Made By A Fabricista: Stepping into Autumn with Linen and a Layer

Hello again sewing friends!

October is here at long last, and the intoxicating emergence of cooler weather makes for my very favorite time of the year. I am more than ready to embrace the seasonal change! Long sleeves are back, and I love the idea of finally laying clothes again and wearing more than just the bare minimum to stay cool. I will say that I'm not entirely sold on the Cottage Core style despite growing up obsessed with Little House on the Prairie, but I do adore a voluminous linen dress when the mood strikes.

To celebrate the new season, I opted to sew the Romey Gathered Dress by Sew House Seven. I've sewn this beauty in the past, and I was even on the testing team, but I have yet to sew one in the fabric Romey was basically designed for, linen! I also thought a solid color was a great choice here to highlight the details since my others versions are prints and hence camouflage some of the features.

If you're not familiar with SH7's designs, they are lovely patterns, every last one of them, and the illustrated instructions are well written and easy to follow. I've learned a few great techniques while sewing several different garments by this designer and wouldn't hesitate to sew any of them again.

This dress includes instructions for French seams, so it's basically indestructible and nearly guaranteed to last me for many years. I could not resist adding a beloved Kylie and the Machine Bespoke tag in the back neckline. Even if the public never sees that rad label, I know how fancy I am.

Well-designed boxy dresses and boxy clothes in general feel great to wear, and I love the midi length option since the weight helps keep the skirt down where it should be, but also has lots of movement and swish. I like to really feel my clothes when I'm moving around; something about that sensation makes me feel so elegant, like, don't mind me, I'm just swirling around in loveliness over here.

This dress hangs so nicely with all the soft structure that linen delivers and it will be a cool and breezy outfit to take me right through multiple seasons. I'd describe this fabric as the lighter side of a midweight linen, no need for lining.

For the second piece, I had a difficult time choosing fabric (what else is new?) but landed at last on the Woodland Sage brushed sweater knit, an earthy gray-green that is perfect for fall and also brings out my eyes. Pardon me while I bat my eyelashes alluringly.

This easy-to-toss-on layer is a fairly new pattern, the Grab A Cuppa Cardi from Pattern Emporium. I decided that the cropped bodice length (one of four included in the pattern) would look stunning with this boxy and higher-waisted dress, and the wide bishop sleeves will accommodate the width of the dress sleeves, too! Match made in heaven, I'm pretty sure. The silhouettes really pair well without interfering with any of the intended style lines.

One caveat about sewing stretchy knit like this sweater; be sure to run a test scrap through your sewing machine or serger a couple of times to check and adjust your tension. Fabric like this likes to stretch out when stitched too tightly, and your seams might end up wavy and longer than they should be. A walking foot might be a heroic seam-saver if you have one.

Brushed sweater knits are so heavenly soft and cozy to wear. I love sweater knit in a solid for a quick layering piece that will go with all the neutrals I own and look purposeful paired with all the cool-undertone clothing in my closet already. I'm pleased as punch over how gorgeous this green looks with the purple, they match each other in color saturation and tone so well!

If you have a fanciful pairing of garments for autumn, I'd love to hear about them! I'm always happy to expand my layering horizons and try new combinations.

Happy fall and happy sewing!

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Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: LINEN, KNITS, & SWEATER KNITS.
You can also shop our select of Sew House Seven patterns here.