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Hi All! I had a wonderful trip to Italy and am now easing back into real life. I’m still battling the effects of the 9 hour time difference, but last night I slept through the night so things are looking up!

Although the weather here in Portland is a bit on the cool side, I wanted to share the dress I wore the most in Italy – – a linen dress that I finished the day we left, LOL!!! As usual, I decided at the last minute to add a dress to my travel wardrobe.

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These photos were taken in the Villa Cimbrone Garden in Ravello Italy, a breath taking town perched on a cliff high above the Amalfi coast.

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This linen dress was my go-to garment on the trip because the weather was warmer than expected. I thought I’d wear this dress with a tee shirt under it to protect my upper arms from the sun, but it was hot so the tee shirt stayed in the suitcase. I chose to stand in the shade often and managed to avoid a sunburn.

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Dress Construction – To sew this dress, I modified my favorite loose fitting top pattern, the Grainline Hadley. The cut of this top is so flattering on everyone I think, with two neck options to choose from.

For the dress bodice, I used the sleeveless Hadley without the back pleat and lengthened the Hadley bodice by 6 inches. This became the A-line shaped bodice of the dress, complete with high – low hem.

The back button placket is a non-functional add on, just for looks. To make it, I sewed together two long strips of fabric then added buttons. After the placket was in place, I focussed on drafting the skirt. I cut two huge rectangles, that were 1 and a half times the bottom width of the Hadley. These I sewed together, then gathered and attached them to the bottom of the bodice. That’s all there was to it.

Fabric – Linen was the perfect fabric for Italy. It made me comfortable no matter what the weather. Personally, I could care less about the wrinkles. For this dress, I used a solid blue linen from my stash, purchased last season at the Mill End Store. The striped linen is from Joann’s.

This dress is so fun to wear!

Swinging wasn’t in my vacation plans, but when you’re on the Amalfi coast, why not? I enjoyed wearing linen so much on my trip, I’m determined to find ways to sew with it year round! Any thoughts on this idea?

Sewing plans – As the travel fog lifts and I put away my summer clothes, I know I’ll be inspired to sew a few fall things. I hope there will be a new trench coat, maybe a short wool coat too so watch for those posts.

Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!