The opportunity to collaborate on the launch of the new Artist Collection by Rare Patterns came up and I just couldn’t pass when I saw that the Artist they were featuring was the talented Carolyn Quan. This collection features bold florals printed on premium linen. When I saw the print, I thought of Spring Carnival, Summer Festivals and Wedding Season. This is not only inspired by the colours in the print but the movement in the abstract stokes of the artwork.
The linen arrived in beautiful packaging, and I loved the inclusion of cute labels. I really liked the beautiful colours in my piece, which is “The Spaces In Between”. I immediately thought of making the Tammy Handmade Daisy Dress when I saw this lovely print. I was a tester for this dress and had made the adjustable strap version. With the linen, it has slightly more structure, so I wanted to make the puff sleeved version. I also decided to use elastic instead of shirring. I think the shirring would have worked but I did that last time, and I wanted to test the elastic method this time.
I’m always a bit nervous when I wash fabric I’m reviewing, but there was no need to worry as the fabric print remained as bold and beautiful after the wash. I’m quite fussy with my clothes which are often made from natural fibres like this linen, so I like to air-dry everything. I gave the linen a good ironing before starting to sew. I used a 70/10 gauge sewing machine needle which works fine for linen.
The Daisy Dress is a quick and easy summer dress to make. It features a shirred or elasticated back which means no zips or buttons to navigate. This pattern also has cup sizes which helps to make fitting easy. Luckily, I’ve already sewn a version of this dress, so my sizing stayed the same. I made the Size 14 for my measurements of 38-inch bust, 33-inch waist and 40-inch hips and I used the B/C/D cup. No modifications were needed. The cute puff sleeves come with elastic gathers at the shoulder and sleeve hem. It means that the sleeves stay where they should and were easy to install. I found gathering and using the elastic was easy with this linen. It feels so soft to wear and feels very breathable which will be good in hot weather.
I feel so lucky that in the process of recording my sewing progress, I get to sample beautiful fabric and patterns. It feels so good to be able to share such beautiful resources back into the sewing community that has helped and encouraged me with my sewing.
Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
X Em
Em Sew Happy Blog 