Ah, summer! It is just around the corner, and it is one of my favourite seasons to sew for; I adore cute cotton sun dresses, casual linen playsuits, airy voile blouses, and floaty viscose maxi dresses. I have pulled out some fabrics from my stash that I would like to sew this season. The fabrics are quite a bit wrinkly, but don’t fear — I will make sure to prewash and iron before I start cutting 😉 Let’s dive right in and make some plans!
Custom Oxford Cotton Twill
This is high up there on the list of most precious items in my stash. I adore this. It is so tied up to my love for the city and my friends, and all the wonderful, ridiculous, hilarious memories I have from my time living there. My Oxford friends got this fabric custom-printed from a local artist as my leaving gift, and because I treasure it so much, I am terrified to cut it. I mean, look at it! It has the dodo from the Natural History Museum, the Eagle & Child pub, the Headington shark, the Ultimate Picture Palace, the Ashmolean… Every time I pull it out of my stash, I smile. I just need to be brave and make something with this, as I can already feel the joy this garment will give me. I am planning to make either a pair of Merchant and Mills Harlene or Simplicity 9590 dungaree shorts, as I want this to be something casual and not too fitted, so I can throw them on and keep wearing them for years to come.
Clementine Linen-Look Cotton
I have 3m of this cotton and I want to try out a new pattern hack — making a matching top and skirt co-ord from the Megan Nielsen Matilda dress. I think this will be so cute when worn together, yet also really versatile when worn as separates; I am already planning on making a pair of high-waisted orange linen shorts to wear with the top! I am hoping to hunt down some baby blue gingham to use as the facings and inner collar stand as a little splash of contrast, and I also need to decide on what colour buttons to use. I have some tortoiseshell resin buttons, plain alder corozo buttons, or orange swirly resin buttons.
Dashwood Studios Soirée Fragment Rayon
This has been in my stash for the longest. This was the end of a bolt that I bought at John Lewis at the end of January 2020 in person, and it now seems bonkers how much things changed just a few weeks later. I had never sewn with viscose/rayon before, so I put it to one side and then kinda forgot about it! As my skills grew, I became more confident sewing tricky fabrics, but I never quite found the right pattern for this fabric. I don’t have a huge amount, so I am going to see if I can squeeze out another Forget-Me-Not Patterns Valerie dress; if not, I hope a Tilly & the Buttons Nell blouse will be feasible. This is one of my Make Nine 2025 plans.
Fabric Godmother Lobster Viscose Linen
This fabric screams playsuit to me — I want to wear it to dinner on a warm summer evening while on holiday! I am thinking that I will make another Deer & Doe Patterns Eucalyptus playsuit, as I love the cotton poplin version I made two years ago. I need to decide whether to make covered buttons again or go for either these swirly pink resin buttons or these plain alder corozo buttons. This is also one of my Make Nine 2025 plans.
Deadstock Magenta Daffodils Viscose Crêpe
This was a Black Friday treat I picked up last year from Fabric Godmother. I got 2m, enough to make another Peony dress, only this time it will be knee length. I am hoping that will help the dress read as a little more casual, but then again, it is fuchsia pink with a bright yellow daffodil print 😅 I also need to adjust the darts in the skirt and the bodice a little. This is again one of my Make Nine 2025 plans.
Liberty Holiday Highway Cotton Lawn
I feel like a bad sewist to admit this, but I have yet to sew anything using a Liberty fabric. I know! I have no excuse. I love going to the Liberty flagship store in London, I think that so many of the prints are gorgeous, I know that the quality of the cotton lawn is outstanding… but I just haven’t purchased that many. I picked up 2m of this at the Liberty sale a few years back and quite fancy making a casual dress — I just need to decide which of these two vintage patterns to use. I particularly love that the gal is cuddling a white kitten on the pattern envelope for Simplicity 7952, but I do think I will wear the button-up shirt dress more. Hmmmm. Suggestions are welcome!
Deadstock Pink Gingham Waffled Crepe
I am planning to draft a little a-line mini dress, inspired by a Self Portrait dress I fell in love with. I have no idea how successful this will be; I am working on a moodboard where I can keep notes on all the different aspects that I need to consider — bra strap carriers, a side zip, cupro lining, self-covered belt buckle and buttons… I am really keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this goes well! It feels pretty ambitious. This is also one of my Make Nine 2025 plans.
I am also hoping that I will get some other sewing projects done during the summer months, but these seven seem like a good starting point 😊
What do you think about my summer plans? Have you made any of these patterns? Let me know!
I am so in love with that lobster fabric. It will be phenomenal with the pattern you have picked. I like the swirly buttons with it! Really cute fabric and pattern pairings!
Isn’t it so cute? 🦞 I am really looking forward to making it this summer! 😊