Chambray Summer Ruffle Dress

Despite posting this on a very rainy day at the end of September there was a time this year that I was actually able to wear this dress! Dresses seem to be one of the most popular items of clothing to make but they have never been something that I have made regularly. This is mainly due to the fact that dresses aren't a part of my everyday wardrobe and so I haven't ever had much need to make one, exept for a specific occasion such as my prom dress. However, this year I was determined to make myself a summer dress. My only aim was for it to be light and not too fitted to be perfect for hot weather.

I drafted a very simple cami-style bodice with thin straps and then attatched two layers of gathers to create the skirt. I don't think I could have created an easier design! It's exactly what I had in mind though, perfect for heatwaves. I really love the ruffles that the skirt creates but I was careful not to over-gather the fabric and I'm pleased with the volume of the final skirt. The bodice is probably a bit too big despite wanting a loose fit but seeing as it's a dress to be worn on holiday it doesn't really bother me enough to go back and change it.

I actually made this dress about three days before leaving to go on holiday, when I finally came to the conclusion that going on a summer holiday without a summer dress was on the route to ruining my carefully curated handmade holiday wardrobe! The lack of time meant that I wouldn't be able to buy any more fabric or purchase a pattern. I know I could have bought a PDF, but I much prefer printed patterns and I prefer drafting my own patterns even more. So the lack of pattern didn't really pose a problem but the lack of fabric initially did.

I don't really have any suitable fabrics for a dress stashed away as I tend to buy fabrics with stretch and try not to keep farbics in my stash for too long. The idea of having enough fabric leftover from another project seemed far-fetched, but I had a look through some of my fabric leftovers and managed to find the perfect thing! I rarely buy or ask for more fabric than I need for a project but sewing plans have a tendency of changing, meaning that sometimes fabric is leftover or more needs to be purchased at the last minute. In the case of my chambray top the situation was the former and I ended up using less fabric than I had initially intended as my plans changed. This meant that I just (and I mean just!) about had enough of this lovely chambray farbic leftover from my top to squeeze out this dress.

Luckily, I didn't want the ruffles to be overly volumous as I didn't have enough fabric to gather them any more even if I had wanted more gathers. I really used every last scrap of fabric (which is a really satisfying I always find!). The lack of fabric did mean that there is a seam in the centre back of one of the ruffles where I had to sew two pieces of fabric together but it really doesn't bother me that much - especially as I can't actually see that when I'm wearing the dress!

The Perfect Grey Linden Jumper

This September marks the start of my first year without wearing a uniform, which of course means that there are lots of clothes waiting to be sewn! When it comes to making more everyday clothes I've found that what I really need to sew at the moment are long sleeved tops. I spend most of winter freezing, so making tops that can be worn either alone or on top of t-shirts (i.e. as jumpers) is exactly what I have in mind. This also means that I want to make something out of pretty much all the knit fabrics I see!

My latest make ticks all the boxes which is no surprise as the Grainline Studio Linden Sweatshirt has never disappointed yet! This is in fact the tenth one I've made - TEN!! Not all for me, as my Mum also loves this pattern. Each version I make seems to turn out completely differently due to fabric weight, cuff/hemband addition and also length. I don't wear all of my Lindens as the ones sewn a couple of years ago no longer fit or aren't what I want to wear at the moment, but the majority are still worn regularly. I can immediately see this one becomming my new favourite as it's already filled a gap by being the perfect length and colour to pair with brighter trousers.

When a make is this simple I really like to spend time on the details to make sure it's finished to the best possible level. I really love wide hems, I think they add a much more professional finish and they're also much nicer than small hems on jersey fabric. I was keen to make this jumper the perfect cropped length. I think the length is just right and the proportions are definitely aided by the wide hem. It might be hard to tell from the pictures but I've added two rows of topstitching to secure the hem in place which is another really small detail that I love. I also decided to add cuffs which finish offnthe top nicely.

The only slight hiccup in the making of this top was the neckband. The rib fabric I used is super stretchy, meaning that I had to unpick the neckband (which I had overlocked in place!) and cut it almost in half before re-attatching it as it just wasn't being stretched enough to bring in the neckline. It was annoying but defintiely worth it and the fabric is perfect in every other way. It means that I have a better idea of what to do next time I use such a stretchy fabric on a Linden as the majority of the ones I've made in the past were using sweatshirt knits not ribs. In fact, the next one is hopefully coming very soon as I absolutely love this top and I'm already convinced it would be perfect in a variety of other colours!

Ochre Linden Sweatshirt

Despite having made more versions than I can recall off the top of my head, the Grainline Studio Linden Sweatshirt remains a pattern that I always have in my mind at the start of a sewing project. I'm currently on the lookout for sweatshirt knit fabrics to provide the perfect fabric for making a cropped jumper and I decided that the Linden Sweatshirt would be the perfect pairing with that type of fabric in order to achieve the garment that I had in mind.

What I love about this pattern is that simply using a different weight fabric or changing the hemline can give the jumper an entirely different look. As I mentioned I wanted to make a cropped sweatshirt as the long-sleeved Lindens that I already own are all long and the cropped ones have short sleeves. I used this quilted jersey farbic to make the sweatshirt and although I was slightly dissapointed with the colour when it first arrived the weight is perfect to make a jumper and I love the quilted motif.

If you're interested in reading more about this jumper feel free to head over to Minerva Crafts to do so.