My tried and true sewing styles for summer, for #PFMyStyle . This dress I purchased in Lansing, Michigan. It is a fabric called Ankara, popular in much of Africa. The store had no idea which country this came from. It’s a “pancake” pattern, just a front and back, and l some kind of neck finishing. I traced the dress and made a pattern from it. I have made four more dresses from that pattern. The first three fabrics were from JoAnn (one a cotton home decor fabric). The purple linen is deadstock from @seamsfabric in #EastLansing - a locally-owned garment fabric store. Then another tried-and-true pattern; the Dress No. 1 from @100actsofsewing . It is another pancake pattern. I have made this one four times, once for someone else. The first one is quilting cotton. I wear it lots. It’s like the 1960s toddler dresses I wore. Love! The second one I made with two contrasting but similar dot fabrics (one a Christmas fabric, one Halloween, LOL) for my beloved sister-in-law. It was a test garment. Love it. P buttons at the straps to make a jumper/pinafore, also reminiscent of my childhood. I pressed the whole wool fabric thoroughly, which made it drape much more beautifully. The wool jumper is what I wear most that I have made. I love wool so much! It can be hard to find, especially in the bright colors I prefer. However, there is nothing like the comfort of wool in winter. Here I am even wearing it with a long sleeved wool T-shirt. It was a gift, not something I sewed. The last Dress No. 1 I made was again some quilting fabric from the days I worked at JoAnn. I made a higher neckline with some vintage buttons, which looks really cute but I just don’t like the higher neckline and won’t do it again. I do like the fabric. I really enjoy circles and diagonal lines. Diagonals become zigzags and triangles. I love the energy of a diagonal line or a zigzag. I guess I just don’t like squares. I’m not into plaid or gingham. Ironically, the houndstooth on my wool dress was so huge that it ended up needing to be pattern matched like plaid. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZbvWmTroD3/?utm_medium=tumblr










