Alice self drafted this top in our royal blue lightweight linen and we think it’s ace. Such a lovely simple design and the colour is fabulous
Self Drafted Royal Blue Linen Ruffle Top
Tag: Linen
Royal Blue Linen Hacked M&M Dress
Alice sent us this photo of her brilliant royal blue lightweight linen dress made using the skirt from the Merchant and Mills Etta Dress (altered a bit to make it more youthful)
Leaf Print Linen and Viscose Maxi Shift Dress
Lynn looking fabulous in her green and brown leaf print linen and viscose blend maxi shift dress. The pattern has been adjusted to account for Lynn’s tall (6’+) frame. This is an ace pattern that will work well in medium weight fabrics like linen and linen mixes. There is a centre front seam in this dress so choose patterns with no obvious repeat or geometry to them (or buy extra to match).
Orange Stripe Jacquard Organza Cielo Top
Superb use of a structured semi sheer designer jacquard organza by Lis, she said “Who can resist the drama of a big sleeve?
When I saw this beautiful jacquard organza fromĀ @stonefabricsĀ I was planning to use it for big sleeves perhaps with a contrasting body but when I actually received my 1m of fabric I realised I had enough to make a top and of course it had to be theĀ #closetcorecielo
Despite the fact that the white stripes are sheer, I can get away without lining it .Ā
I used mainly French seams and bound the neckline and hems with matching linen bias binding. To that end I removed the seam allowance and then added the binding which I didnāt try to hide as it matches so well”.
You can find her original Instagram post HERE – do follow her because she is an inspirational sewing extraordinaire ā¤ļø
Orange Stripe Linen Kalle Hack Dress
Lis has outdone herself with this fabulous Closet Core Kalle Shirt that she has altered into a dress.
You can find her post on Instagram : “The photos donāt do justice to the beautiful striped orange linen I used for thisĀ #kalleshirtdressĀ hack. I simply made the button placket version, cut it at the hips (62cm in my case) and added a gathered skirt at a ratio of 2:1. The skirt section is 70cm and allows for an extra deep hem to give it some weight.Ā
The only other minor changes were to gather the back yoke and I also slightly deepened the armhole and widened the sleeve so that the oversized look was balanced there as well.Ā
Perfect for swishing around in our June heat wave”.Ā
This stripe linen has sold out but you can find others HERE
Blah Blah Blah Tea Towel
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!)
Watercolour Print Linen Butterick Dress
Brigid grabbed this superbly popular watercolour print lightweight linen for this Butterick 6784 maxi dress and it works BEAUTIFULLY. The linen works really well with this balloon skirt as it holds the shape without being stiff. Buying the right fabric for the right pattern is half the skill and we will always advise if you are unsure about the suitability of a particular fabric for a project. This dress oozes such wonderfully summery goodness it’s impossible not to love.
Pink and Green Statement Print Vogue 9112 Dress
Anne made this fabulous statement abstract print designer linen dress using Vogue 9112 pattern – the collar and loose cut is just PERFECT for a fun summery dress for all occasions. WE love. We want. Prints like this don’t come along often but we buy them whenever we can.
Italian Linen with Tufts Designer Fabric Jacket
Lesley came all the way south from the Scottish Borders to buy this beautiful & FUNKY Italian tufted linen (I’m sure she had other things to do down here in sunny Devon too!) -bought way back in the early 2000’s this fabulous jacket has survived various wardrobe culls primarily because the timeless loose draped cut (Vogue Marcy Tilton 8088) means it always fits and… that fabric! 😍 😍 😍
Big Graphic Floral Print Linen Tessuti Ruby Dress
Anne used the funkiest of funky prints in a simple and fun A-Line dress by Tessuti patterns called Ruby. The Linen and cotton blend is a lovely medium weight cloth which is lovely to wear in the summer months. The pattern says the āstyle is flared at the hemline & makes a perfect floaty garmentā Ā Anne says she will practice floating down her local high street looking tres chic 😂😂😂😉
Hot Air Balloon Man’s Shirt
Another joyous shirt from Sue- this time hot air balloon print lightweight linen for her husband. The pattern is Kwik Sew K3422 – a lovely simple pattern sewn beautifully – just look at those perfectly turned collar points. 👍
Goldfish Print Linen Man’s Shirt
Not sure if there could be a more glorious shirt than this? Goldfish print Spanish lightweight linen made by sue for her brother, Alex. The pattern is Kwik Sew K3422 which Sue said was lovely and straightforward (that’s what we like!).
