Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: The lightest weight Kirtle.


I knew what this Linen/Silk Organza would be the minute I saw it. For years, I have been struggling with wearing my Italian Ren Garb in the hot summers. It has not only been a struggle but a disappointment to have to try and find something else to wear when the temperature is above 75. Enter, the lightest kirtle I have ever sewn. I'm not joking, this dress is half the weight of my other kirtles. I even had other people test it to make sure I wasn't delusional.



Over the past 10 years, I have made so many kirtles that I know the process and how to get this done efficiently. The only problem that I saw was how to get the right drape on the skirt without adding bulk and therefore warmth to the dress. The solution? Add a canvas facing on the hem of the skirt. This was such a simple fix that is not only historically accurate, but it produced such an amazing shape to the dress that it somehow looks better than all my past dresses? 


I might just be biased.


I managed to finish this dress right before an event that was about 70 degrees throughout most of the day. I thought my shift/kritle combo would be sufficiently warm, but I was wrong. I got cold. Like, put on a sweater, wrap up in a blanket, cold. Which only makes me more excited to wear this dress over the summer as we get temperatures in the 90-100 range.


MARTY  @scrappypatterns

Comments

Recent Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: A Fresh Take on a Classic Shirt Dress

Summer has arrived! That means longer days, soaring temps, and the perfect excuse for me to add another linen garment to my wardrobe.  Lightweight linen and summer weather just go together, don’t you agree? That’s why I choose this striped linen for my next Fabricista make. Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews ready to share my summer dress with you.  The tiny blue and white stripes combined with navy buttons give it a bit of coastal charm, while the details make it anything but a traditional shirt dress.  The fabric is a Ralph Lauren 100% shirt weight linen. The stripes are so small that from a distance the fabric almost looks like a solid color. One advantage of those small stripes is that I didn’t worry about whether they matched as I would have with a wider stripe :-)  The pattern I choose is McCall’s 8556, a shirtdress that, instead of a typical straight silhouette, has a gathered bodice, a fitted waistband that sits just above the waist, short, c...

Made By A Fabricista: Mechanic Chic!

When it comes to buying ready-to-wear garments as a sewist, I only ever spend in three categories: heavy duty winter jackets (life in Maine!), bras… and jumpsuits! I love a good jumpsuit, but unfortunately the ones I used to buy have been impacted by the tariff situation and I can’t get them affordably anymore. This can only mean one thing, folks: it’s time to roll up my sleeves and sew my very first jumpsuit!  When I started planning for this project, I knew I wanted to use a heavyweight linen for cozy comfort in the fall and breathability in the summer. I wanted something that would wear beautifully and soften with age, and something with neutral tones that could go with everything. Naturally, when I came across this 100% linen canvas on Fabric Mart, my heart skipped a beat! I love the ikat-inspired geometry and something about it reminds me of leopard spots too. Bold yet wearable! I am pretty sure this fabric was intended for home decor which I don’t mind at all and in fact of...

Made By A Fabricista: Tried and true summer basics that fit.

Happy Summer Friends! As I am writing this, we are headed into a nasty heat wave…so the timing could not be better to share two of my favorite summer patterns and fabrics.  But first, let me tell you about the fail I had heading into this month’s blog… As Fabricista’s, we get to pick out fabric for each of our blog submissions. I fell in love with this gorgeous lilac jacquard knit that I thought would be perfect for a pop of color in my summer wardrobe. But I made a fatal error - I grabbed a pattern I haven’t made for years, quickly went up one size to account for a few new pounds, and sewed them up. And they don’t fit, will NEVER fit, and will never be worn. Sigh…when will I learn?? Here’s a flat lay pic so we can at least look at the lovely fabric: The lesson I learned (relearned!) is that just like with off the rack clothes, the things that worked well for me years ago don’t work well for me today.  And that’s the case with both tops and bottoms. So I went back to two patt...

Help Our Buyers Shop!

  Comment on this post with what you are looking for right now and our buyers will seek it out!  I am craving wool gabardines and ponte knits in fun autumn colors. What about you?