Hi all. It’s been awhile since I’ve posted and I hope this finds you well! In September, I took a break from sewing for most of the month. We took a road trip through Yellowstone and the Tetons. During our trip, the hardest worker in my wardrobe was, hands down, my quilted Tamarack Jacket.
I wore it everywhere, even hiking. The Merchant and Mills quilted cotton was just the right weight for cooler days, but also light and comfortable when it was warm. I hope there’s more of that fabric in my future! The jacket is so comfortable, I’m contemplating making another. (Here’s my previous post on the jacket if you’re interested.)
But on to the Isca Shirtdress by Marilla Walker.
Before the trip, I decided a longer sleeved linen shirtdress would be a great travel dress. I couldn’t resist downloading the Isca Shirt dress, a pattern by Marilla Walker. It has a cool v-shaped yoke detailing on the bodice. And the pockets are perfection! Luckily, I had a big enough piece of linen in my stash.
To make the front inset stand out, I wanted the plaid to be on the diagonal, so I cut those two pieces on the bias.
Construction was generally a breeze, but I did found the front bodice to be challenging. It’s meant to wrap over the shoulder apex and attach to the back bodice. That made it a very strange looking pattern piece! It threw me and I had to study the diagrams carefully to figure it out which pieces were seamed where. Once I saw the ‘light’, the construction was simple. My advice is to trust the pattern instructions, even though at first glance, it seems counter intuitive.
The fit is pretty forgiving (as in loose). I cut the smallest size but ended up taking in the side seams to adjust the volume of the skirt. If you’re between sizes you might want to size down. I shortened the length of the bodice by two inches because I’m short waisted.
I love, love the finished product. In fact, so much so, I quickly made another version out of a navy linen I bought last year in Rome (wow that seems like ages ago….).
This linen is so wonderful to sew, and it has just the right drape for this project. You don’t want a stiff linen for this dress because of the gathers.
I’m certain both dresses will get alot of wear once I have somewhere to go, LOL!
These are strange times and my routines have shifted in ways I never expected. Some days, I feel productive, and other days I seem to just be ‘marking time’. For me, having a sewing project to complete really helps. There’s something almost meditative about the process of making by hand. I feel so lucky to have a passion that makes me feel better and friends to share it with.
Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by.
#featured, #linen, #shirt-dress, #summer-wardrobe, #travel-wardrobe
ellegeemakes | October 11, 2020 at 1:25 pm | Tags: featured, linen, shirt dress, summer wardrobe, travel wardrobe | Categories: capsule wardrobe, dress pattern, linen, shirt dress, Uncategorized | URL: https://wp.me/p5M1Tl-4vk
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Hi all! July was a busy mont
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.
Here, I’m wearing my new pieced Inari with my first ever 
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 
I’m wearing my Inari here with the paper bag Burda shorts I made last summer 
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.
This wrap top looks much harder than it is to sew. The neck is pretty simple…faced with bias binding. Luckily, I had enough fabric to make my own. If you’ve never made your own bias binding, I highly recommend it. It’s really a easy way to make the inside of your garment special. If you’re curious, check out the many tutorials on U-tube. 
I’m very late to the party here.
Well, all of the angsty thoughts and questions completely disappeared when I began the construction process. Honestly, it was so fun! This project ticked all the boxes for me – – topstitching galore, interesting construction details like belt loops, pockets, and a self faced bib. Then there was the fabric…I used a lovely blue linen from the Mill End store, that is absolute heaven. So, I threw caution to the wind and went for it.
Constructing these bibs was a bit time consuming.
Challenges – – well, the biggest one was figuring out what size to cut. I perused Pattern Review, several blogs and Instagram to see what my fellow sewists had to say about this topic. On their advice, I made view 1 which is the more fitted version with the invisible zipper on the side. I used my measurements to select a size and it turned out to fit well in the crouch and waist, but was a bit baggy in the hips so I tapered down a size there. This is a common adjustment for me in patterns, and I’m happy with the result.
I cropped them a bit more than the pattern suggested as I really want to be able to enjoy these in steamy Italy when I travel there later this summer. When I wear them, I’m really comfortable!! I don’t think twice about the age appropriate issue anymore because, well, I love them and we all deserve to dress as we wish, don’t you think?
If you’ve hesitated to make the Burnside Bibs as I did, my advice is…go for it. It’s such a pleasurable journey.