Pear Linen Fiona Dress

I know I say this about so many makes- but this pear linen Fiona Dress is just perfection- I love this dress! Closet Case Patterns is one of my favorite indie pattern companies, so as soon as I saw the release of the Fiona Dress Pattern I scooped it up.  After looking at the cover art I totally wanted to rock this in green. I lucked out and found the most perfect midweight linen in this pretty pear color at Blackbird Fabrics (and on sale). Plus I found a great new source for vintage buttons. Kismet!

I made a muslin of the bodice before starting on my good fabric.  I had some cream linen remnants lying around and was able to see what changes were needed very quickly.  Plus after alterations it made a super cute pj bodice.

The construction of this dress was a bit more time consuming, but the results are just gorgeous.  I love the seam lines, especially how the pockets line up with the bodice princess seams.  The fit, after adjustments is almost perfect.  I could have taken in the waist a bit more but didn’t want to overfit this as I wanted to keep it a bit more casual for everyday wear. 

All the Details:

Pattern-

Fabric–

Blackbird Fabrics (pear green midweight linen pictured below on the bottom)

Buttons–

Vintage Rustic Distressed Wood Buttons. I used 16 in all! From Dans and Adi on Etsy. Fab source with great prices and quick shipping. 

I cut this dress in the size 10 which was closest to my measurements.  The hips were still a bit too tight and the bodice needed to be taken in at the side seams. I took in the side seams by 1/2″ each and then angled the bodice out at center front as the bust fit well but the waist was a bit tight still.  I then had to adjust my bands and the skirt/pockets seams to line up correctly.  I also lengthened my waist by 1″.  Strangely the back lined up perfectly after lengthening but the front was too low and then needed 5/8″ taken away again.  Also, after I looked at my photos the upper back seems to sit  much lower then I realized.  I may try to change where that hits on my next version.  Not a big deal for this make.

What I love most is this dress is still casual enough for everyday wear but can easily be dressed up.  Plus I’ll wear this year round.  As is most of the year and with a tee in our “winter”.  And this color is just amazing!  I purposely went for something a bit different as I have such a basic wardrobe in blue/white/cream/coral so this dress really pops.

I highly recommend this dress pattern and the fabric- the linen I purchased from Blackbird Fabrics is just gorgeous.  I got a vivid blue linen and a red and white stripe linen at the same time an they are all stunners!  Plus the packaging was so pretty.  I’m a sucker for presentation.

Happy Sewing!