Summer Floral Two Pieces to Keep Cool: Vogue 7013 & 9246
If you have have sat by a fireplace, you notice that most of the heat goes up the chimney; same things with clothes. The Dress Doctors called that the chimney effect. The heat leaves the body if it has somewhere to go, so loose clothing will keep you cooler. The coolest clothing would have no waistband at all, but I always look swamped in such cuts. This two-piece dress keeps me cool while giving me a suggestion of shape. In fact, this looks better filled by a body than on the dress form in the photo.
I did not have the best time placing the print which is linear and runs in both directions, and large enough that matching motifs from skirt to blouse was impossible with the yardage I had. Any way that I tried to place the front bodice pattern pieces, the top pleats on the blouse ended up cutting up the flower motifs--if only textile designers would shrink their prints--but because the flowers stand upright in both directions, I think the world can live with it.
The blouse instructions are interesting; first make the center pleats on the bodice front and attach its facing and understitch it; then you sew together the rest of pieces which make up the rest of the neckline, which in a raglan means the sleeve pieces too; then you attach their neckline facing, and then you sew this unit to the front piece on each side. This allows for the clean, acute angle at the front neckline.
I added unpressed tucks to the blouse waistline to echo the pleats at the neckline and give me some shaping. Then I added a snap placket to the left side seam to make it just as easy to get on as before. This was an oversized pattern from the 1990s and even after cutting down the pattern, it fits relatively loosely. I have marveled over the skirt a prior post: 4 trimmed darts hide under the pleats which reduces bulk at the waistline and allows for greater width. Both patterns are vintage, but the web reveals some places to buy them.
