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).

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.

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

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.

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.