I know I say this every time, but this is my new favourite outfit. This is my fourth Indigo dress now and certainly not my last.
The fabric is a vintage brushed cotton from Olive Road, who specialise in sourcing beautiful fabrics from the 1950s to the 1990s (yes, 90s is vintage now!). Sarah, who runs Olive Road, was our neighbour when exhibiting at the Knitting and Stitching Show last Autumn and I became a little bit obsessed with this one-of-a-kind piece of fabric. When she suggested swapping it for some patterns, of course I couldn't say no!
The material is a brushed cotton. It's lovely and soft but still has a bit of structure, so holds the shape of the dress nicely without feeling at all stiff. I bought some delicate laundry detergent especially and have been surprised at how well this dress has washed (I have worn it loads).
One thing to bear in mind when buying vintage fabric is that it can be very narrow, so you may need lots of it, as I did, and to play around with the cutting layout to make get the most out of it.
For this version of Indigo, I went with "all the trimmings", in other words, the fluted sleeve variation with exposed frill seams. I made the hem halfway between the top and dress version, which is perfect for wearing with thick tights or leggings (I've been living in thermal M&S leggings with Indigo smocks this winter).
Have you fallen for Indigo yet?
*****
Photos: Jane Looker
Sewing pattern: Indigo
Fabric: one of a kind piece from Olive Road
