Housedresses

I like to wear housedresses.

They are comfortable, cool, and if someone comes to the door (or I need to take out the trash!), they are modest and presentable. Don't get me wrong--if the house is cold in the winter, you will usually find me in sweatpants and a flannel shirt--but, since we heat our very small house with a large woodstove, my house is rarely cold!

Recently, I got an email about a bargain on a flat-fold bundle of quilter's calico from Marshall Dry Goods. At $1.95/yard, I decided the time had come to make some housedresses. 

Most of the pieces were about six yards in length, so I knew they would be adequate for the project. They are 100% cotton, which I wanted, and are fairly busy prints. Busy prints will show stains and mends less, and since I wear them for housework, yardwork, and cooking, this was a plus. They also remind me of the dresses my grandmother and great-grandmother wore. 😀

I used this pattern:

The design is loose and comfortable. It is an easy sewing project, and at less than $14.00 per dress, it was much less expensive than buying ready-made. I could also change the design to make it fit my own needs and wants.

I made the sleeves fuller and added more width to the skirt. I sewed in-seam pockets (reinforced so they can really be of use) rather than the outside patch pockets.

I love them! They are easy to wash and dry and are very comfortable to wear.

Apparently, I'm not the only person who enjoys wearing house dresses. There is a Facebook page for a small company called thisismyhousedress. Their designs look very much like mine.

You can learn about the history of the housedress at several different sites. This one has several pictures; this one has pictures of vintage sewing patterns; and this one has links to several different sites about the subject.

Happy Sewing! 😺

Calico Sunny Lanes

The Sunny Lanes block is a traditional block. The basic unit looks like this:

When the blocks are put together, they form diamonds among the patches.

This diagram and the one of the block above it are from Quilter's Cache--a wonderful resource for quilters.

When I began my Sunny Lanes, I went about the construction a bit differently. I have a big pile of 16-patch blocks I made when a friend gave me a bunch of 3.5" squares (over 2700 3.5" squares!).

 I wanted to use those in the quilt, so rather than making the block the traditional way, I used my 16-patches and constructed the chevron blocks from HSTs.

I chose to use a calico for the "lanes" in these chevron blocks rather than the usual solid color. I think it creates a more old-fashioned look.

This is a quilt where layout is very important. I checked back with the diagram many times to be sure that my diamonds were formed correctly. The assembly itself is easy--just sew the 16-patch and chevron blocks together.

This is before quilting.

I used a pretty, neutral fabric for backing. One reason I chose it is because it has a large repeat, and I wanted to show off the print. Cutting it up too much would cause me to lose the overall pattern. I used a red binding to bring out the reds in the quilt.

Here is the finished quilt.

Taking a different route in construction is something you may sometimes need to try. Don't be afraid to make your quilt your way.