i heart linen

 after the cat debacle earlier this week, i had to discover how to recapture my mojo for sewing. over time i get sick of dressmaking and i even told my sister Di recently that i hate sewing and wish i could just do the wardrobe planning, choose the fabrics and let someone else sew up the garments for me. needless to say she was very surprised to hear me say this! i've learnt that the biggest thing to avoid is wardrobe planning because sewing becomes a production line, and then it's just another household job. sad isn't it?

technical drawing

this week i browsed some sewing blogs and noticed a lot of interest in Simplicity's Lisette patterns. i had bought one recently, so i found some nice linen to go with it that i've had in my stash for at least ten years! i used Simplicity 2245, view B, the Portfolio tunic dress but kept the length of view A thinking that i could always shorten it later after try on. and the verdict?

blue linen portfolio

i love it! the dress was a pleasure to sew, all pattern pieces matched up nicely, and the fabric was so good to use. i'm a convert to linen now because it looks expensive but sews and presses so well, even the center front gathers didn't end up too bulky. the fit on this pattern is also great, not too full and with some waist shaping. i really loved how the pockets were made too, and i finally realised that the designer of these patterns is the one behind the cute Oliver & S patterns. who wouldn't want to grow down to wear these retro play clothes; it makes me wish i had known about them when i had small people to sew for.

by the way i've decided to be brave and show my finished garments on me instead of 'Betty' the fashion dummy. when i was trawling blogs, i found it invaluable to see the item shown on a real person so i'm giving back a bit of that to anyone else who needs it. i just need to train my little girl to take flattering photos of me!