Laura’s Floral Co-Ord
When I saw the luxury fabric this month, I literally squealed in delight. The print is absolutely stunning, and it’s on my favourite base cloth. The stars aligned and it was love at first sight!
I have been so inspired lately to make a long line fitted vest. They were featured on the “Sew the Spring Trends” YouTube video from The Fold Line, and they have been dominating my Instagram feed. Maybe I’m just easily influenced, but I had to scratch that itch!
One pattern that kept popping up on my radar was the Freja Vest by Just Patterns, and it was exactly what I was looking for. It just looked so sleek, effortlessly sophisticated and I loved the minimalistic style.
Viscose linen isn’t usually the most ideal fabric for this kind of garment as it is far too drapey, but each piece is interfaced which adds the ideal amount of structure. I used a Vlieseline G700 which is a medium-weight woven cotton interfacing and worked so well for this fabric and garment pairing.
And you know me, I cannot get enough of co-ord sets!
So, to go with the very tailored vest, I was inspired to pair it with a pair of floaty pants. I saw a similar look at “& Other Stories” and was very much drawn into the juxtaposition of silhouettes.
For the pants, I went with my tried-and-true Bastion Culottes by Jennifer Lauren Handmade. I love the vintage silhouette and style lines of these pants. I have made the short version previously in a cotton poplin that really holds the dramatic A-line leg shape, so I thought that another pair in this gorgeously drapey viscose linen would look so serene and perfect in the longer version.
It has princess seams on the front and back, shaped with a nipped in waist before flaring out over the hips. It is also fully lined and has two pocket options. I went with the patch pockets to save myself some time. For the lining, I decided to use a cotton lawn as I wanted something soft and breathable against my skin.
Despite appearances, I found the construction of the Freja vest to be a really nice and straightforward process. The only different thing I did was top stitching the patch pockets in place. The instructions advise to sew inside the pocket bag so there is no visible stitching on the outside. I knew this was going to be super fiddly, and because this is such a busy print the stitching was going to be practically invisible anyway.
Pretty much only positive things to say about this pattern. The drafting is excellent, instructions are great, and there is a sew-a-long on YouTube for extra support. When selecting a size, I fit precisely into the size 46 in the B/C cup range, so I made no adjustments, and I am so happy with how it came out! It feels fitted without being at all tight. I feel very grown-up and sophisticated, whilst the floral print and bright colours keep it fun and definitely brings the spring vibes.
I made the culottes up at a local sewing social which proved to be a great project to take as I actually managed to get the whole thing made up! Unfortunately, they did come up a little big on the waist and they crotch, so I feel like they’re dragging down.
Viscose linen as a tendency to “grow” with handling and wear, and I probably wasn’t the most careful when making these up as I kept holding them throughout making admiring how cute they were going to be! I think I will unpick the waist band a bit at the back and add some elastic to cinch it in.
How cute does it look though! It feels like I’m Spring personified and can’t wait to wear these gorgeous garments.