Something different this way comes

Last week I did something I haven't done for a while. I sewed, for myself. 

Cold weather means yoga pants or jeans and sweaters, but some are - especially the heat and humidity we've had this year - means dresses. Preferably the larger, longer, and airier the better. 

Remember Mrs. Roper and her caftans? She wasn't wrong.

This is the Tessuti Eva dress pattern. I first made it in 2014, from a lightweight watercolor print linen that I bought at a fabric store that sadly no longer exists. I wore that dress until it shredded along the seams. 

I made another one two years ago, when the first one started showing its age, and because I basically live in it, when we went to the Salvation Army the other weekend and I found a really cool vintage sheet, I decided it was time for yet another version. 

At some point I will have to print out the pieces again, because they're getting worn from being folded and also because my post pandemic, post menopausal shapeshift has caused the bodice to be a bit snug across the chest. I solved that by just adding an extra half inch at the fold on both sides, but it would be better to just cut the next size up. 

The skirt is a lantern shape, two pieces flowing outward from the bodice and meeting two pieces moving inward toward the hem. It leaves room for air flow and is wide enough for everything but the largest of strides. If I'm wearing it in the garden , I generally tuck it up into my underwear, which also makes it easy to carry tomatoes. 

I love working with old sheets. Even if they're poly/cotton, they're meant for hard wear, they don't wrinkle much, and they last almost forever. Which is good, because I will wear this one until it falls apart, too.