Linen Alder Shirtdress + Bronze Espadrilles

 

 

You guys, I made a thing! Now that I’m done with classes for the semester, I finally finished my Alder Shirtdress that I started almost two months ago.

I’m trying to stash-bust this year and sew through the fabrics I accumulated over the past few years when I frequented NYC several times in a year for work. I picked up this striped linen on an impulse from Metro Textile last summer – Kashi said to take it and make a dress out of it, and it sat in my closet until some hot weather came our way and it seemed like a natural pairing with the Grainline Studio Alder Shirtdress. This linen is outside of my normal palette of colors and prints that I wear, but I absolutely love how it turned out.

 

 

I previously made two different versions of this dress: a long sleeve shirtdress out of a chambray rayon and a tank version of this dress, both made last year. It seemed only natural that I should try making the original pattern! After making the tank, I realized that I needed to raise the bust dart since it was hitting way below my bust point. I raised it about an inch, but it could have gone up more since it’s still not quite where I need it to be.  But it’s not too noticeable, so I’m ok with it.

 

Initially, I was nervous I wouldn’t have enough fabric to match the stripes up across the front and back, but I lucked out with having just enough.  I’m so happy with how well everything matched up! I purposely tried to have the black stripe hit around the waist for a slimming effect instead of the thick band of white at my midsection.

 

The other thing I find interesting about this dress vs. the long sleeve version that I made is that I really like how this dress looks as-is and don’t feel that it needs to be belted or cinched in at the waist like I do for the long sleeve dress. My guess is because the Alder is more fitted across the chest than the pattern hack I did with the long sleeve dress, where I took the top part of the Grainline Archer Shirt pattern and combined it with the skirt of the Alder dress. My personal style is changing as well and I’m gravitating towards more loose fitting garments, and I’m less inclined to make and wear more fitted styles. So, the fit of this dress is now exactly what I’m looking for – especially when it’s hot outside.

 

 

The back yoke and button band were both cut on the bias because there was no way I was going to even attempt to match those stripes up. I also opted to not use a lining piece for the yoke and serged the seams instead when joining the yoke to the back of the dress as a finishing option. I’m not even sure that I would have had enough fabric to line the yoke if I wasn’t lazy, which, confession: I was.

 

 

Say hello to my new beauties! After making two pairs of sandals this summer and looking for inspiration on Pinterest for what to kind of shoes to make next, espadrilles seemed like the easiest and most beginner-friendly style to attempt next.  I found these soles on Etsy and they came straight from Spain, where authentic espadrille soles are made.  What I like about these soles is that they have a rubber bottom and heel, which makes them more durable and wearable than soles that are 100% jute. I also have a pair of espadrille wedges that I think I’ll save for next summer, I just don’t have the time (or materials) to make them this summer.

 

 

I drafted this pattern off of a wide sandal strap pattern I had, but hand-drew the shape of the vamp based on a pair I saw at Nordstrom. The upper is made out of an Italian goat leather with a foil treatment to give it a metallic look, and lined with a light brown Nappa lamb. Using a leather roller foot, I stitched the lining and upper together along top and the vamp, and then hand-stitched the upper to the sole using a special cotton espadrille thread and needle. The machine stitching is far from perfect and it’s going to take some time to get used to sewing leather on my Bernina, but I’m please as punch with how these turned out! It’s almost as if they’re made for this dress.

 

Pattern: Alder Shirtdress by Grainline Studio
Fabric: linen from Metro Textiles
Sandals: self-made, own pattern