When I first saw this fabric, it seemed made for me. It has most everything I love; two shades of BLUE, stripes and… it’s linen! Can you blame me for snatching it up? I was ecstatic, yet, once I got it home, it languished in my stash. I couldn’t decide what to do with it. Fabric love can be so paralyzing! I overthink, worrying that the style won’t do it justice, or that it will never look as good as it does on the shelf.
But our recent heat wave pushed me to act. I did not have a thing to wear (honest!!). Everything in my closet felt heavy and hot. This made my lovely fabric’s future quite clear. It would become an easy-to-wear, cool summer dress, a frock that could handle even a 100 degree day.
The pattern I used was one I’d had in my archives, a basic Vogue I bought during a sale, then never used. To be honest, there are many (!!) similar patterns in my archives, ‘honest mistakes’ purchased during some crazy-good 5 for $7 sale. I’m a sucker for those sales. No matter what, I can’t buy just three patterns. I have to buy five, because, well, it’s a good deal! Needless to say, that mindset results in a pattern stash that is unwieldy and huge. Some of those lovelies will never be opened, or cut. What to do, what to do? Does one vow to use all of them so that not one pattern will be wasted? Or is it better to admit defeat and send some of them to pattern heaven?
I digress, though.
Pattern: I chose Vogue 8894 from my archives, A v-neck dress with a close fitting bodice, a raised waist, hemline variations and sleeves, and a back zipper. It was easy to put together, and the instructions were clear. I made my usual adjustments for narrow shoulders, and the fit was spot on.
Fabric: Linen from Fabric Depot.
Design Modifications: The pattern is designed with 3/4 length sleeves. This just didn’t feel right for summer. So I cut them off, and added a 4″ sleeve band. To make a long story short (Ha!), I cut four (4) four inch wide pieces that were the width of the shortened sleeve. I sewed them together (right sides together) then turned the band right side out. The finished bands were then stitched to the sleeves.
Contrast: The dress seemed too plain, probably because the pattern doesn’t have a lot of complicated design elements. So I added contrasting twill tape at the neckline, the shoulder seam and the sleeve band seams.
Hem: I opted for the straight skirt. Instead of a high low hem, I chose a straight hem.
Lessons learned: Adding contrast was an after thought. I wore the dress once, then decided it needed a bit more pizzazz. Since the fabric was so great, I decided to go the extra mile and add contrasting twill, even though the dress was done. This was torture, since some of the seams had to be opened so that the end of the twill tape could be hidden in the seam. Since I’d overlocked some to keep them from fraying, this was no easy task. In the future, if I get a bee in my bonnet to add trim/twill tape, I will decide that before (!!) I finish the darn thing.
That being said, I like the dress much better now, so I will probably wear it more, making the extra effort worth it. And the pattern is probably a keeper, an easy to fit, wearable dress. I’m glad I found it in my archives.
I’d be interested to know what your strategy is regarding patterns. If you haven’t used them after awhile, do you send them on their way, or do you hold on to your patterns forever? If so, how do you organize/store them? Have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!!
I think your added contrast was well worth the effort–it pops out so well against the stripes. Who, among us can pass up linen in summer, let alone such a pretty striped linen? Only those with miserly hearts perhaps! What a treat to have a great cool dress to wear on hot days.
I’ve recently culled my envelope patterns. The truth is, I never know what I’m going to get fitwise with big 4 patterns, and it kind of bums me out. I thought about getting rid of some of my Burda mags that I thought I wouldn’t use. Thankfully, I haven’t, and I find myself reaching for the untouched ones more often. I know I can trust the fit and their style details are just about unmatched. All of my patterns are in manila envelopes in a filing cabinet with the exception of my Jalies and Burda/Ottobre. The Jalies are too big, and I use my magazines too frequently to warrant them being filed. For these, I have large wood boxes that live under my cut table.
I like the idea of putting them in manilas and boxes. I might have to do some sort of indexing system to keep track though. I fear my pattern stash borders on Hoarder status these days. Perhaps I’ll do as you’ve suggested, ditch the ones I know couldn’t possibly fit. Yes linen is my favorite fabric there days!
Mine are in basic categories in hanging folders inside the filing cabinet like jackets, dresses, skirts, pants, etc.
Oh, hanging folders!!! I’m heading to Office Depot tonight!! That’s my weekend project….
Unfortunately I can’t part with anything sewing related now. At least I have figured out how to inventory them. A long detailed process I blogged about a while ago – binders and boxes! I threw a bunch of patterns out when I gained/lost/gained weight and now I miss them! 🙁 Nice job on the dress. I do love the addition of the piping. Isn’t it terrible… I find I need summer clothes and I can’t sew them fast enough. Then I need winter clothes and all I have it summer ones!
I’ll check out your post on your inventory process. since I spent the weekend trying to get a grip on my mess, I’m motivated!! Right now, I have only about half of my patterns organized. I’m trying to weed them out, but I know what you mean. It’s hard to part with any of it!!