Hi all! July was a busy month in the sewing room. Recently, I cleaned my closet and donated several ragged tops (made so long ago!). I’ve been on a mission to replace them, while honoring a pledge I made to myself to use up my remnants. That pledge led me here…to my first pieced top.
I have never been able to throw away even the smallest scrap of linen. It’s too wonderful to toss! So, when the #JoinupJuly challenge started on Instagram, I was challenged to join up some of my linen scraps into a top.
The process of making a patchwork top isn’t difficult at all. Basically, with a quarter inch seam, you piece blocks and bits of fabric together, varying the colors. Then, when your pieced creation is large enough, you lay your pattern pieces on it and cut! My top is made using the Inari pattern from Named clothing(also made here). The lines are simple so it showcases piece work nicely. It was so fun to figure out how to combine the linens into a pleasing pattern.
Here, I’m wearing my new pieced Inari with my first ever Free Range Slacks,a lovely pattern from Sew House Seven. I’ve been wanting to make these pants for ages. I used linen from my stash for this version. I love the boxy shape of the pants, the cool seams and the deep pockets. But I found the fit to be more generous than I expected. Because the pants are high waisted and I’m short waisted, the fit of the rise was challenging. I’m pleased with the result, but my advice is to remember the loose fit when you’re choosing the size to cut. A toile would be a good idea too!
As you can see, the fit isn’t perfect yet. There are creases in the crouch. I’ll adjust the rise a bit more next time.
Here’s another Inari, this one with sleeves. I made this from rayon scraps left over from my Sew Over It Wrap skirt (see it here).I do love this rayon! It’s from art Gallery and it is so sumptious to wear. It flows so nicely too! This pattern, the Inari, is a keeper too, simple but stylish and so easy to modify to make it your own! The shorts I’m wearing are Simplicity 8841. This is a easy pattern with great fit! It has a elastic waist so you can make it quickly.
I’m wearing my Inari here with the paper bag Burda shorts I made last summer (Here)…Love these! The linen just gets better with time. I wear them constantly!
My last Inari was also made from linen scraps, left overs from this summer dress.
Again I used the Inari. Because I had oddly shaped pieces of fabric, I had only enough for a cropped version of the front and back bodice. So, I added a short peplum also pieced from scraps. Luckily the gathering of the peplum hides the many seams:). The sleeve bands are cut from a contrast linen.
That’s it for me for now. I’m in the process of cleaning and reorganizing my sewing room using Ikea modular shelves. And even though I recently reorganized my stash, I’m revisiting the scheme. Isn’t that the way it is with this hobby? It seems like there’s always a better way to organize your fabric, notions and patterns.
Stay safe and healthy. Happy sewing! Thanks for stopping by.
To add a drawstring at the neckline: First, I adjusted the neck opening to make it a bit smaller. To do this, I took a half an inch out of the front and back bodice pattern at the center front and center back. Because the cut of this shirt is so loose in the shoulders and bodice, that adjustment did nothing to the comfort or fit of the top. To make the channel for the drawstring (a simple black ribbon), I replaced the neck facing with a strip of bias tape, and inserted the ribbon through that. Pretty simple modification…
We’re in full-on Halloween mode over here (skulls, ravens, you know….the usual). In a typical year, this would mean the season for linen tops would be long past. But in Oregon, our Fall has been extraordinarily warm, a fact that has kept me from moving my summer fabrics into storage. This top is another remnant make – linen and striped cotton from my stash. 
Then there was the description of the shirt/dress as loose fitting… always bad news for a smallish person like me. But then, I saw a Kalle shirt on a sales person at one of my local fabric stores that was so, so cute, I had to have it.
After snarling a bit, and explaining to him that ‘this is the way it’s supposed to look’, I took a snap shot of myself. Darn, if he wasn’t right!! It looked big, but not in that, ‘oh, i just picked up my boyfriend’s shirt from off the floor’ way. So, I went back to the drawing board, adjusted the side seams, and smiled about the whole thing.
I find New Look patterns to be generously sized but on this one, I didn’t have any issues and I cut my usual size. I put the two pockets on, although they’re almost lost in the print of the linen. Linen (purchased at Joann’s) is the perfect fabric for this shirt because it has a bit of body. I can also imagine it from Rayon or silk, or cotton shirting. It’s a great shirt for summer, that I’ll wear a lot with shorts, my ruffled skirt and jeans.
What do you think of my new rule? Yes, it’s a bit hilarious given my interest in sewing without a plan. Time will tell if I can stick with it!!
If I had to choose only one garment to take with me to a desert island it would probably be a shirt dress, because they just make me happy. This one gets bonus points for being a rayon shirt dress, which is pure bliss to wear in any weather. What’s different about this dress for me, is the raspberry print. Raspberry, not blue? I know – – I’m living on the edge here!
I’m such a fan of wearing classics – jeans, button-down shirts, tee shirts to name a few, so it’s always fun when you see an updated classic that brings something new to the game.
My jeans were inspired by the Nordstrom catalog too. I used the Jalie Jeans pattern for my DIY version, and used stretch denim from 
To make the jeans straight legged, I tapered the pattern’s legs by using a ready to wear pair that I love to guide me. For a little variety, I added some of the raw jeans salvage to the hem as a border. It’s a popular look in ready to wear so I couldn’t resist giving it a try.
