a belt.
That’s certainly true of this Burda tunic dress, which keeps complicated finishing steps to a minimum. All you have to do is sew the front and back together and hem the neckline and bottom edge.
To create a garment with a nice, flowing drape, choose a fairly lightweight fabric, such as poplin or cotton voile. Here again, a pretty polka-dot fabric will give the piece a trendy retro look.
What about you—what do you feel like sewing this summer?
