Made By A Fabricista: Sewing a Feel Good Outfit for Spring

Is it just me, or has cold weather dragged on foreeever? I do love layering and bundling up to a certain extent, but I'm about ready to bare a little more skin and directly absorb some sun! A lively, punchy outfit seemed like just the ticket to shake off the gray days and open my arms wide to spring. There's a newish movement toward "dopamine dressing" and since I already know that wearing fun, colorful clothing positively affects my mood and self-confidence, I jumped right on these amazing cheery linens and slub striped sweater knit.

These are such incredibly bold, bright bubblegum colors that I found them entirely irresistible to help shake off the colder months' chill and happily embrace the warm weather. Honestly, they are so fun and kind of unexpected hues for linen fabric. I generally associate linen with pale beachy shades or deep earthy tones, but practically pushing neon? These are so gorgeous and delightful! Plus, I could not for one second resist multicolored rainbow-filled stripes, and these contain both the pink and blue, so my plan was a light layering piece to tie my bold solids together.

I always prewash and dry my linen. There is no room for dry cleaning in my busy mom life, and more and more I find myself completely fine with embracing that evenly rumpled texture. All I do is aim to catch my laundry before it cools in the dryer so I can give my linens a hearty shake out and hang them up. The tumbled appearance is pure casual chic and so soft against my skin.

Linen works perfectly with SO many patterns, but I knew immediately that bright pink pants were calling my name. I have recently figured out a great fit (after a few muslins) of the Sew House Seven Free Range Slacks, and I love them so much that I'd welcome another pair in my closet. Linen is so comfortable that these will work through most seasons here, plus I've never come across a tapered woven pants pattern that I like so much, so I thought I'd try the included wide leg version for the first time. The devil is in the details with a solid-colored garment, so I added every last bit of topstitching mentioned in the tutorial. It's a full bobbin's worth, so get yourself ready.

I also added a matching pink Kylie and the Machine woven label on the back pocket for bonus points. This particular tag might have been from the sold out advent calendar collection last year, (forgive me, all my labels are dumped into a bowl for easy sifting) but there are loads of other fabulous KATM tags available on the site!

I know I've said it before, but if you are not grabbing matching thread with your fabric orders, you are missing out on a fantastic service. Sometimes I live on the wild side and gamble with sewing the thread I have on hand, but I've definitely found I'm much happier with a match from the get-go rather than just crossing my fingers and praying to the sewing gods. The pink and blue are spot on matching and help my finished clothes look so polished and professional.

Watermelon pink pants certainly deserve an equally compelling and cheerful top, and I figured using the same fiber and weight in a different color would help tie the two pieces together. There are loads of solid linens to choose from on the site, and let me tell you, I eyed them all really carefully before choosing this electric cyan blue. I suppose a chartreuse would be the true opposite color here, but you have to agree that the blue does really complement and make the pink sing. For the blue, I sewed myself another Grainline Studio Willow Tank, which has really become a tried-and-true pattern I've returned to many times since sewing my first one last year in this Fabricista post.

And the piece de resistance, the rainbow slub sweater knit! This is a very light, more open-weave knit and I thought it would suit a shorter cardigan due to the weight. I used a Peach Patterns Maple Cardigan in the banded version, and I couldn't be more pleased with the result. It's light and just a bit flowy, and absolutely perfect for a spring layer over a tank for some coverage.

With a two yard cut, I was also able to create a bonus shirt! I absolutely HAD to play with the stripes, and I cut the front bodice in two pieces along the bias to create that beautiful repeating V design detail across the front. I used a mini-batwing style top called the Unwind from Pattern Emporium since I wanted those stripes to continue uninterrupted through the grown-on sleeves.

If you want to try this mini hack yourself, I recommend using a ruler to draw yourself a couple of straight lines perpendicular to the fold on the pattern piece, and then use those new marks to line up fabric stripes and ensure you have a 90 degree angle for perfect Vs. Don't forget to add seam allowance to this new cut edge!

Cheers to a change in the weather and a change in wardrobe style for spring! Add some bold new colors to your closet and see if they have any input on your mood. I know this bright outfit will have me in high spirits.