The 50 States: New Hampshire -- Floral Linen Dress

State #2 -- The Granite State

pc: WhistleOut

While in NH, I was able to find a fabric shop in Exeter and found two fabrics, but I chose the floral linen to represent this state and my time there. It reminds me a lot of the dark slate gray and deep greens of the White Mountains in the summer, which we drove through a few times. This large weave linen has a rustic and feminine feel to it, and I wanted to keep that vibe, so I chose a dress pattern from the Japanese sewing book Stylish Dress Book: Clothing for Everyday Wear by Yoshiko Tsukiori. As with many Japanese sewing books, they tend towards the feminine paired with either minimalist or delicate details. Subtle as they may be, with the right adjustments, the little things can really make or break a dress. For example, I don't think I'd have loved the results as much if I had not found such a complementary fabric for the button loops, waist tie, and waist band. Also, little wood buttons also contributed to a more natural theme.

A new experience I garnered from this dress was making my own button loops, which was a lot less complicated than I was expecting.

The pattern in the sewing book and the fabric in natural light:

As always, linen was nice to sew with. It has a good weight to it when I wear it. Definitely one of my favorites, as I said before. The little features, like the handmade button loops, contrast fabric, and pleat in the back make me love it more than I expected to. It turns out I cut the back pattern piece wrong and the pleat is there to fix a 3 inch mistake, but I don't think anyone would know unless I told them.

And the finished product:

Happy Sewing!

The 50 States: Texas -- Bluebonnet Apron Blouse

State #1 for my 50 States Collection!

Getty Images

A few images that come to mind when I think of quintessential southern culture is homemade biscuits and retro aprons, both of which were in abundance at my grandparents' home, which is where I spent a large amount of my childhood. Consequently, I made an apron blouse from my bluebonnet and Indian paintbrush fabric to represent my time in TX. While in TX, I certainly got a slightly different little dose of southern life with some strictly Texan streaks (SanAntonio, Rangers Game, Braum's, Bonnie's Grave etc.) I found my design inspiration on Pinterest, a blouse designed by The Thread.
Their version:

They include ties, but since I am already using a bright red binding, I decided to use some pearly white buttons and loops. Otherwise I thought it might look just a tad too childish. The one change I would make otherwise is the width; my neckline gapes a little and the shoulders stick up every now and then because it's too much fabric. It's comfortable and its brightness is a lovely reminder of my trip with my friend; a joyful experience full of laughter and the lightheartedness of sunny summer days!

Happy Sewing!