Cotton Lawn Shell Top & Linen Mix A-Line Skirt
Janet made up this super shell top and A-line skirt combo for Lucy using our green and pink archive floral print pima cotton lawn and olive green tencel feel medium weight linen and viscose. Both are unlined and perfect for hot summery days (oh I dream of those!), a concealed zipper is in the back of the skirt.
Emerald Green Linen Shift Dress
Daiga has a thing for emerald green and made this beautifully fitted Indian Linen dress using Simplicity 8888 and hacked beyond recognition š
Coral Red Linen and Viscose Cielo Top
Sue made this simply lovely Closet Core Cielo Top using a viscose and linen blend – lots of drape from the viscose with body and texture added from the linen.
White Ramie Fibre Leni Top
Lindy adding to her white ramie fibre wardrobe with this Leni top by Tessuti – such a lovely cut and really suits this fabric (and Lindy!).
White Ramie Fibre Papao Wrap Trousers
Lindy made these superb trousers in classic white ramie fibre and they are sooo good! The pattern is Papao Wrap Over Pants by Ready to Sew and Lindy liked them so much she made them twice
White Ramie Fibre Man’s Shirt
Lindy made this 100% Ramie shirt for her man – a super classic make taken up a notch simply by adding contrast thread to the buttons.
Beautiful.
Peacock Sorona Mix Linen Zadie Jumpsuit
Anyone who follows Tina on Instagram (@sewimpatient) will know everything she makes is divine, this Zadie Jumpsuit by Paper Theory Patterns is no exception. The linen is mixed with cotton, viscose and sorona – sorona adds a superb softness and elasticity to the fibre and makes a super comfortable and stylish fabric. It’s made from corn!.
Navy Linen Parachute Skirt Dungarees
Fiona (lovely as it seams) made this absolutely fabulous heavy washed navy linen parachute skirt dungaree dress – self drafted. Isn’t it fabulous? Perfect eyelets! Perfect everything. She’s a very clever girl and I want her skillzzzz.
Peacock Blue Linen and Sorona Shirt
Bess made this shirt a couple of years ago for her much worse half using a Burda magazine pattern – it was a surprise for the Linen wedding anniversary and it took him a few months to actually wear it because the bib bit (according to Rob) “is a girl’s blouse” (🙄). Anyone else have this trouble with their spouses?! Bess swore she would never make anything for him ever again but then he started wearing it (it takes these boys a while to come round to the idea that we are right) and now it’s his favourite -along with another shirt in the same pattern.
Sorona mixed with linen is a lovely combo as it softens the linen and reduces the creasing -which is a good thing because Rob is scared of Bess’s gravity fed iron and Bess isn’t about to do his ironing 😉 . The colour has held true after many, many washes and unlike pure linen it doesn’t wear at the cuffs so quickly.
Sorona fibre is a new fibre made from Corn, it is a supple and stretchy filament that is mainly being marketed at performance wear.
The buttons (barely seen) are upside down abalone shell buttons, the interfacing (not seen!) is the H0023 lightweight knit which stabilises the linen enough for a button hole and collar but allows it to stay soft and floppy.
Pink Linen Shift Dress
We are so loving this candy pink shift dress made up by Wendy in a scrumptious lightweight linen and (you can’t see it but trust us, it’s there) a fab leafy green cotton voile lining. The pattern is the Simplicity Jiffy 1252 which we have seen made up in so many fabrics and always looks great.
Leaping Leopards Print Kalle Shirt
This superb leopard print Japanese linen shirt was made by the lovely AND talented Jennifer, she gets lots of compliments when wearing it (of course she does – it’s brilliant!). The Pattern is the Kalle Shirt by Closet Core patterns. She left us to pick the buttons and was pleased with our choice. (we went with bright blue to pick out the accented colour).
