Clair is Sunny Cadiz wearing her crewel embroidered Italian linen shift dress (her tried and tested pattern which Jane helped to fit many moons ago). We can’t emphasise too much how useful a good basic dress pattern is!
Whilst linen is notoriously creasy these heavy embroidered linens really don’t crease badly at all.
Jane’s amazing embroidered Italian Linen dress. This fabric is hand painted on top of the embroidery and doesn’t come cheap –it’s enlightening to discover what things cost when they are made properly and the artisans are paid a fair wage.
With such an amazing fabric you only need a very simple shift pattern, Jane used her block which just has bust darts, front darts and back darts so there was minimal chopping up of the pattern.
The fabric truly is stunning.
Raspberry pink embroidered linen shift dress made by Pamela. You can’t really beat a shift dress, eh? Timeless.
Embroidering linen might not make it crease less, but it will look like it is not so creased.
Find more embroidered linen here
Dee wears this elegant purple embroidered linen mix shift dress
Fabrics and Notions:
String embroidered linen mix
Purple Venezia lining
Medium weight knitted iron-on interfacing
Invisible zip
It is a good idea to make a toile (a roughly made up dress in inexpensive fabric) when making a shift dress with this flattering wide neck style so that it doesn’t gape. A toile is ALWAYS a good idea when making up a pattern you haven’t tried before, but it is especially important for this neckline which has a tendency to gape. Dee made this up beautifully.
Lock down sewing with a topical message “if you can read this you are too close!” hand embroidered down the leg in glow in the dark thread. The Linen is our perennially popular washed Damiel linen which has a heavy but drapey handle and works brilliantly for this style trouser. The pattern is self drafted from a basic straight leg long trouser pattern – Bess added fabric to the side seams and then darted the legs in at the bottom and on the knee. They are super comfy to wear and work on both hot and cold days (ie any British Summer day).
We love this fabulous peasant shirt made by Alexa using a supersoft washed lightweight white linen and embroidered with navy contrast zigzag stitching. It is the #roscoeblouseanddress pattern by @truebias . As well as the stitching being aesthetically pleasing it helps to keep this very lightweight woven fabric stabilised without using facings (like a heavy duty stay-stitch). Beautiful.
Jane’s shirt made up once again in an embroidered and hand painted Linen from Italy. Jane was pleased with how economical this shirt was, getting all of it out of a metre (the facings were cut from the unpainted selvedges) -handy when the fabric is £85.00mt!
Lulu wearing Italian Designer knit dress, and Miaow wearing her heirloom embroidered linen dress.
Fabrics and Notions:
Lulu:
Italian Designer knit cotton and mixed fibres
Stay tape
Bias binding
Miaow:
Off-white linen
Riviera cotton lawn
Zip
Button
Lace inserts
Ribbons
Lulu wearing her lovely silk and linen shift wedding dress, holding her daughter, Kitcat, in her printed cotton seersucker ruffled dress and matching headband. Gemma to her right wears an embroidered cotton bridesmaid dress.
Fabrics and Notions (Lulu):
Turquoise silk and linen
Silk habotai lining
Silk organza feather trim
Invisible zip
Iron-on lightweight interfacing
Fabrics and Notions (Gemma):
Embroidered lightweight cotton
Venezia lining
Invisible zip
Lightweight iron-on interfacing
Fabrics and Notions (KitCat)
Printed cotton seersucker
Cotton lawn (lining and collar))
Button
Extra-Lightweight knitted iron-on interfacing
The silk organza trim gave Lulu’s dress just the touch of something special she wanted for her wedding dress without making it too impractical or unsuitable to wear at subsequent posh do’s. A shift is the most flattering of dress, and easy to make fit really well.
Clair made this cream daisy lace maternity dress with pink linen viscose yoke for Rosie for a Scottish high summer (ha ha) wedding… on the morning of the party! The toile had been sorted out previously (see pic below in embroidered linen and viscose). The pattern is a 80’s /90’s vintage McCall’s pattern found on Ebay.
Natural Beige and Ivory linen mix floral crewel embroidered Linen scrim from Ricamificio Braga
Natural Beige linen mix floral crewel embroidered Linen scrim from Ricamificio Braga
Pistachio Green embroidered Linen Gauze
Bess made a number of these BLAH BLAH BLAH tea towels for Christmas presents following Greta Thunberg climate emergency speech. It’s hard to think of things to make for people that isn’t adding to a mounting pile of unwanted/unnecessary gifts but tea-towels always go down well with Bess’s loved ones, and other than the bondaweb used to glue the letters down before sewing all the fabrics came from her stash.
On another year Bess used linen duck interlining and embroidered reflective robots on the corner.
It’s lovely when you visit the houses years down the line and they are still using the tea-towels (if a little stained/worn!)
Baby Pink floral embroidered medium weight 55% Linen 45% Cotton
Ice Blue floral embroidered medium weight 55% Linen 45% Cotton
Ivory and Pale Pink floral embroidered medium weight 55% Linen 45% Cotton
Oatmeal Beige 60% Viscose 25% Linen 15% Cotton embroidered spot drapey linen mix
Black and Multicolour geometric embroidered and sequinned medium weight 55% Linen 45% Viscose
Sunshine Yellow, Tan Brown and Turquoise Blue embroidered and appliquéd medium weight 55% Linen 45% Viscose
Pauline made this fabulous denim jumpsuit using a 1970’s jumpsuit pattern from Simplicity (3322), she used a soft medium weight linen mix denim with floral painted buttons and hand embroidered pocket details.
White Coral Teal and Brown embroidered and hand painted floral design Italian medium weight Linen
White Green and Purple embroidered and hand painted floral design Italian medium weight Linen
White / Green / Peach and Yellow floral printed and embroidered medium weight Linen and Viscose
White / Green / Blue and Brown floral printed and embroidered medium weight Linen and Viscose
White / Green / Peach and Yellow large floral printed and embroidered medium weight Linen and Viscose
White / Green / Blue and Brown large floral printed and embroidered medium weight Linen and Viscose
Blue and White printed and embroidered lightweight Linen and Cotton
White big daisy self embroidered soft medium weight Linen (exclusive)
Tan Crewel Embroidered Italian designer heavy floppy Linen
Navy Embroidered Italian designer medium weight Linen
Black embroidered medium weight Linen and Cotton Mix
White embroidered soft medium weight Linen from Italy. Exclusive design.
Raspberry embroidered Portuguese Linen
Blue embroidered Portuguese Linen
Photo: MLPHOTOS @ www.mlphotos.co.uk
Anthea looking beautiful wearing the ivory Guipure lace dress that unbuttons to become a short dress for the evening. Backed in cream stretch cotton sateen to warm up the colour and give it a bit of structure, and lined in cream Venezia lining. Made by Bess
Once the sun went down Anthea took off the lower skirt. Nice shoes!
Turquoise satin bias binding was used to pipe the neckline to add just a touch of colour
The skirt and the lower skirt were embroidered with a red heart so as to match up when putting together (there are seventeen buttons holding it together – you really don’t want to button them on cocky!
Bess embroidered a label with the date of the wedding plus a few spare buttons, and sewed it on only three sides so as to double as an emergency (inside) pocket
Fabrics and Notions:
Ivory Guipure Lace
Cream Stretch Cotton Sateen
Cream Venezia Lining
Fine piping cord
Turquoise satin bias binding
Invisible zip
Shell Buttons
Embroidery thread
Remnant of shot turquoise Linen
Pattern: Bess’s Own
