I’m really on a roll with classic children’s clothing. This 2-piece suit is quintessential heirloom for boys, with knee length Viyella pants and a buttoned on ivory linen shirt. Sadly, Viyella is no longer available. The wool blend is as fine and soft as Swiss flannel, but warmer with a similar hand.
My shortcomings as a photographer are obvious here, as I managed to cut off the neat little cuff at the bottom of the knee length pants. The suit is also crooked on the hanger. But after trying to find a flat spot to hang the suit on the 12″ deep Confederate jasmine that climbs up a palm tree, I neglected to straighten the suit on the hanger.
Linen is a joy to sew. Every heirloom technique works wonderfully well on this natural fabric. The front features hemstitching, tucks and inserted lace tape.
Actually, the lace tape is simply applied to the linen without cutting away behind it. Then it was pin stitched in place. Not apparent in the photo is the soft gray color of the lace tape. In retrospect, black would have been a better choice.
The tiny piping on the collar is gimp wrapped with gray lace tape. This product has a unique advantage when tiny piping is needed. Lace tape is so sheer and soft that it adds hardly any bulk at all to the piping filler. Again, the black lace tape would have given a much more pleasing contrast.
Note how clear and open the wing needle hemstitching holes are. Either side of the back opening has been hemstitched, giving some interest and detail to the side viewed longest on little boys.
The tucks are crisp and raised. The pattern of vertical tucks and lace tape is repeated on the sleeves, while the cuff sports horizontal tucks.
Personally, I prefer to use linen for older children, as this fabric seems stiff to me, especially after being starched. But whatever the project, linen is wonderful for heirloom sewing techniques.
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