Clover Pink Stonewash Linen Blazer
Claire used the Maker’s Atelier The Blazer pattern for this perfect pink jacket in clover pink stonewash linen. Such a lovely colour on her and exquisitely made ❤️
Ultramarine Blue Heavy Washed Linen Lander Pants
Claire made these lovely linen trousers using the ultramarine blue Damiel heavy washed linen and True Bias Lander pants pattern. Sooo so good!
nani IRO Print Linen Sleeveless Shirt
All the love going out to this Katherine Tilton for Butterick (b5891) sleeveless shirt made out of nani IRO for Kokka Japanese printed linen by the fabulous Lesley (@mawlesleyĀ on instagram)
She left the choosing of buttons to us which is a nerve-wracking experience for us but you can always return buttons if they are not right. Buttons are such a personal thing. We went with the nautilus shell buttons which are an artwork all to themselves.
Olive Linen Stripe Trousers and Top
Paula is such a regular with us we know her telephone number and address off by heart but it took a Pandemic to eventually get a photo of her! This photo was taken on the week she should have been in Milan then Lake Como, and here is one of the planned outfits for shopping in Milan, guess it will have to wait until next year now 😞
The fabric is an olive green wide chalk stripe linen and viscose mix, it’s a light to medium weight linen with reasonable drape whilst remaining stable enough for those stripes to stay straight.
Fine Stripe Navy Linen Zadie Jumpsuit
Julie looking fantastic in this superfine stripe navy lightweight linen Zadie Jumpsuit. Such a great pattern that works on so many figures – Julie has made adjustments to allow for her hourglass shape (FBA, for example) and says she will do further tweaks next time (we can’t see anything that needs changing but we are our own worst critics)
Socially Distant Cropped Linen Trousers
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).
Self Drafted Printed Linen Tunic
No Pattern? No Problem! Lesley self drafted her tunic and it fits beautifully! Made with a lightweight floppy floral printed linen, the neckline and arms are bound with bias binding
Printed Linen Dress and Coat
Kathryn wowed us with this super self drafted coat and dress combo made from lightweight Italian Linen. Soooo brilliant. We love ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Inky Spot Print 1949 Vintage Pattern Shirt
Angela made this fabulous shirt using a tried and tested (understatement of the week) vintage pattern from 1949 – it is Butterick 6020. Such simple and clean lines work so well with these modern Japanese prints. The fabric is Kokka linen and viscose mix – it’s a medium weight fabric with a fair bit of drape.
Lightweight Linen Soft Linen Shirt
Pamela made up this lightweight linen with the silhouette bird print into this fabulous shirt with the lightest of interfacing in the collar and button band
Bell Sleeve Black Linen Tunic
This is the Ā @theassemblylineshopĀ #talpuffshirt using a buttery soft black lightweight black linen. It so soft it almost feels like very fine wool. Susie is really pleased with it. The Assembly LineĀ are so clever with their classic and slightly unusual designs. Susie is not one to usually see herself in a puff sleeve blouse but itās not too puffy and loves the hidden cuff idea, and the envelope neck reminds her of all the easy to put on baby clothes her five children wore.
Supersoft Lightweight Linen Peasant Shirt with Contrast Stitching
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 Ā #roscoeblouseanddressĀ pattern byĀ @truebiasĀ . 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.
Linen Mix Micro Stripe Shirt
Hannah was quite rightly super pleased with how this #lieslandco shirt turned out in this beautiful light weight fine strip linen/cotton shirting. The attention to detail is fabulous.
Proofed Linen Kelly Anorak
This is Christine here wearing the brilliant Kelly Anorak by Closet Case Patterns made using proofed limestone Linen that will repel the rain in a moderate shower and breathe nicely when it doesn’t rain. Perfect.
Unlined Yellow Linen Jacket with Bound Seams
Linda made this fab unlined linen jacket with bound seams so beautifully you could wear it inside out. We love ❤️
Linda says: I have been amusing myself in my ‘social distancing’ by teaching myself Hong-Kong binding. The jacket is made from some gold linen I bought from you last year. The pattern is Harriet by Style Arc.Ā
Tartan Check Cropped Trousers and Clear TPU Leopard Print Jacket
Bess made the pattern from her block for these trousers, but it is very similar to the Marcy Tilton for Vogue V8499 trousers. She added extra width below the hip and then darted them back in at the bottom. The fabric is a wool, linen and silk blend worsted suiting that is a delight to sew with (even when matching checks!) and is not at all itchy to wear so was made unlined. -With the thought it *might* be itchy Bess used a contrast cotton cartoon print on the inside of the waistband.
