aka Mood Collaboration #3 for June 2020.

Friends……..FRIENDS!!!! Ya girl did THE MOST with this June Mood project!! But in my defense, I thought it would be an easier project than it was. And once I started, I had to commit to it. I’ve never been afraid of doing too much!! When in doubt, overdress, I say. Do more! If I’m asking, is this too much? It’s just right.

This project started with an inspiration I found on dear Pinterest.

This is the Aje Mimosa Cutout Linen And Silk-Blend Midi Dress retailing at a cool $595 (although now sold out on Moda Operandi). I love everything about this dress! The balloon sleeves, the cut-out in the mid-section area, the open back, the button details on the back, the linen blend used. It’s such a great design!! BUT, I thought why not put a twist on it! **insert coy smile** I will always try to put a spin on something if I can. So what’s my twist? I’m going to make the bottom into shorts instead of a skirt! A romper!!! I’ll have to say, I was not 100% sold on the romper idea but that intrigued me even more. Haha! Could this actually work? Would it look like some freak adult saggy onesie? There was only one way to find out! I had to forge ahead!!

Off to Mood I went! I found this really pretty Italian White Herringbone Linen Blend at a great price and snagged 4 yards of it, luckily. The sleeves and shorts I had in mind took up quite a bit of fabric.

As base patterns, I decided to use Tessuti Fabrics Hilary Top pattern, which I had used as the base for this previous make:

And for the bottoms, I would use the bottoms of this jumpsuit I made for a trip to Anguilla last December:

The pattern is from a Big Four pattern company, which I won’t link but details can be found on my Instagram somewhere. We’re still not quite friends with the Big Four so hfmmmppttt.

A lot of Frankenstein-ing was happening here so I had to muslin this before cutting into the actual fabric. (Confession #1: I really should’ve muslined this twice. If I’m being honest, I cut the top a smidge small in the bust area. I made the first muslin and then cut it to get a higher shape in the back but I did not re-muslin to confirm my alteration. Lesson learned!)

Alterations made:

• Slashed and widened the sleeves
• Made cut-out in bodice sides and back
• Cut 2 pieces for back instead of 1 to add homemade covered buttons and loops
• Add rectangular facing to midriff area to add in a LONG belt (1.75″ x 90″ finished dimensions)
• Cut pants pattern to just below the knee so I could double-cuff hem
• Took some fullness from the back shorts because this is a thicker fabric and I didn’t want it to balloon out too much on my backside!
• Made bottom of the bodice straight so that I could attach it to the shorts

Finals thoughts: I LOVE HER!!!!! But a few things to note and another confession. I loved this fabric but it is a super medium weight linen blend and it frayed quite a bit. This would work great on less complicated designs or one would have to make sure to concentrate on keeping the cut edges clean as you worked. I used a thinner poly thread on this project and THUMBS DOWN!!! Guess poly threads should only be used with silks or super thing fabrics. And confession #2: this is NOT the most practical make to wear. The buttons need a buddy’s help to fasten all the way and the whole thing needs to come off for a trip to the loo, buttons and all!!! But practical schmatical!!!! IT’S CUTE, right?!?!?