This post was written by Shelley aka Lightning McStitch.
I saw the inspiration for this dress on a website way back in June, and knew immediately it was the dress I wanted for summer.
During that time Maaidesign started to stock Tencel Linen and that was definitely the fabric for me.
Imagine a fabric that gives you everything you love about linen; the textural weave, the breathability, the structure. Now imagine the benefits of a lyocell fabric; the drape, the luscious, suede-like hand and soft sheen.
Are the creeping niggles about those fabrics starting to come to mind? Are you imagining trying to steam iron out those stubborn linen wrinkles? Or maybe having flashbacks to late eighties Tencel fluid look jeans? Never fear, these two fabrics combine to become a sum even greater than their parts and there doesn't seem to be a downside at all!
Initially I asked Maaike about making the dress in the Tencel twill that she had in stock, as some of the colours looked correct for what I wanted. Being the great fabric shop owner that she is, she talked me out of buying the wrong type of fabric. The Tencel twill, she thought, might be too heavy for such a lot of dress. I should be patient and wait for the Tencel Linen. Then she set out to hunt down the Steel Blue colourway for me.
Once the fabrics arrived I was ecstatic. The feel of the fabric is superb. It has much more drape and hand of a linen but with that beautiful woven linen look.
The colours couldn't be closer to my original dress inspiration and they have such a gorgeous warmth and depth to them. The white is a real optic white, crisp and sharp. I didn't line my dress at all (but I did match my overlocker thread to every different seam allowance!). Used on it's own for a dress or skirt, the white fabric only would require a lining, the other colours are perfectly opaque.
Of course if you can't decide which colours to have, why not try a colourblocked dress like this one and use them all!
The pattern was created from the Gelato Dress by Liesl + Co and there is a post on the Oliver + S blog to show the simple pattern manipulation.
Seeing the pattern you need in a garment, knowing how to change it up and then landing the perfect fabrics is a sewist's best dream!
Now, I'd like some warm weather too please!
