Made by a Fabricista: Dress up with Linen

Hey all!  Wow the world has become a weird place since I last wrote here in February!  My family and I are making the best of our time at home, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a whole lotta pajama wearing on a regular basis!

That's why these projects were a literal breath of fresh air, plus the sewing was a mental relief.  Aren't you glad that we sew when times get stressful?!

I decided to base my ideas for this month around some of the beautiful linens Fabric Mart has been carrying.  Linen season is right up there with Boot-Wearing season in my mind, and I look forward to both every year.  As my stash can attest, I have far far too much linen and I don't feel bad about it!

I picked out two linens: this mustard/cream print for myself (sold out now, but this yellow linen print has a similar vibe).  The second linen is the soft pink chambray linen I knew my daughter would love.  I've been eyeing this whole category of chambray linens for a while now.  There's so many good colors that could easily be breezy summer pants or full skirts or some kind of linen colorblock dress masterpiece!

Pink linen X2

Simple linen dress

My daughter loves wearing dresses of all kinds, and if it's pink, well all the better.

For the dress I chose Ottobre 3-2017-7.  It's just a sweet simple sleeveless dress with an invisible zip and frilled sleeves.

For the frill, I pleated the linen.  One of the things that I love about linen is it's structural possibilities.  It holds details like pleats like a champion!

I also added a neck ruffle.  The selvage on this fabric was too pretty to not use.  To make the ruffle, I measured the neckline, multiplied x2 and cut a 1" strip from the selvage.  After gathering it, I basted it in place before finishing the neckline with bias tape.

It took all I had in me not to pull out my block printing supplies and carve a unicorn stamp for this dress.  Maybe another time!  Sometimes the best things are the simplest and the lilies don't always have to be gilded.

As it is, my daughter had fun adding accessories to this dress.  She raided my jewelry, and playing dress up when we've been stuck in the house was good for both of us!

Linen shorts 

After making up the dress I still had enough linen to cut a pair of shorts.  The pattern is Ottobre 3-2017-16.  They're a basic elastic waist short with a couple fun added details.

 I love the tulip shaped pockets on these.  We'll see how the gathered drawstring hems work out in real life for wearing comfort, but the drawstrings are a cute addition.

I lined the pockets with the same cotton voile I used for the top (Ottobre 3-2017-19--can you tell I love this issue?).  The voile is from my stash, and it's the perfect color to go with the pink.

Linen print sundress

For my dress, I decided to revisit a favorite pattern of my past: Burda 5-2007-123.  I made it a few years back interestingly enough from another Fabric Mart linen from Theory.


This dress, like pretty much everything from that particular issue is a winner.  The soft vertical gathers down the front and the ruched shoulders are so feminine and lovely!

For the shoulder gathers, I used a piece of foldover elastic stitched to the backside of the linen with a zigzag.  I find elastic really irritating in general, but foldover is quite soft and it holds the gathers well.

I kept the dress unlined.  This linen was opaque enough I wasn't worried about being indecent, and I figure in the sweaty heat of summer, the airy linen sans lining will be a gift!

To finish off the neckline and armholes, and hem, I cut some self bias.  I took the extra time to finish the bias by hand.  This is a handkerchief linen and it's a little too delicate to just whip it through the machine with a topstitch.  Finishing everything by hand was definitely worth it!

On the back I added a tiny bias loop for a button at the top of the invisible zipper.

The double brushed poly topper 

I've wanted to make my own version of this shrug for 5 years!  I bought the pink version for my cousin's wedding, and it's been my favorite little easy topper for Spring and Summer dresses.

The sleeve has a gathered cap, and it's ruched vertically as well.  It has a fun shape to it that's a perfect frame for your shoulders.

To make my own version, I made my own pattern by cloning the pink version.  I made up a test in a lilac poly knit in my stash.  Happy with that, I made it up in some ivory/goldenrod striped double brush poly.  That particular double brushed poly is out of stock, but there's a red striped double brushed poly that is similar.

To ruche the sleeve, I drew a line on the backside of each sleeve from cap to hem.  Stitching with my coverstitch, I stretched the elastic while simultaneously stretching it.  I used a heavy 1/2" clear elastic for this on the purple version.  For some reason, the clear elastic shredded with the double brushed poly.  I instead opted for basic 1/4" knit elastic.   It's not my first choice, but it works here.

Other than that, there's more clear elastic to help stabilize the shoulder seams.  Once you have the sleeves gathered/ruched, this shrug comes together in about 20 minutes.  Serge serge serge!  Gotta love hem bands for speed!

Because the shrug takes so little fabric, I had some extra leftover.  I made up a quick pair of leggings for my daughter that I embellished with some bow cuffs.  Out of all the pieces, these ones are her favorite.  That girl will always choose leggings over real pants!

All in all, I'm glad I was able to add some class to our otherwise flannel and hoodie heavy home wardrobe!  And if linen season looks different this year, I'm still gonna swan around the house and enjoy it!

Stay safe and keep sewing!

Elizabeth of Elizabeth Made This