Linen Print Lois Dress

Long time no post! Things have been a little crazy around these parts but a little bit of sewing has been going on here and there. I finally motivated myself to take some photos last weekend so more blog posts are incoming! 

I had my eye on this beautiful vivid blue printed linen/cotton from The Fabric Store for a while. I saw it pop up on Instagram quite a lot (it must be a popular order and unfortunately is now all sold out). I felt like it was taunting me so I eventually ordered some for myself. I wanted to make a classic summer dress with it; that dress that you can always reach for on a sunny day, is comfortable, practical, feels great and can be worn on many occasions. Not a big ask then! I had a style of dress in mind but found it quite tricky to find the ideal pattern - I eventually settling on the Lois Dress from Tessuti.

I've made this dress before (over five years ago!) and actually didn't get on fantastically with it. But it was the closest pattern I found to the dress in my mind so I decided to go for it and tweak it as I saw fit. The original version (which ended up in the charity shop) just felt too big and didn't sit right on my body. As I used a delicate viscose crepe that time and my fabric handling skills weren't what they are now I presumed I had stretched it out as I sewed. This time I looked over the measurements carefully and chose to make the size smaller (size 8, and slightly smaller than my bust and hip measurements), particularly as my this linen blend has a little stretch. When I finished it it felt better but still felt roomy. I think this style would suit me better if it sat closer to the body.

I wouldn't usually write a whole new blog post about a pattern I've sewn before but I made quite a few tweaks and changes.

A lot of reviews of this pattern mention that the neckline is very low. My knowledge of my own body and how to fit it has improved a lot over the last five years so this time I knew exactly what to do to make it work.  I raised it slightly by taking the dress up at the shoulders rather than messing around at the centre front point. I took out 3/4" on the double at the neckline edge, grading out to nothing just before the bodice meets the sleeve band. This made a big difference and I'm much happier with how the dress sits on my now, the under bust seams are actually sitting just under my bust. Lifting the dress/shortening the bodice in this way has made it fit better in general actually - which I often find. Being 5ft 3" often the waist and other key points are sitting a little low and this affects how the whole garment fits. This neckline is also quite dramatically affected by the bra you wear. It looks best with a plunge style on me. 

The final fitting alteration I actually made after taking these photos! I still didn't quite feel happy with it and while I had it on I started looking at it in the mirror and pinching a bit out here and there. I realised taking a couple of tucks out of the back waist quite dramatically changed how I felt in in. It now follows the curve of my back rather than hanging straight down from the shoulder and I feel much less swamped in it.

If I made this pattern again I think I'd actually size down another size, especially on the waist and hips. Thinking about it now, I feel like the first time I made it the poor fit probably wasn't down to me stretching it out but just that the pattern comes up big! I think the photos that come with the pattern are a little misleading and it has more ease than you might expect.

The other big change I made to the pattern was to move the skirt seams and remove the hip darts. I love the idea of the darts, which come down like a side seam and then close at the widest point of the hip. However, they just didn't work for the shape of my hips and instead created a weird shape in that area. This time on the pattern piece I drew a line down from the end of the dart to the hem. I cut along this line then added the side piece which I had cut off onto the back skirt panel piece. This eliminated the seams at the back of the skirt and effectively moved them around to become side seams. Much more straightforward to construct, slightly less fabric hungry and and a much cleaner line over my hips. If you do the same make sure to factor seam allowance into your adjustments!

One thing I am always pleased with when I use Tessuti patterns is the finish. I love their construction methods and like that they are not standard as that gets me to use my brain and I usually learn something. This time I am most pleased with the bias facing method around the neckline as it results in such tiny neat binding! Sewing the centre-front v is quite tricky to get perfect but just takes patience and a lot of of pins. I'm really pleased with how it has turned out.

I'm also really pleased with the invisible zip insertion. I actually haven't done one for a while! I almost don't need it as the fabric contains some elastane but now I've added the tucks in the waist to bring that in it is helpful. 

If you're new to using Tessuti patterns you my be confused by the use of tear-away Vilene stabiliser along the the edges which are prone to stretching. I never have any of this (don't think it's a popular thing in the UK) and I simply stay-stitched these edges, which turned out fine. I guess the benefit to using the stabiliser as it doesn't stretch at all and you cut the pattern pieces from it you can be sure you haven't stretched the main fabric out as you sew either as it should all match up. 

The fabric was lovely to work with. Nice and stable and pressed well. A little fiddly to insert the zip into without stretching it out but otherwise and pleasure to sew with and nice to wear! I think the inclusion of elastane in the fabric gives it a little more body and it doesn't hang quite how I expect a linen too. It doesn't have the same softness with that man-made fibre in there.

I'm not sure that it has turned out as my all time favourite summer dress but I can certainly see it getting a lot of wear this summer!