For our summer trip to Japan, I wanted to bring as much linen as I could to combat the heat and humidity. I haven’t been sewing as much lately so I considered buying ready-to-wear garments, but ultimately decided I wouldn’t be content unless I tried to make something. I only had a couple of weeks before our trip so I wanted to pick one pattern that wouldn’t need a lot of tweaks to work. Enter the Reynolds Top and Dress pattern by Helen’s Closet.

Pattern

I’m a huge fan of Helen’s Closet (see all my posts here), but the Reynolds pattern didn’t interest me when it was first released. I resisted this general style for a while but recently started gravitating toward it. Trends occur for a reason and I guess I finally came around to the square neckline and strap design.

Even though I wasn’t initially interested in this pattern, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed in the fit and construction of Helen’s patterns. I was right, because each piece came together quickly and I’ve been wearing them nonstop. They were made with Japan in mind, but have become summer staples I’ve worn many times after the trip.

If you’re interested in this pattern, I would highly recommend it. It’s a great scrapbuster and comes together quickly. The only fiddly bit would be making sure you have the right strap length, but you should be able to do that with your first make and copy it for the rest.

Sizing + Mods

I made 2 tank tops for myself and 1 dress for my daughter. The biggest modification was the small bust adjustments to remove the darts. With my upper bust being bigger or roughly the same as my full bust measurement, I don’t need darts that often especially when a pattern fits loosely like this one. (#UpperBiggerThanFull on Instagram) Eliminating the darts also made these faster to make.

For me:

• View A tank top in size 8 based on my upper bust measurement.
• ~1″ SBA to remove the darts.
• Shortened straps ~1″.
• Rolled hem instead of the deeper hem. I didn’t adjust the length and thought the shorter strap would be fine, but found the crop to be way too short. Next time, I would consider adding length to accommodate the pattern’s intended deeper hem.
• I didn’t topstitch the straps, because I didn’t love the look on my daughter’s dress.

For my teen:

• Size 0 which was still slightly larger than my daughter’s measurements.
• View B which is the shorter dress length. For my daughter’s 5’1″ height, it came to just below her knees.
• ~1″ SBA to remove the darts.
• Shortened the straps quite a bit, but I don’t remember exactly how much.
• Pockets were placed as the pattern suggested and my daughter was able to use them for everything including a full-size water bottle.

Fabric

Each version is made from at least some linen which is perfect for heat and humidity. If you’re looking for something that will work well for a humid climate (and all the sweat that comes with summer), then definitely indulge in linen. It ticks all the boxes: moisture-wicking, cooling, and dries quickly. I also wash and dry almost everything in a machine and the linens have held up very well. Just be sure to wash and dry before cutting because it will shrink considerably.

The orange top was made from linen/rayon scraps from a previous project and is my favorite of the two I made. The fabric is less structured than the blue linen/cotton blend so it drapes better and I don’t have to worry about the neckline when I bend over.

My daughter’s 100% linen dress has been her preferred outfit for humid weather. She isn’t a dress person on most days at home in our dry desert, but this dress has been much appreciated on our humid summer trips where her everyday wear has been too uncomfortable. She wears this with a pair of shorts underneath.

I purchased the linen/cotton remnant and linen from Salt Lake Sewciety, which also happens to stock my labels.

Overall Thoughts

I love this pattern and its simplicity. It’s great for scrapbusters and for summer makes. I would highly recommend it especially if you’re batch sewing. These makes are now part of my summer capsule and I am so glad I finally gave this pattern a try.

Have you made the Reynolds Top and Dress pattern yet?