3 Tips for Wearing Linen During Fall & Winter with Kristin of I Sew Best After Midnight

December 10, 2020 1 Comment

I’m Kristin from @isewbestaftermidnight. Something about linen screams summer to me.  I love to wear linen all summer long – breezy dresses, lightweight woven tops, and flowy pants.  Since I love the feel of wearing a good linen, I’ve been looking for ways to wear it during the cooler fall and winter months as well.  My quest for year-round linen has led me to 3 tips for sewing and wearing linen during the fall and winter: 

Tip #1: Choose the right fabric. 

Linen comes in a variety of weights and blends. For colder months, choose fabrics that are at least a medium weight.  Those lightweight linens are wonderful for staying cool during a hot July day, but they are not what you’re looking for here.  As a general rule, I also prefer linen with some rayon or lyocell/Tencel content, which will add drape to the fabric when worn and reduce wrinkles.  That classic wrinkled, rumpled look that is so often associated with linen comes from 100% linen fabrics, and I personally associate that look more with summer.  100% linen fabrics can also be scratchy, so I generally don’t sew with them for that reason alone.  

The medium weight rayon linen blends in stock now (found here) are the absolute dreamiest fabrics.  They are the unicorn of linen fabric – they are the perfect medium weight that makes them easy to sew up and work with and they also have that beautiful drape that makes them wearable and oh-so-flattering on (including working well with a 27-week baby bump!).  It seems that you can never have both; fabrics that are easy to work with often lack drape, and drapey fabrics are often slippery, making them difficult to cut and sew. This magical fabric gives you the best of both worlds.  

Tip #2: Choose the right color.

It can be tricky to find linens in fall and winter colors, but Raspberry Creek has a selection of gorgeous colors that are perfect for this time of year: teal, mustard, olive green, black, and rust.  I chose the rust color and it is the absolute perfect shade of rust – just the right balance of brick red and orange.  This color, paired with black pants, is a put-together look for fall and winter.  But to be honest, I see myself wearing this shirt year-round – I’m picturing crisp white pants or shorts for the spring and summer.  

Tip #3: Wear layers.

Adding layers to your linen clothing can transform a summer outfit into a winter one.  All you need is a cardigan and boots, and your linen shirt or dress has new life in the cooler months.  I love how well this linen shirt goes with my knit blazer in Raspberry Creek CLUB fabrics leopard print ponte.  It can help here to shop your own closet or fabric stash and experiment with new outfits and pairings.  I found three other cardigans in my closet that also pair nicely with the rust color.  

I hope you feel inspired to add some linen into your looks year-round!

Patterns:

Shirt – Kalle Shirt from Closet Core Patterns 

Blazer: Evans Blazer from Hey June Handmade 

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