Thrifty Thursday and OOTD

I had a very busy day today, so this post is coming just under the line for Thursday, at least in America.
Up first is the OOTD, my Hot Patterns Summer Breeze dress. I went with my yellow heels and a purse I made a while back for Fabulous Free Pattern Friday.

Here's a better picture of the bag. If you missed the post, it's actually made out of  a placemat. You can find the post here, http://rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2012/06/fabulous-free-pattern-friday.html. 

 

 I'm really enjoying the dress. Just perfect for summer.

Now for the Thrifty Thursday part of the day. Have you heard of Tina Givens? She has a lovely line of patterns that have been designed for linen or soft cottons. She has a number of free patterns.

Her patterns are soft, romantic and especially easy to wear. Above is the Kika Dress and the Bloom Dress, both free patterns. Below is the Plinka pant, also free.

                                                  

I decided to give the Plinka pant pattern a try for a number of reasons. First of all, sometimes I just want to be comfortable and pull something on that is truly effortless. I also wanted to try out the fit of the pant. They are very loose fitting. This is a pattern that anyone can make and not have issues with the fit as long as you don't mind a loose fit.

A shot of me playing around with my husband :)
I made mine out of a crinkle cotton and I also lined them with a cotton batiste as the white crinkle cotton was just a little too sheer on its own. The pattern goes together quickly and the pants are even easier to make. Of course you could leave the ruffle off the bottom if you like.

In my crazy shot above, you can see that I only pleated up 1 side of the hem. The pattern actually tells you to pleat up the hem in 4 places.
So, a loose fitting pant that is super easy to make and has no fitting issues. You can find the Tina Givens website here along with all of her patterns.
Have fun!