Linen Washi Dress

I have joined the Washi Dress party. Whoohoo! I love it.
Only 'on the hanger' photos at the moment since Andy (photography slave) has been away most of the week and in any case, the weather has decided to put me back in cardies and boots for now.

The details:
Pattern: Made by Rae Washi Dress (let's not talk about the amount I spent on new ink for our printer so I could see all the sizes in their pretty colours).
Size: L (I muslined the bodice as suggested and it needed no alterations. No alts = yay! Size L = get over yourself, me.)
Fabric: luscious, lovely Lithuanian linen that my mum brought back from an overseas holiday.

The half-metre of the patterned linen she gave me was just enough for the bodice front and back. Perfect!

And oh how I love the wrinkly, nubbly, fibrous nature of the main natural linen fabric. In these pictures the dress has been worn, washed and ironed and I can tell it will develop a beautifully lived-in feel. I think I'm going to live in this over summer.
The back of the dress is usually cut as one piece (bodice and skirt together). Because I ended up with a fairly chunky seam where the two fabrics joined, I thought the usual elastic shirring might not be strong enough to gather it up. So I used 1/4 inch elastic instead, zigzagged onto the inside by feeding it through the machine foot and stretching a little as I went:

Three rows of elastic and happy days.

I am usually not a fan of facings but the ones (neck only) on this pattern are substantial and purposeful and add structure just where it's needed. I also chose the neat option of stitching them down from the outside. I was able to do this by feeling through the bodice with my fingers as I guided the fabric under the presser foot. So there's nothing flapping about or flipping out and I think the contrast fabric facing gives the dress a lovely finished look.

I will try for some dress-in-action photos soon!

- Jane x