Summer is in full swing and if you’re like me, sometimes you just want to change it up and even out your strappy tank top tan lines (or you just want to feel a breeze on your back on a hot sunny day). I came across a ready-to-wear dress with a similar strappy backless feature and knew I wanted to try and make my own simplified version in lightweight linen (IL020).

In this post we are starting our new feature; the Friday Style Diaries, where we take a deeper look at the me made wardrobe and styling of someone in the sewing community. We are starting this series with the wonderful Leila, from @leila.makes on Instagram. We have set Leila the challenge of sewing up a Friday Pattern, and styling it in a few ways to show how versatile the piece is & how it fits into an already existing wardrobe of beautiful garments!

Pay attention to your thread color choice. Often, you don’t need to worry as much about the color when piecing together a quilt (your biggest concern is really just light vs. dark thread), but with clothes, the wrong thread color on the hem of your newest make might drive you a little crazy if it’s not somewhat matching in hue.

The Pablo overalls are a beautiful blend of functional workwear and classic minimalist style. I’m a sucker for wrap pants, so seeing a pattern that incorporates wrap pants and includes a bib to make it into a whole fit - I fell in love.

Back by popular demand, here is a closer look at making your own block printed fabric.

My favorite sewing machine is the second machine I’ve ever worked with. When I was 15 years old, I was given a pretty basic Singer machine by my mother – completely unprovoked. Unsure why I received this machine, I started making simple alterations to my hand-me-down clothes from my sister, but I don’t remember much about the quality of my sewing that long ago.

There’s something really lovely about working with scraps, especially when they’re soft linen scraps. I love improv-sewing shapes together and whenever I do these kinds of projects, I tell myself to keep going and make more (curtains, pillowcases, shirts, dresses, skirts), but then I clean up my giant mess of thread and fabric pieces and I’m suddenly no longer ready to tackle another improv piecing project for a few months at least. WOOPS!

I was chatting with a sewing friend not too long ago (hi Gabby :)) about what we did before we discovered garment sewing and it occurred to me that I’ve always been crafting! Often, I hear other sewists reminisce about their childhood and how they learned how to sew from their family members – their mother, grandmother, aunt, or some other relative. But my sewing journey was entirely self-fueled and self-taught. I started with absolutely no idea of what I was doing (sewing clothes and quilts) and managed to put together some halfway decent pieces.

When I set out to start sewing my own clothes, I had no intention of making myself frilly dresses… but here we are. I actually had every intention of quilting when I first started sewing more than just simple alterations on ready-to-wear shirts, but then I fell HARD when I found the lovely garment sewing community on Instagram.

When I was in veterinary school, we had a practical skills lab where we had to put on our ~white coats~ and “play doctor” on very sweet volunteer pets. At the time, I remember feeling so giddy to put that coat on. On the one hand, it felt surreal and exciting and on the other hand, I could feel the weight, emotionally, of what it meant; that people would be trusting me with their pet’s care and to be honest, it was a little scary (as it should be).

I absolutely love the name “Sagebrush” because it brings me back to living in southern Utah last year. On cool mornings, before the sun rose and brought the temperature to well over 100F, you could smell sagebrush all around the red dusty landscape and it was such a peaceful and magical moment; that memory will stay with me for a long time. Now after making this top, it will also serve as a reminder of my time in the high desert, surrounded by lovely plants and surroundings.

I have been sewing garments (consistently) for about two years now, and I am still in awe of the wide range of fabrics available to sew. I chose a jacquard linen because: 1) I love the name and 2) I have little-no experience working with this fabric type. I have also always wanted to add more loungewear to my wardrobe as I find myself sitting at my computer more and more for schoolwork and with the pandemic still ongoing, I stay home more often than not.

I chose a hand-blocked banana cotton fabric from Fabriclore. Initially, I was skeptical about the texture and drape of the fabric but once it arrived, I fell deeply in love. The fabric is lightweight and feels almost sheer when light shines through it, but the hand-blocked art and overall color maintain a great tone and overall look.