Pattern progress!

My mother-in-law came up for a weekend of bread pudding & bacon from Formaggio Kitchen and some fabric shopping. We went to Fabric Corner in Arlington, which is having a great sale this month. I was much more restrained than usual; only bought some olive green linen for the a-line skirt (plus the Kaffe Fasset & otter fabric that Cathy and I are sharing; forget birds, put an otter on it).

Olive linen, Scandinavian-esque cotton, my very own pattern

Japanese linen chambray from Lin-net

Last night and tonight, I drafted the pattern using my measurements (waist way bigger than I remember thank you bread pudding), with help from Cal Patch's book. I highly recommend this book -- her instructions are so clear and unassuming, it was like having a buddy walk me through the process. Anyway, with Pandora set to Queen and Joni Mitchell, the hours went by, and I now have a pattern for my skirt.

I'm making it knee-length, so I can wear for play but also pair with my navy linen FWK Engineered Garments Landsdown jacket for a summer suit. I'm giving it a slightly wide waistband similar to the Steven Alan ikat skirt, and a sweep somewhere between that piece and the Mociun zigzag.

"Clematis brillante"

And as Cathy and I were looking through my fabric stash, she pulled out a Scandinavian-inspired green pear print fabric that I've had for years. I'm thinking I'll line the waistband and pockets in this fabric, then cover a side button with a piece, to give a hint of the surprise inside.

Next steps: make muslin to check fit, wash and dry linen three times. I was only going to wash it once, but then read some helpful advice on the "Diary of a Sewing Fanatic" blog. I also love the look and feel of soft, slightly crinkly, washed linen...

Oh, and continue to drool over this amazing Japanese linen from Lin-net. Has anyone in the U.S. ordered from this company?