Hands-down my favourite make so far this year has to be this blue linen pintucked dress.
Inspired by a dress I tried on last spring (a weird fit, gapping armholes, and too short for my liking), from then on I had a hankering for a pintucked dress. Boy, I hunted high and low for the perfect pattern, all the fabric shops and opshops, but nothing was quite right. Finally, on the soon-to-be-extinct patterns table at Morelands Fabrics, I found Simplicity 8165.
Because I intended to use linen already in 'the stash', a few adjustments to the pattern were necessary to accommodate the fabric meterage. The hem and sleeve lengths were both shortened, and I eliminated the centre front seam (and binding), instead cutting a facing.
This pattern sizing runs LARGE. After the first fitting, I cut 10cm (4 inches) off each side seam, which was a shame, because I also felt I need to add a 8cm false hem. Had I known I could have cut 2 sizes smaller, which would have allowed the patterns pieces to overlap in the lay a little more, giving me the extra length.
Never mind, I still love the results, and have worn it often this past summer.
At present I'm considering making a long-sleeved winter version, and will 'shop the stash' this coming Easter break to hopefully find suitable fabric.
