WOOT! I finally finished something that’s been in my brain for a long while: a metallic linen dress with geometric goodness. The idea for said dress sprang from Purl Soho’s Mineral Linen collection release however many years ago and the need for a somewhat fancy dress for holiday times.
Initially, I thought I’d pair the Mineral Linen with By Hand London’s Anna Dress and do a geometric triangle thing on the skirt panels (think half rectangle triangle). But after reading the fabric is dry clean only and the realization that I almost never wear the one Anna Dress I’ve made, the whole idea kinda fell apart.
Then in walk’s Grainline Studio’s Farrow Dress, satisfying all my clothing wants and desires: pockets, sack shape, and geometric lines.
In true Sienna form, it took me a long-ass time to make it. Partially because I was still searching for right fabric that could withstand regular washing and a hot iron. Partially because there aren’t enough hours in the day.
Thankfully, my favorite semi-local fabric store, Stonemountain & Daughter Fabric, started carrying metallic linens. I scooped up the necessary yardage and followed the tip of ironing it with the hottest dry iron possible (to set its wrinkle-less finish) followed by washing and drying at the highest temperatures possible. It has the yummiest linen wrinkles now.
I cut a straight size 4, which seems to be my near perfect Grainline Studio size. If I were to do it all over again I would definitely shorten the sleeves by ~2″ as I’d like for the sleeve to hit a little lower than 3/4 length. As you can see in the picture above, I’ve awkwardly folded the sleeve up.
It all came together relatively quickly, despite one sleeve facing being a big turd (it still has an imperfection and I’m pretending I’m fine with it) and the disappointing fact that I just couldn’t finish it in time for a fall wedding a week ago.
In addition to the dress, I envisioned some sort of statement jewelry for the whole look. I found a kit and tutorial from Beadaholique that looked fun to make and would coordinate with my fabric choice.
It’s almost 2024. Wondering if you still see comments on here. Hi! I just bought this pattern at Stonemountain! I’m wondering if they still have that linen!! Really nice styling. Funny, I’ve purchased from beadaholique as well!! Hope you made it through Covid!
Do you ever sew or teach at Hello Stitch? Take care and really appreciate the tips. It WOULD be a nice holiday dress. -joan
I love your blog. I feel inspired about all the beautiful things that you make and it motivated me to sew and create. Thank you for sharing your creation with us.
Thank you for the kinds words!
Beautiful dress and necklace. Your shoes are also excellent. I would love to know the make. Need to save this in my style icons bookmark folder. Karen x
Yay a blog! I found you on IG and wished you had one–now you do. 🙂
Thanks, Karen! I have to admit, this is mostly an experiment to see if I can consistently create content for a blog – it’s so much work!