Today I'm sharing these cute Geranium dresses I made for my two youngest girls. I used Riley Blake Linen in the colors Blush and Aqua and I used the Bouquet Tide print from the fabric line Serenade by Cyndi Walker for Riley Blake as an accent fabric for the pockets.
I'd always wanted to make a linen dress using this pattern and when I had the opportunity to make a project with Riley Blake Linen I knew right away I wanted to pair the two together! Riley Blake Linen is a cotton / linen blend making it really nice for apparel or quilts. It doesn't shift the way 100% linen might.
I used linen for the lining as well. I prewashed the linen and pressed it with just a little bit of Best Press. This linen is pretty soft and not really itchy. It will get softer as it's laundered too.
I love the way the linen worked with the flutter sleeves, really soft but with some structure to them.
I know that sometimes wrinkles are a concern with linen. I, personally, don't mind a bit. And as you can see these aren't terribly wrinkled even though they have been tried on by the girls several times as well as worn for a few photos for this post. As this is a cotton / linen blend wrinkles and scratchy fabric aren't an issue.
I think they turned out super cute! I love the few pieces of linen clothing I have ( a skirt and a dress) and I know my girls will get a lot of wear out of these sweet dresses.
I love working with linen. I always keep natural linen in my stash for my small projects and quilts. Do you enjoy working with linen? cotton/linen blends? What's your favorite?
Happy Sewing!
xo Erin
