Planning is often one of my favorite stages of creating something new. I love the excitement and seemingly endless possibility that surrounds those first moments. This makes creating these inspiration posts such a joy! Along with the release of the Wren pattern, we’ve put together this post to help you in planning and sourcing supplies for your Wren.

First things first, grab yourself a copy of the Wren or Mini Wren patterns if you haven’t yet done so.

NOTIONS

If sewing the short-sleeve Wren or Mini Wren, you’ll need 1 yd (1/2 yd for the Mini) of 3/8″ (1 cm) elastic. For both views, there are some optional notions: Tailor’s Chalk or Washable Fabric Marker, Pressing Ham and Point Turner.

BUTTONS

When sewing the Wren, you’ll need six to seven 1/2″ (1.25 cm) buttons for the front of both the blouse and mini dress, and two to four 1/2″ (1.25 cm) buttons for the cuffs. You can find buttons from your local sewing supply store or anywhere buttons are sold. Here are a few of our favorite sources: Stylemaker Fabrics, Stonemountain Fabrics and Arrow Mountain (based in Australia but ships worldwide).

TRICOT

Like many of our patterns, a small amount (3/4 yd) of lightweight fusible interfacing is needed for reinforcing facings and cuffs. I recommend using this tricot interfacing from Wawak.com. If you want more information on why I recommend this for most of my patterns, then check out this post I wrote a couple of years ago for Fabric.com.

FABRIC SOURCES AND READY TO WEAR INSPIRATION

The Wren pattern works best sewn in light to medium weight woven fabrics. Suggested fabrics are rayon challis, rayon crepe, rayon voile, cotton lawn, cotton voile, linen and double gauze. If sewing the mini dress (view B), fabrics with a good drape work best. With those guidelines in mind, let’s get to the fun part: inspiration and fabric sources.

SOLIDS

Solid colored fabrics are the perfect way to let the details of a pattern shine. Dress it up by using a fabric with a sheen or silky hand. You can also add extra interest by choosing a solid with a little bit of texture.

FLORALS

I’m not sure anything says spring quite as much as a floral dress or top. Florals are a great way to play with color and scale. Use a small-scale floral for an understated look or go bold with an oversized floral.

ANIMAL PRINT

Animal print can sometimes be a polarizing trend, but it always seems to come back around. Keep it classic with a neutral-toned animal print, or have a little fun with some of the brightly colored prints available.

SEMI-STRUCTURED FABRICS

One of my favorite things about the Wren is the shape of the statement sleeves. For an exaggerated look, try a fabric like a cotton poplin, cotton lawn, cotton gauze or linen blend. Using something without much drape isn’t recommended for the dress view, but would make a beautiful architectural-looking blouse.

Find even more light to medium weight woven suggestions on our Pinterest Board here.

Thanks for reading! We can’t wait to see what you create!