Hallon Dress made with FS SHADOW GREY Midweight 100% Linen

As someone who has recently dived into the patternmaker side of sewing patterns, I have come to appreciate how much work and attention to detail goes into producing a full sewing pattern package. A few of the challenges in creating a sewing pattern include creating efficient pattern piece layouts, laying them out on different paper sizes that accommodate US and international printers, nice and clean graphic design, nesting sizes correctly and clearly, and creating instructions that are intuitive and easy to follow. Not to mention, the actual drafting of flat pattern pieces that take three-dimensional shape when draped on a body is such a technical and artful skill. When I use a sewing pattern with good instructions, I feel so excited to have learned a new construction technique! When instructions are less than clear, I’m left wondering if I made mistakes or missed something major. All of this can make patternmaking sound complicated, but the best sewing patterns are the simple ones, or rather, the ones that make the process simple. Good drafting and instructions make sewing simple.

Hallon Dress made with FS SHADOW GREY Midweight 100% Linen

I had such a lovely experience sewing the Hallon dress. My friend Sanna is the designer behind Paradise Patterns and gifted me this pattern (not in exchange for anything, just for fun) when she released it in March. I chose the FS Midweight in SHADOW GREY for this dress, a lovely shade of mauve, perfect for this deceptively simple pattern. View B only has two pattern pieces (excluding the neck and armhole binding). View A has four, but two of those are rectangles for the skirt ruffle. The cut is a slightly A line silhouette, with a dramatic low back that makes this pattern really special. I don’t usually sew with patterns, but when I do I gravitate towards those that are simple enough to be altered to suit my style and needs. For the Hallon, the bust point is included so that you can adjust the dart if necessary. I moved the dart from the armscye to the side seam, so that the beautiful solid color linen is uninterrupted above the bust. I also added in-seam pockets, because I personally don’t like to carry bags around and love when I can stash my essentials in pockets for a quick errand. Luckily, I just drafted my ideal in-seam pocket shape for my own upcoming dress pattern, so I was able to use that for this project.

Hallon Dress made with FS SHADOW GREY Midweight 100% Linen

Another common alteration I’ve seen for the Hallon Dress is how deep the low back goes. In the instructions, Sanna includes a chart for bias binding lengths at the step where the back gets gathered. This thoughtful inclusion of the binding lengths contributes to the ease and joy of putting this pattern together. There’s an explanation of how to adjust the length to achieve a lower or higher back so that you can make a choice as a sewist.

The pattern includes drafts for cup sizes B and D. It’s a great feature for those that usually need to do a full bust adjustment on patterns. There are also detailed instructions on how to adjust the length of the pattern, which is drafted for a height of 5’-7”. I’m quite a bit shorter at 5’-0”, so this was really useful for me. I had to adjust the back curve slightly to smooth it out after taking out 7” from the height of the pattern, but without the instructions, I might have taken it out of the bottom of the body rather than the middle. The fit is spot on, even with the slightly higher back that I went for.

Hallon Dress made with FS SHADOW GREY Midweight 100% Linen

I hope this review helps if you’ve been thinking of sewing the Hallon Dress or trying the FS SHADOW GREY! The linen gathered up so nicely for the ruffle details. I always enjoy sewing with the Midweight (IL019) collection, especially the Softened finish. I find it doesn’t wrinkle as much as other linens I’ve tried. The weight is perfect for a dress like this one, not too heavy but substantial enough to create a lovely drape for the perfect summer dress.