Vogue x Rachel Comey Dress made with FS Vineyard Green Midweight Linen

I started writing (and sewing) about dopamine makes just over a year ago. Thank you for coming along this journey with me- it means the world to know there is a place that extends beyond the practical and into the….unabashed silliness of sewing with no purpose except to feel. (That is NOT to say I am without feeling! It just means that I can sew to sew, and not because I ‘need” something- ya know?) I last wrote about my winter sewing lull. Spring gave me new inspiration, but I hadn’t hit my stride yet. Like a lizard in the desert, I needed more time baking in the sun.

Vogue x Rachel Comey Dress made with FS Vineyard Green Midweight Linen

What is it about the summer season where everything just feels…better? Don’t answer that question in case it rips me from my Summer High, ha ha.  As I morphed into my Lizard Self, I baked in the sun, studied patterns, and used the most recent Los Angeles Frocktails to make myself a #dopaminesewing dress. This time with the focus on SLEEVES.

Vogue x Rachel Comey Dress made with FS Vineyard Green Midweight Linen

Looking back at some other sewing projects, I moved away from sleeves. I leaned into color mostly- but using a more subdued linen, the IL019 All Purpose linen in Vineyard Green, I wanted to make a statement outside of the saturated hue.??I have held onto the Vogue x Rachel Comey #1798 pattern for a while- I think I collected Rachel Comey patterns during every Simplicity sale that I could. (Sadly, it is not available except on Etsy or eBay!) I gravitated towards the straightforward shift silhouette and dramatic sleeves.

Vogue x Rachel Comey Dress made with FS Vineyard Green Midweight Linen

It wasn’t until I started prepping the pattern that I realized it was a more complicated pattern. The dress is not only fully lined– a technique I have never tried before—but even the sleeves are lined! (Actually, it is a smart design choice, as it creates the bubble effect for more drama.) My primary concern was not the lining technique, but ensuring the medium weight linen didn’t weigh down the sleeves. No one needs saggy sleeves when you want to make an entrance….

Vogue x Rachel Comey Dress made with FS Vineyard Green Midweight Linen

Thank you to Olivia Hayward (you confined her on Instagram) for sharing a big sleeve tutorial! Following her quick and easy way to add more “oomph” to sleeves, I decided to add a fourth layer of material to the sleeves. Using poly organza, from my stash, sandwiched between in main linen and satin lining stabilized the sleeve just enough?! Despite the lining slightly altering the linen’s natural texture, I am so happy with the way it turned out. The linen’s inherent softness tempered the structured silhouette just enough that I don’t feel out of place in say a baseball cap or cowboy boots. It feels everyday- or more extra every day.

Vogue x Rachel Comey Dress made with FS Vineyard Green Midweight Linen

I have worked with Fabrics-Store enough that I know exactly what my favorite material to use is. I come back, project after project, to the IL019 All-purpose material- the medium weight is soft and structured but also has a fluid drape. It is opaque (even in the light colors), and it’s the perfect for all-season California weather. It might not be the recommended fabric for this Vogue pattern, but in my experience- Linen will ALWAYS work.