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Are you ready?! The Morningside Dress and Shirt #sewitwithindybindy is starting tomorrow!

To find out all the details of the sew along and get the 25% discount code for the pattern see this post. And this one to help work out what size to sew.

If you’re not sure you can commit to watching the Instagram lives or to sewing every day over the week, don’t worry! I’ll be breaking down the project into really easily digestible bite sized pieces – starting off with printing and cutting out the pattern. If you miss a day you can catch up in no time!

Every day I’ll send out a blog post with all the details and then I’ll jump on Instagram live to talk through it and answer any questions that come up. I’ll save each live to IGTV so even if you don’t catch me then and there you can watch it afterwards.

Pop your name and email below to sign up to my newsletter and all of the tutorials will be in your inbox as soon as I publish them!

So let’s talk all things fabric!

Whether you’re headed to the shops as soon as you’ve finished reading, you’re going to dig into your stash, or source it from our favourite Indie Japanese Fabric Store (wink wink!) – we need to know what will work best and how much will you need.

What type of fabric?

The great news is that this pattern works with a range of woven fabrics from light weight rayon to a lovely mid weight linen! What you choose depends on how you want the final shirt or dress to look. Where and when you’ll be wearing your garment and how you want to style them will also affect your fabric choice. See my inspiration post for some ideas!

The whimsical shillouette of Style A with the flounce sleeve would be beautiful in a drapier fabric like the polyester Dog Lesson print by Mannine below.

The other recommended fabrics for Style B are cotton lawn, tencel, rayon challis, or linen blends. The below cotton sateen is lovely and light with a subtle sheen that would make for a beautiful and fun shirt! Maybe even some colour blocking on the sleeves!

The cuffs of Style A lends itself to a bit more structure if you like.  It’d be fabulous in a poplin, chambray, shirting cotton or linen. The Japanese speciality cotton (Typewriter 80) in the Triceratops print at the top of this post would sew up like a dream. Otherwise I’d love to see it in a mid weight cotton like this Yamanami print by Nocogou.

You can go bold like the fabrics above or if you want a more classic look, a floral like the Caraway by Otsukiyumi or the Seagrass by Kayo Aoyama would be stunning.

How much will I need?

The fabric requirement chart (on page 5 of the sewing instructions) is a great guide once you know what size  you plan to sew.

That said, if you have a fabric in your stash that doesn’t quite make the amount listed, don’t lose heart! Playing ‘Pattern Tetris’ is a love of mine and it’s often possible to squeeze a pattern into less fabric than suggested.

Even if I have enough fabric I can’t help but try and preserve as much fabric as I can with each make. (There is always the possibility of squeezing an extra project out of what is left!)

I suggest taking your cut out pattern pieces and playing with different potential layouts on the fabric. Try:

  • Laying your fabric flat and seeing how the different pieces might puzzle together. Just remember to pay attention to the grainline. If your pieces are cut off grain it can affect the final fit of your garment.
  • I always cut one piece at a time and assess as I go to see how the layout can be tweaked for the best fit. I start with the pattern pieces that are cut on the fold and then see if I can fit the remaining pieces in the odd shaped fabric cuts that are left.
  • I fold over one selvage just as wide as the first pattern piece, cut and then repeat. Alternatively you can also fold in both selvages to the centre to create more than on edge to cut on the fold.
  • If you’re tight on fabric, consider cropping the pattern further. This can drastically change how much fabric is required for your make. Take the finished garment measurements and compare it to how you want it to fit or against a shirt or dress you already  love to help you decide.

Another option would be to play colour blocking and use a different fabric for the sleeves or collar and placket, or even to piece together the bodice (just be sure to include a seam allowance when you cut it out)! Or if you had almost enough you could just do the underside of the collar from a differnt fabirc for a little secret feature!

At the other end of the scale, if you are working with a print and you want to pattern match, you will likely need more fabric.

I hope you’re getting excited about the all the possibilities for your Morningside Dresses and Shirts! Go sort through your stash or start dreaming about what kind of look you would like and let me know! As always, please ask me any questions that come to mind too.

Keep an eye out for the offical start of the sew along tomorrow with my next tips on printing and cutting out your pattern. Plus there will be an exciting announcement!!

See the other posts related to the Morningside Dress and Shirt Sew Along:

 

 

 

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