The Jacket is a leopard print TPU clear plastic that Bess sewed with bias binding so as not to be unstuck by the fabric not feeding properly through the machine (you can stop this happening also by using a teflon foot, or sewing with strips of tissue which are then torn off). The pattern is the Kelly Anorak by Closet Case Patterns (simplified a little). Bess made it for a festival (it looks brilliant at night with lights inside), but actually it’s fab to wear on the many rainy days we suffer in Devon. She didn’t bond the seams or do any special waterproofing, but finds it hold up exceptionally well- even to a downpour on a Welsh mountain!
Perriwinkle Blue Pure Linen Pleated Dress
Who doesn’t need a dress made up in the colour of a summer sky? This dress is BOUND to put you in a good mood, it is the Kay Unger for Vogue V1353 shown on the packet in a cotton sateen but works beautifully in a heavy washed linen. Made by Janet who is a brilliant dressmaker and we love everything she puts her hands to. She has lined it with Venezia.
Heavy Washed Linen Self Drafted Dress
Susie the amazing sewing-on-the-side-of-harping self-drafted this linen dress in heavy washed Damiel linen. Dress up dress down – such a versatile and lovely dress. You can see many more of her creativities on Instagram
Nani iRo Printed Linen Wrap Dress
Julie in Dubai wearing her fabulous Nani iRo japanese printed linen wrap dress which was a somewhat troublesome make due to accidentally overlocking a hole in the front panel and having to recut.. but she got there in the end!
Black and White Mary Quant Dress with Daisy Pocket
Bess downloaded the free pattern from Alice and Co at the V&A Museum in a flash and made up this Mary Quant dress with little to no alterations (unheard of for her- she nearly died of shock), the pocket took the longest and this was the second go as the first one looked like a fried egg! She used bondaweb to applique the daisy and slowed down her normal sewing speed in the hope she could sew accurately (more or less!). The black is a fabulous piquĆ© weave viscose (very similar to a viscose twill) and the collar and daisy is a lightweight linen (probably not the ideal fabric as it frays like the devil but the colours were right and it more-or-less worked so don’t knock it!
Navy and Multicolour floral Linen Mix Wrap Tunic
The wonderful Pamela here in her wrap front tunic top made out of a light – medium weight linen and viscose mix – a great blend that gets its drape from the viscose and the coolness and structure from the linen, it’s perfect for this top. We love the proportions of this tunic- the length, the little sleeves, the way Pam has used plain navy to define the wrap neckline. Superb!
Nani IRO printed Linen Karl Lagerfield for Vogue Dress
Jane made up this old Karl Lagerfield pattern FINALLY after it lurking in the pattern drawer for nearly 20 years. The Linen is the Japanese designer nani IRO for Kokka. Jane had a bit of tweaking to get it right – too small on the bust but massive everywhere else – such as life goes with a pattern for the first time, but having been altered it is now PERFECTĀ 😊
It’s got pockets!
It is lined in Venezia faced with extra light interfacing and there is a concealed zip up the back. The pattern is Vogue 1412 (long since discontinued but possibly available second hand).
Rudi the Siamese cat has to be in the photo too. Even if he didn’t get his ‘best side’.
Washed Linen Assembly Line Cuff Top
This is a woven shot lightweight linen top made by Sue in France using the Assembly Line cuff top pattern. It’s a lovely simple make with elasticated cuffs, she plans to make it up in velvet for Christmas pressies. Perfect!
Yellow Self Drafted Linen Dress
This is Braenna wearing her self drafted yellow linen circular skirt dress; made all on her own in the summer holidays. Isn’t she amazing? We ❤️❤️❤️!
Chinese Dragons and Houses Print Linen Mix Shirt
David seriously rocking this brilliant Chinese dragons and houses print linen and cotton mix shirt. It’s a self drafted pattern (by his lovely lady Alison). We ❤❤❤!
nani IRO Printed Linen Shift Dress
Jane wearing her superb self drafted shift dress made up in Japanese nani IRO printed linen. Lined in Venezia and piped with fine satin (self made) piping.
