Hélène Cardigan and Talia pants

I have made both of these patterns before and since I liked them both I decided to make a sort of informal pants suit out of the pair of them.

The Hélène cardigan from Jalie is probably one of the most enjoyable patterns I have sewn in a long time. It is interesting to see how it goes together and it provides a more tailored looking cardigan in a knit (which is why my white version ended up being my daughter's lab coat) than most other patterns.

For this version, since I knew I was going to wear it with pants, I lengthened it by 2", also helpful as I am tall. I am not sure if I will add that much next time, but it works here.

I used the same ottoman knit for the jacket that I used for the knit Adeline dress a few posts back and I used some rayon challis for the pants. I made these short as per current style and they are so comfortable.

The Talia's have a flat front and an elastic waist only at the back which is flattering and eliminates bulk where I don't need it.

A pretty easy pair to sew and very practical.

Next, after many months of doing basics sewing and sewing for folks in the family I am stepping out and trying new patterns to wear in the pool with the kids.

Brace yourself for that one.

Adeline dress in woven

A post or so ago I showed you the knit Adeline dress by Stylearc I made and loved.

Of course despite the fact this is a woven pattern I found it was very successful in a knit.

Well yesterday a group from my sewing guild met for a sew and BBQ day and I decided this would be a good time to make up a house dress version.

I really think there is a role in life for house dresses.

You know what I mean.

Dresses in sturdy fabrics that are fine for vacuuming with pockets to put in the weird spare stuff you find on your floors and must pick up. Dresses that are great to throw on when someone comes to the door and you and the dog are just schlepping around eating cereal and drinking tea at 10:00 a.m. Dresses that don't require much maintenance as in ironing and don't stick to your body or restrict your movements so you can pull the green bin to the curb in them and then go shopping.

The sort of dress that requires your only accessory needs to be underwear and flip flops.

Well I had just the fabric for a dress like that, a sort of cotton printed duck that I picked up once at Hobby Lobby because I liked the colours.

We had a great day BTW. I like to see what everyone else makes and the hostess, Cindy, has a to die for sewing space in her basement.

So after I finished my dress I threw it on and we did a few quick shots.

What is most interesting about these shots is the background. My styling apparently didn't involve the sense to brush my hair after I had pulled this dress on.

This may be one of my all time favourite patterns, and certainly is not the last one I will make.

Now is this a house dress or is this a house dress?

I love it!