Dress and Jacket Suit

Some years ago I made this jacket.

 

It is made from 2 skirt lengths from Linton Tweed fabrics in Carlisle. The lining is from a length of printed samples in silk from Smart's Mill in Bollington, Cheshire. I bought a large piece really for the plain silk between the swatches ( to dye with), but the colours are so great I have used several of the different colour ways.

I  like this jacket but really only had a Harris Tweed skirt that it matched nicely- I now have another skirt it will match (blog post here of 1 Feb 16) but I like to have more flexibility than that.

So I had one and a bit turquoise skirt lengths and some small prices of brown so I thought I would make a colour blocked dress. I was going to give it caps at the sleeves as there was not enough material for sleeves.

So last year I made a dress block and completed the majority of the dress. What to do at the armholes was still puzzling me so it lingered and lingered and winter came. So it went in the wardrobe.

I have just resurrected it and decided I would just use the lining of the bodice and make it sleeveless. I knew I would not be happy with cap or even short sleeves, so found an oatmeal close fitting top that looks nice under it.

But nothing is ever simple. I had a two colour bodice and the lining would show at the armholes possibly and at the next edge so I needed turquoise for the neck edge and chocolate brown at the armholes. Then I hit upon the idea of using different pieces of lining, much as I had done on the jacket to make the inside a delight to wear and to match the jacket. This seemed a good plan, but I didn't want the patterned silk to show at the neck at all, so I decided to make a neck facing instead. I just about had enough material for this.

The order of construction needed careful planning so the lining looked as good as the outside. It all worked out.

 

Belt loops were attached, hem completed and the dress was finally done.

 

and the back..

When I tried it on it felt a bit 'bare' at the neck. So a look ed through my scarf box and came up with an old favourite. This is made from fine silk with knitting yarns stitched on to it - on both sides of the silk. The yarns all tell a story, some are hand spun, some naturally dyed, some bought on Skye, some of garments no longer with me. The colour and feel was good but a long scarf was not suitable. Fortunately I had some silk left so enjoyed making another similar one which I stitched into a circular cowl.

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So this is the completed dress and jacket. I feel it was worth all the effort.

Now I need a nice warm bright spring day to wear it.