Sunshine Stitchery!

I know many other dressmakers say this too but the warm weather really brings out the seamstress in me. Something about the sunshine makes me want to stitch up beautiful clothes.

The recent bout of warm weather we've been having in the UK has emboldened me and I have been working with some quite tricky fabrics, ones that I usually shy away from, but this time I had a vision of something in my head and the only way to get there was to deal with the difficult fabrics!

A while ago I brought some lovely gauzy handkerchief print cotton from Jessie at MessyJesse and knew it would make the perfect summer Tova dress. Ideal as a beach cover up or equally as good with a nude slip underneath as a dress.

This is my first Tova and certainly won't be my last, intact I have some essex linen in the washing machine right now ready for my next one. It stitches up really nicely and fairly quick too.

I love the fit, so comfortable without swamping you. I made a size medium with no alterations, other than doing french seams thoughout except for the placket and setting in the sleeves.

I used a lighter weight thread than normal for stitching the fine material, it had quite an open weave so a 40 weight was perfect. I also hand finished the cuffs and neckline for a neater finish, I didn't want a lot of visible topstitching on this lightweight garment.

I know I will be getting a lot of wear from this, I can even see it working over leggings as the weather cools. I can highly recommend the Tova pattern for anyone who hasn't made one yet, its the perfect addition to any handmade wardrobe!