Every Day is Laundry Day…

with the Love Notions Laundry Day Tee Dress

And by that, I don’t mean I “do” laundry everyday! What I do mean, is that I have a Laundry Day Tee dress for every day of the week(plus some extra)!

If you have never sewn this pattern from Love Notions– you must! I thought I would share my love for this pattern and just how versatile it is! Not only is this dress a fast sew (you can sew a new one faster than doing a load of laundry- hence the name) it is easy to fit and can be made in a variety of fabrics. Oops and did I mention it’s a free pattern?

Fitting

I have had many people ask me how I get my Laundry Day Tee dress to fit so well and not look too baggy. The key is measuring yourself correctly. So many new sewists tend to size up, to make sure something will fit. Trust the pattern designers! Love Notions patterns are tested by every day sewists in every single size they offer. You can be confident that you are going to get a garment that fits if you measure yourself.

I start with my high bust measurement (39″). This is exactly between the Large and XLarge. I have smaller shoulders a lot of clothing/patterns tend to be big around my neck and shoulder. Because of this I stick with the size Large for this area. Since I have a Full bust of 43″ I use the included FBA front piece. I find that if the dress fits a bit more closely at the bust- overall the dress will look nicer. the finished full bust of the Large with FBA is 40.5″. Note that this negative ease through the bust area is what gives my dresses a nice fitted look that then flares out over my lumps and bumps.

My waist and hips fall into the XL range. I do grade out to the XL at my waist and down through the hip area. There is enough ease, but I like my dress to be a bit more flowy.

The second most important thing to do when making your first LDT- make a wearable muslin! Find an inexpensive piece of fabric that has the required amount of stretch. Choose your size carefully and when sewing your side seams, baste first. Don’t be afraid to take in a bit at the waist, or let it out a bit in the hips. This is how we get clothes that fit us! I am 100% “Team Trace”. I have all my patterns traced onto Pellon EZ Pattern tracing cloth. These traced patterns have all my adjustments on them. I find it keeps my large formatted patterns in tact. And it allows me to retrace the pattern in different sizes when making gifts, etc.

Fabric Selection

This dress can be made in a wide variety of knit fabrics. My absolute favorites are ITY and Swim fabric. It also looks great in Double Brushed Polyester (DBP) and even Pointelle knits. Many people love it made with Rayon Spandex or Bamboo Spandex- although I love both of those fabrics, I find they hug my “trouble spots”, so I avoid them for this dress. My most recent LDT is made from Rib Knit- and it’s like wearing secret pajamas! wide

One of the things I love about the LDT is that it lets the fabric be the star! It’s such a great pattern for a bold or bright print. But, it also works so well with solids and smaller prints!

ITY Knit

My favorite fabric for the LDT dress is ITY knit. ITY stands for Interlock Twist Yarn. During production the yarn is twisted which helps this fabric breathe. Therefore the fabric is cool, floaty and the absolute best in hot and humid weather. It also has a slight sheen to it which gives it a bit dressier look. I take my ITY knits whenever I travel- just roll them up and pack them. Then simply unroll them and wear them! A LDT in ITY is perfect for date nights!!

It might not be as readily available as some other knits. I tend to find the best ones when I stop the garment district in NYC. The blue floral was found at Chic Fabrics last March. But there are so many online shops that carry them as well! My newest find is Zelouf Fabrics from the garment district in NYC, they have a huge online selection of beautiful ITY prints. Go check them out here.

Swim Fabrics

I absolutely adore making the LDT in swim fabric! Its the perfect dress for a hot day! I wear them for walks on the beach, bike rides in hot weather, and even out to breakfast!

These dresses are just the coolest thing in my closet. Anytime it’s hot and humid I am reaching for them. I am currently making three more as gifts, and then I want to add 2 or 3 more to my closet. Why do laundry?!?!

For these dresses I made a sleeveless version (not the tank version) by adjusting the shoulder width. I wanted a bit more sun protection for my shoulders and this also assured me my bra straps would be covered.

You can find Raspberry Creek Fabrics’ amazing swim collection here. Check out the swim at Mily Mae Fabrics too!

Pointelle Knit

This is the first LDT I have made with Pointelle. Pointelle is a lightweight, cotton knit fabric with subtle openwork, usually in a geometric pattern, that adds a delicate texture. I just love the delicate feminine look this fabric has, plus its super soft! Amelia Lane Designs and Mily Mae Fabrics both have some wonderful pointelles!

To change it up a bit, I added a small sleeve ruffle to the bottom of the sleeve. For the ruffles, I simply measured the bottom width of the sleeve and multiplied that measurement by 1.75. (I did trim 2″ off the bottom of the sleeve before attaching the ruffles).

For example the bottom width of my sleeve was 16”.

16” X 1.75 = 28”. So I cut 2 ruffles 3” X 28” for the sleeve ruffles.

Ruffles were folded in half, wrong sides together, gathered and then stitched to the lower edge of the sleeve. I then pressed the ruffles down and topstitched then to keep them laying flat.

Rib Knit

This was my first LDT in Rib Knit. This fabric was sent to me by Mily Mae Fabrics to promo for them. Talk about secret pajamas!!! This is the softest and cuddliest LDT ever! I wore this out to lunch with my friends the other day with my denim jacket and it was perfect!

Double Brushed Poly

DBP is everywhere! You can find it at just about every fabric store! Raspberry Creek Fabrics, Fabmere Fabrics, Olga’s Closet are just a few of the online retailers that have a huge selection of DBP. Even Joann’s Fabrics has some really pretty ones!. I will be honest, I am not a super big fan of DBP. It is just too hot for me in the summer. It is perfect in the early Spring and Fall. I will say that the drape is beautiful and it Simply look at the top of the LN Facebook page and look for the pinned post that says “Start Here”. In addition, use the code MARYMAC10 for any LN pattern purchase to get 10% off! This code never expires and can even be used during sales!

Some of the above fabrics were given to me for promotion and some of the fabrics I purchased myself. As always all opinions are my own.

Happy Sewing!

Mary Anne 🙂

My Favorite Online Fabric Sources for Knits

Raspberry Creek Fabrics

Mily Mae Fabrics

Fabmere Fabrics

Olga’s Closet Fabrics

Amelia Lane Designs

And my newest find for AMAZING ITY — Zelouf Fabrics (a fabulous store in the NYC garment district)