Isn’t it fabulous? And we ❤Ā the shoes too!
Mustard and Silver nani IRO Printed Linen Sleeveless Shirt
It certainly helps to be small when sewing with designer fabrics – this is the beautiful Nicola who squeezed this linen shirt out of less than a metre of cult poplularity Japanese nani IRO printed linen -good going when it’s so narrow and has a border to fathom placement. Nicola credits rookie luck but we think she has the eye for detail that makes for a superbly skilled dressmaker.
Navy Linen and Sorona Mix Kalle Shirt
Sue (from French France) made this fabulous linen and Sorona mix shirt using the Closet Case Patterns ‘Kalle Shirt’, Sorona is a new fibre made from corn starch that we hope will take off because added to linen it adds a fabulous softness and suppleness (less creases! Yayy!!). Sue used a bias maker to make the spotty inside collar.
Linen Jersey Cardigan with sequin Trim and Iron-On Patch
Bess made this fab linen jersey cardigan using her tried-and-tested t-shirt pattern that has been cut up the front. The trim is a sequinned rick rack. It is possible Bess’s life is complete now there is sequinned rickrack in the world.Ā Continue reading Linen Jersey Cardigan with sequin Trim and Iron-On Patch
Colour Block Shift Dress
Pamela sent us this photo after a season of wearing this self proclaimed favourite dress made up from her stash of heavy linen. Aside from the generally pleasing aesthetics of a colour block dress you get to do some quality stash busting. Win/Win! For the best results use like fabrics (weight/drape) and make sure they are colour fast for the cleaning. It’s a good idea to use those colour catcher sheets you put in the machine as a precaution.
She made it up again in Green (which we love) but the yellow remains the favourite.
Green Linen Coat with Grosgrain Trim
Bess made this heavy washed green linen coat on a weekend retreat by staying up practically all night for two nights and not skivingĀ at all. She had even come prepared with her two grosgrain trims sewn to each other already and the pattern fully adjusted to fit and toile tweaked.
The linen had been pre-washed 5 times to eliminate excess dye that could leach onto the cotton grosgrain, and the dry clean only Liberty crepe de chine silk lining is also pre-washed (it’s okay).
There are no shoulder pads but a bit of semi-tailored interfacing around the chest area is used to improve the structure (along with cuffs, facings and pockets), all the trimmings were hand sewn so as not to change the drape.
Raspberry Heavy Washed Linen for Mother-of-the-Groom Dress
Here is Andy (the Mother of the Groom) wearing a fabulousĀ raspberry heavy washed linen dress made for her by Anna Ash of Ā IĀ ā¤ļøĀ Sewing .
The pattern is Vogue V1410 which has a wrap front rather than a front opening. The whole point of dressmaking is makingĀ exactly what you want* so of course these details are for us to alter!
*when I say we dressmake to get exactly what we want I mean within reason. We cannot alter patterns to remove a middle-age spread, or dropped shoulders, or [enter personal body hang-up here]. But we can dressmake toĀ disguiseĀ these things.
1970’s Denim Jumpsuit
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.
Red and Jade printed Linen and Viscose Tunic Dress
Jacoba on the amazing Wahiba Sands in Oman wearing her printed linen and viscose tunic dressĀ – the perfect fabric to cover up yet remain cool in the blistering heat.
Look at that blue sky ~looks out of window at drizzle ~ look it’s blue!Ā Continue reading Red and Jade printed Linen and Viscose Tunic Dress
Brown Floral Linen Mix Shirt
Shirley made this floral print linen and cotton shirt after a long hiatus in sewing (I’m wondering if this is Shirley’s sewing after a break how good was it before?!). Cut with a v-neck band and 3/4 sleeves, this shirt is a great Summer wardrobe staple.
Blue and White Print Linen and Viscose Blouse
Marilyn off travelling to somewhere tropical and looking super cool in her floral stencil print linen and viscose shirt made with a Style Arc pattern “Elsie”.
Floral Print Cotton and Linen Flared Dress
Celia showing off her floral print linen and cotton flared dress made using New Look pattern 6390 (lengthened a bit). Ā It is fully lined in cotton lawn and has an invisible zipĀ in the back.
