My linen pinafore is done!

As mentioned, I love the rough draft I made of a pinafore. It's out of a baby blue flannel sheet and is not exactly something you'd wear out of the house though. But this one! It's made of linen and I'll have no qualms about heading to the farmer's market in it.

I used this Pinterest pin as my starting point and then spent much time actually figuring out how to do the seams neatly, how and where to attach the straps, and just what size to make it so it would fit me (and several other women in my family). Here are some pics of my draft version.

We took advantage of our first 50 degree day and got a couple snaps of the finished linen version. Yes, that is a 4 foot tall pile of snow behind me.

Front with pockets

Crossover back straps

 Here are some of the things I learned:
1. Linen requires some technique to cut. If you just square up a side and cut away, the fabric will not hang properly. Instead you need to pull one of the threads to create a cutting channel. I found great instructions on this embroidery site (plus I picked up some nifty embroidery tips).
2. Speaking about hanging properly, that's all about warp and weft. These are weaving terms and refer to the threads running vertically and horizontally that form the fabric. If these are out of whack then your fabric will not drape properly. Do you have a pair of cheap sweatpants where the leg seams twist a bit? That's drape - they didn't bother straightening the fabric nor did they bother cutting on the thread. Probably because it wastes fabric and takes time to do it the proper way. You need to pull and adjust the fabric to true it up before cutting.
3. Figuring out how to fold together the seams and sew them neatly was the hardest part of this project. Lots of layers of fabric once you start folding in bottom hems with side seams. Trim edges and corners to make it easier.

I'm planning to tackle some linen tops next - sleeveless tops and tunic shirts! Can't wait.