Button front dresses can’t be underestimated in a casual spring wardrobe. They can be made out of many different fabrics, but linen is the most breathable and cooling one.
It feels impossible for me to have too many shift dresses. There are plenty of reasons for that, including the fact that they can be worn for so many different occasions. For as long as I’ve been sewing, I was searching for the perfect shift dress pattern. I must say that I never came across the best onethat can be used over and over again, but it wasn’t the main plan I had in mind. The idea was to try different designs and fill my wardrobe with lovely dresses.
Traditional tailoring is something I wanted to try last year. It’s a completely new world of sewing, which is full of hand stitching and other couture techniques. On top of that, it’s one of those areas where RTW prices are too high to be mentioned in magazines, which was an extra motivation behind my project.
Sewing outwear is considered to be a serious task that's only available to advanced seamstresses. In reality, all you need to consider is that it's a very time-consuming process that brings a brilliant result!
I’m not a big fan of layering, which makes my winter style quite simple - extremely warm coat and regular clothes underneath. I can wear an occasional cardigan, but it’s not very common. But some days it can be too cold to wear thin poplins or suitings. That’s when a proper thick wool dress is exactly what I need.
I was very excited to come across Simplicity 1590 pattern. It’s a vintage 40s reproduction, it has a collar and collarless options, peplum, waist ties, short sleeves… What else to ask for?
I’m a big fan of Butterick vintage reproduction patterns and B5209 was always on my wish list. I was avoiding it for quite a while because I really wanted to use it for something halter, weightless and made of silk. The idea of having something similar to the iconic MM’s dress from the “Seven Years Itch” was so tempting, it wasn’t allowing me to check this pattern twice and discover the second version of this design. Gathered bust, capped sleeves, full skirt….Sounds like the perfect ingredients for a nice cotton dress!
