Lou Box Dress Style Inspiration

To celebrate Me Made May, this year I’ll be doing a few blog posts to highlight some of my favorite Sew DIY patterns, sharing style inspiration and sewing tips. This week I’m focusing on the Lou Box Dress 1 and Lou Box Dress 2. Today, I’m starting with style inspiration. I often find it helpful to see how other people style a certain design and what fabric they select. It’s also great inspiration for making variations or hacks to a pattern. The Lou Box Dress patterns are really versatile and very hackable. The different sleeve options can be easily swapped between the patterns. Just like the Lou Box Top, they can be sewn with either woven or knit fabric and the pattern includes instructions for both construction methods.

CHECK OUT THE LOU BOX DRESS 1 IN THE SHOP

The Lou Box Dress 1 is a simple basic and perfect for summer weather. Both views have a cocoon shape, medium scoop neck and knee length skirt finished with a facing. View A of the pattern features in-seam pockets and elbow length sleeves with cuffs. View B features large patch pockets and short cuff sleeves.

This dress can be worn with sandals or sneakers and is great for showing off a statement necklace. In cooler weather, pair it with boots and tights. For the perfect lounging caftan, just lengthen the dress to ankle length. See my caftan hack here.

Image sources, first photo, clockwise from top left: Pinterest, Universal Standard, Everlane, Black Crane, Etsy, Elizabeth Suzann, Sotela

The Lou Box Dress 2 features a ballet neckline, a gathered elastic waist, a knee length A-line skirt, tapered sleeves and scoop front pockets. View A has elbow length sleeves and view B has full length sleeves and a scoop back. I enjoy wearing this dress in a knit fabric the most because it’s comfortable but feels pulled together. I love how sophisticated these inspiration photos look. It makes me want to try the pattern in a luscious silk fabric with a midi-length skirt and in-seam pockets.

CHECK OUT THE LOU BOX DRESS 2 IN THE SHOP

Image sources, photo above, clockwise from top left: Black Crane, Pinterest, Pinterest, Babakud, Black Crane, Pinterest

Lou Box Dress 1 PDF Pattern

$14.00

Lou Box Dress 2 PDF Pattern

$14.00

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Lou Box Dress 1 & 2 Bundle PDF Patterns

Sale Price:$19.00 Original Price:$28.00

For the Lou Box Dress 1, I recommend using medium weight woven or knit fabrics such as linen, chambray, cotton lawn, poplin or rayon. View A is also suitable for sweatshirt fabric. See my version here. The pattern looks great in a variety of fabrics. The less drape the fabric has, the more it will stand away from the body and show off the cocoon shape.

For the Lou Box Dress 2, I recommend using fabric that has some drape and will be comfortable when gathered at the waist with the elastic. You can use lightweight rayon, crepe de chine, chiffon, georgette or jersey.

If you need help sewing these patterns, make sure to check out the sewalong for lots of helpful posts. There are loads of tips, photo tutorials and even a few videos. Happy sewing!

Lela Skirt Style Inspiration

To celebrate Me Made May, this year I’ll be doing a few blog posts to highlight some of my favorite Sew DIY patterns, sharing style inspiration and sewing tips. This week I’m focusing on the Lela Skirt and today I’m starting with style inspiration. This is my favorite pattern to wear in the spring and summer. It’s as comfortable as shorts but feels just slightly more dressed up.

In case you’re not familiar with the Lela Skirt pattern, here’s a quick overview. It’s a very easy to sew and has mix and match design features for a total of 18 different combinations. Each view of the skirt features an elastic waist with a drawstring with variations in pocket style and hem shape. You can choose from in-seam pockets, curved pockets or slanted pockets. For the hem, you can select from a dramatic curved hem, the gently curved hem or the straight hem. Plus, you can sew either a midi or short length.

CHECK OUT THE LELA SKIRT IN THE SHOP

Now that you know a little more about the pattern, let’s talk about how to wear it. This skirt works well with a cropped tank or a boxy top with a front tuck to show off the waist just a touch. In fact, the Lela Skirt pairs very well with my Lou Box Top pattern. A basic knit t-shirt tucked in or knotted also looks fantastic. If the weather is a little cooler, add a button down or chunky sweater. Flats, sandals and even booties all look great with this skirt. I love the street style images here where they’ve added a belt on top of the skirt. It really gives it an extra detail that makes the outfit feel more put together. If you want more style ideas, make sure to check out this blog post with six ways to style the Lela Skirt.

Image sources, first photo, clockwise from top left: Vetta, Elizabeth Suzann, Make it Last, Santa Fe Dry Goods, Street style blog, Elizabeth Suzann

Second photo, clockwise from top left: Eileen Fisher, Pinterest, Madewell, Boohoo, First Rite, Little Blonde Book

For this pattern, I recommend using light to medium weight woven fabrics such as linen, chambray, cotton lawn, poplin or rayon. I like to use natural fiber fabrics that will breathe and drape well. The pattern calls for 1.25 inch wide elastic. If you only have 1” elastic on hand, you can simply decrease the height of the waistband by .5” when cutting it out.

On Thursday this week (May 7, 2020), I’m planning to do a live sewalong on YouTube of the Lela Skirt. The fun will get started at 2pm Pacific time. If you can join the video live, you can ask questions as I sew. But if you’re not able to join live, the video will be saved to my YouTube channel for future viewings. Make sure to subscribe to my channel and click the bell to be notified when the live video starts. Happy sewing!