Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Neutral Linen Separates


I've always been attracted to the linen separates in neutral shades that Eileen Fisher sells. They seem timeless, elegant, but with an edge. They are also beyond my budget at well over $100 a piece. So, when Fabric Mart came out with their new line of designer quality linen I knew exactly what I wanted to make- neutral separates that I could mix and match with my current wardrobe.


I'm really more of a print person- it's rare that I choose a solid color fabric because there are just so many beautiful prints to choose from! But, I've realized for a while that I need some more solids, especially neutral solids in my wardrobe. For these pieces, I chose the brown-olive shade for the pants, natural for the top, and black for the jacket- all from the Designer Linen line.


The brown-olive is really a fantastic color- just perfectly in between brown and olive, so it will go with just about everything.  The natural is what I would describe as cool toned- which is good for me, as I was a little worried it might lean towards the yellow.


I did wash and dry all of my fabrics, expecting them to shrink quite a bit. To my surprise, they barely shrunk at all! After pressing them, they only shrank about one inch per yard. I even washed them three times!  These linens are a pretty versatile weight- the natural seemed to be a little heavier than the others- and you can see little flecks in it, so I'm thinking it might have not gone through as much processing as the other colors.

For the pattern, I chose a new Khaliah Ali design with four pieces. McCalls 7368.

The jacket can also be worn as a top without the separate top underneath. I did make some changes to the design, as I wanted a more open front, so I redrew the neck edge of the underlap side and made inside ties at the waist.  The original design has it attach to the opposite shoulder with snaps.



I eliminated the facings and narrow hemmed the entire outer edge.  I used twill tape for the ties, instead of a self fabric. So with those changes, this went together really quickly.


To make sure that the back neckline didn't stretch out, I ironed a strip of interfacing just inside the fold.  The narrow hem covers it up, and it really keeps the back neckline stable. It's almost more of a cardigan this way, and I think I prefer wearing it open.


I also made a change to the top design- adding a side slit on each side so that it would be easier to put my hands into the pockets in the pants.  The neck and armhole edges are finished with single fold bias tape- shown here. 


Most linen pants that you see in ready to wear are pretty loose fitting, unless they are lined. I think this is because linen will bag out as you sit, so if you wanted to keep it tight fitting, you would need to rely on a lining to do so. If you don't want a lining, then it's probably better to choose a loose-fitting style. I found many interesting pant styles in linen on these websites: Oska and  Vivid Linen.


I had made a muslin for the jacket from another Fabric Mart fabric that you might recognize from last year! I got it in a mystery bundle and really didn't have a clue what to make with it until now. It is a linen cotton blend with a rosy patchwork print.  I wore this outfit today and had someone tell me that I should start my own clothing line- always a nice compliment!


These pants are made in a white linen that I had made years ago, and I think I like the wide leg style in linen better than the straight leg that I made in the brown-olive shade. The straight legs of the brown olive are probably a little more practical though, so each has its own pros and cons.  As you can see, the linen will wrinkle, so you have to be able to live with that. I find that the comfort of linen far outweighs any issues that I have with wrinkling. 

I like how the natural colored top works as a backdrop for just about any necklace or scarf I would want to wear. I am looking forward to wearing these all summer and into fall.  Do you like to wear neutral shades? Or are you more of a print person? 

Happy Sewing!
Ann

Comments

  1. Ann, these are gorgeous. Very Eileen Fisher/J. Jill. I know you will be able to use them for a long time, plus they are perfect complements to a print (which I know you love, and you know I love).

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this outfit and it does have that Eileen Fisher aesthetic which I also love. And what a great pattern choice. Hmmm I will have to get that pattern for the neutral linen fabrics I have been collecting. Very nice job indeed. Thank you for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just lovely! I especially like your alteration to the jacket pattern, which I might need to "borrow"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lee. It really simplifies making the jacket, and I think gives you more options for how to wear it.

      Delete
  4. Great Set of styles!!! Very impressive! Look so comfortable, too~

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Liberty Snow Day

Hi everyone! While we’ve been blanketed with snow out here in Southeastern PA, I decided to conquer my fear of button holes and make NewLook pattern N6749. I was able to snag a few yards of the Jess + Jean print Liberty of London Tana Lawn for it. It’s always exciting when Fabric Mart is able to get Liberty fabrics in! I always make sure to grab some.  Cutting into a beautiful piece of tana lawn is scary every time. The fabric is such good quality, I’m afraid to mess it up! I had to be extra careful as this is also the first directional pattern I’ve worked with. But one of my assistants made sure all of my pieces were laid correctly. Something I wanted to try out with this dress was finishing the inside seams using the overlock stitch on my domestic machine. Normally I would french seam, but it was nice to not have to worry about cutting seam allowance in half, sewing, trimming, flipping, and sewing again. Next time I would cut the seam allowance back before overlocking, but I thin...

Made By A Fabricista: Embracing Winter in Wool Boucle

As winter drags on, the cold weather is such a bummer to me and feeling uncomfortable and cold so often is rough. Meanwhile, I listened to a podcast all about how people in very northern countries deal better with the onset of dark, freezing winter with a radically different mindset of embracing the inevitable season by reframing the chill as refreshing and the opportunity to spend most time indoors as cozy. I can do that!  I found a gorgeous, quintessential wool boucle suiting in black and white to make myself a luxurious outer layer while I’m outside attempting to embrace the sting of dry winter air… It’s kind of working. So classic, so chic! Wearing boucle is always an uptown move and I certainly do feel sophisticated in it. This black and white houndstooth combination feels especially Old Hollywood, and what a treat to make something with this!  I sewed the Daphne Jacket from Vivian Shao Chen. There are no closures, and the shape is boxy and very easy to wear over multipl...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing + Running

It’s not every day that I get to mix two of my favorite hobbies. Especially when one hobby is sewing and the other is running. You can’t sew and run at the same time, but, you can go running in something that you sewed! With this realization, I embarked on my first hobby-merging adventure.  We’ve had some frigid temperatures in Pennsylvania this winter. Since I’m an outside, stroller-pushing runner, I bundle up my son and myself before I hit the road. The temperature feels 20 degrees warmer for outside runners than the outside air. For the children being pushed in the stroller though, it feels about 20 degrees colder.  With these differences in temperature for each of us, layering is the only thing that ensures that we both stay perfectly warm. My running wardrobe has been lacking a warm top layer. My son’s wardrobe would also benefit from having another warm layer, so I knew pullovers were what I should make.  Inspired by a name-brand ¼ button-down fleece pullover I saw,...