DIY Linen Summer Dress - a Mini Tutorial

It's a summer dress! Just in time for winter in Australia!

I made this dress when the weather was still nice, and it got a LOT of wear, let me tell you!
It's comfy, it's pretty, and it can be dressed up or thrown over bathers; it's a win-win!

The Fabric

I used the 'linford grape/ washed linen from Tessuti Fabrics.
It's a light weight (110gsm) vintage washed linen that feels like you're wearing nothing!

DIY YOUR OWN!

This was such a quick and easy make that I hacked using a camisole pattern and you can too!

The Bodice
Grab a cami pattern that you have tried and used in your stash!
I used The Misty Cami from Sew Altered Style and eliminated the centre front seam by cutting it on the fold.

Find the waistline on the pattern and mark draw a line to mark it. Cut out a bodice front and back from the waistline mark upwards.

Construct the bodice as per the pattern instructions, leaving the waist unfinished.

The Skirt
The skirt part of the dress is two long rectangles that have been gathered and attached in tiers.

SWIPE the photos below to see the mini tutorial below on how to draft the skirt:

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A post shared by Julia Bobbin (@juliabobbin) on Apr 29, 2020 at 2:11pm PDT

The Hem
To add to the relaxed look of the linen, I machine stitched along the hem circumference, 1.5cm from the raw edge. I then frayed the edges up to the seam-line.

Final Thoughts

This was a quick and easy make and such a great addition for a warmer climate. I can definitely see me making more of these dresses for next summer!

Pattern Hack DRESS - Adrienne meets Rita!

I had a hack attack ...

The Pattern(S)

It'll surprise no one to learn that I love the Rita Blouse by Charm Patterns, seeing as I've made it THREE times, and then hacked it into a dress TWICE.

But then I saw the Adrienne blouse by Friday Pattern Company and the hamsters started running circles in my head again!

Meet the Rita Blouse MEETS Adrienne Blouse MEETS dress hack!

The BODICE is The Rita Blouse, the SLEEVES are the from The Adrienne Blouse and the SKIRT is a self drafted skirt with a flounce at the hem.

The Fabric

This beautiful floral silk from Tessuti Fabrics was enough to tempt me away from my solid colours.

It's a beautiful fabric that I purchased and made this skirt with back in 2014 (yep).

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A post shared by Julia Bobbin (@juliabobbin) on Sep 12, 2014 at 8:11pm PDT

I liked the fabric so much I panic purchased another two metres and I finally decided to stop staring at it and actually use it.

The bodice and skirt is underlined with a light (and white) linen for extra body, and the sleeves and flounce are just the single layer of silk.

My previous Rita Blouses and Dress Mashups

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A post shared by Julia Bobbin (@juliabobbin) on Dec 8, 2018 at 8:10pm PST

The Details

The Rita blouse has an ELASTICISED neckline and sleeve cuffs, so it was easy to substitute the Adrienne sleeve pattern, which also has elasticised sleeves and neck edging.

The BODICE is gathered under the bust, and then shaped with princess seams below the bust to the hem.

The Dress is closed with an INVISIBLE ZIPPER on the side seam. 

I took the zipper all the way up to the arm pit to try and maximise the opening for when putting on the dress. The underbust seam always has to be man-handled to get it past my bust when putting the dress on.

Final Thoughts

It's not often I wear a print, so when I do I go HARD.

This was a quick and straight forward make, and I'm glad I finally put this stunning fabric to good use; just in time for a Melbourne Spring,

Simplicity 8749 - Mimi G Style - Linen Jacket

FACT: One can never have too many jackets.

We wear them for warmth and for comfort; to transition from inside to outside or to accommodate the fluctuation in temperatures in the one day (I'm looking at you, Melbourne).

Jackets also act as a style remedy. You could be wearing a basic look, you throw on a fancy jacket and TAH-DA! - instant style!

Here is my latest jacket and stylish addition to my wardrobe:

The Pattern

It's Simplicity 8749 by Mimi G Style Patterns in View C (the shorter length).

I love everything Mimi G wears and designs and it was only a matter of time before I tried out this pattern for myself.

The Fabric

I made this jacket with a heavyweight linen from The Fabric Store in a cream.
I lined my make with a beautiful floral rayon that I purchased from Spotlight many, many years ago.

I absolutely love to add a fun lining to a jacket, especially when the fabric on the outside of the jacket is a neutral. It's like a little burst of joy every time I open my jacket.

The Details

This fully lined jacket features lapels and flap pockets (pockets!) and is all my 90's oversized blazer dreams come true.

The pattern gives the option of two different jacket lengths, has two piece sleeves and closes with one button down the centre front.

Changes

I omitted the interfacing, which is a little unorthodox, but I figured the jacket had a more
'relaxed' look with the linen, and didn't need the extra structure.

I made no changes to the fit (what?!!) and made the whole jacket in a straight 14.

Rihanna Challenge

My friend Faith and I were chatting one night, bonding over our shared love of Rihanna and her ever changing style! We came up with the idea of setting ourselves a Rihanna fashion challenge where we would choose one of her looks and recreate it!

I originally made this jacket as part of my Rihanna 'copy-cat' look, which you can see below. You can read the blog post about the Sadie Slip Dress by Tessuti Patterns here.

Click through on the instagram post to see the inspiration pic!

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A post shared by Julia Bobbin (@juliabobbin) on Apr 26, 2019 at 3:44pm PDT

Final Thoughts

I love how this jacket turned out! This style can work so well dressed down with jeans and a tee, or dressed up with heals and a skirt.
Thanks Mimi G for another wonderful pattern!

The Rita Blouse(s) + Linen Flounce Skirts

Sometimes when you like a pattern, you just got to back up that make with another three (or four). Cause when I like something, I like it HARD.

The Pattern

Blouse
It's the Rita Blouse by Charm Patterns.
It's a vintage inspired, princess seamed top with an elasticised neckline, gathered bust, and two sleeve variations.

The sizes range from 2 - 16, with different pattern pieces for cup sizes B-DD.
I cut the size 6 with a D cup.

Skirt
The skirt is a self-drafted faux wrap, with a flounce on the hem, a waistband, and an invisible zip closure down the centre back.

The Fabric

I used a cotton seersucker from Spotlight for the blouse.
It has a slightly heavier weight than a cotton lawn or voile and the texture of this lovely fabric elevates the look of the blouse when using a solid colour.

The skirt is made with a heavy-weight linen from The Fabric Store in Vintage Blush, White, Paprika and blue (but not the duck-egg blue).

Loves

I love that the sleeves can be worn up or off the shoulders, depending on the look (or mood) you're going for.
There are also two different versions of sleeves, the flutter cap or the elasticised version that I went for.
The bodice has princess seams which ensures a close and flattering fit. Princess seams are also great for making fit adjustments after you've sewn the seam.

I recently used this pattern to draft a dress that I made for the festive season,  which you can see below:

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Conclusion

It's pretty clear that I love these linen skirts. They are so crazy comfortable and keep you cool in summer. They're easy to wash, keep their shape well and just get better with age.

The Rita blouse is versatile with low-key glamour and easy to mix with other wardrobe staples. These two patterns pair so nicely together and are the perfect go-to for a quick sewing project that you know you can finish in one session. WIN!