Lately I've been in a sewing frenzy, and part of the reason for that is, I've discovered Tina Givens.  I know, I'm late to the party.  Actually, I've known about her clothing for a while, but I didn't know she offered patterns of her clothing until recently, and I found that she offers a few free patterns for download on her website, www.sewtinagivens.com (I downloaded the free Bloom dress pattern, more on that one later).  I'd seen her Jane dress on Pinterest, and fell in love, but couldn't find it on her site.  Then I read that she retires patterns after they've been out for a while, so I assume Jane was retired.  But I wasn't ready to give up....so I hopped onto Ebay, entered it into search, and there was Jane!! The seller offered free shipping with a $50 order, so I asked my hubby if he would get some patterns for me for my upcoming birthday, so I got 3: Jane, Zelda, and Leola.

They're different from any other patterns I've ever used.  When I downloaded the free pattern, it printed out on 20 pages, and I had to assemble it like a puzzle and tape it together.  I wasn't expecting to have to do that with the patterns I ordered, so I was surprised when I had to cut out the various pieces and tape the pattern together.

Another difference is the way the fabric is folded before the pattern pieces are lain out on it.  The instructions were to fold it lengthwise first, then fold the width too.  This gives you 4 layers of fabric to cut at once, and once the bodice is cut, it's all one piece.  This is the instructions for Jane, and I can't speak for how the other two patterns are because I haven't cut either of them yet. Thank goodness a girlfriend was here with me when I was cutting, or I don't think I'd ever figured out how to cut the necklines!  We both were puzzled at the beginning, because in all our years of sewing we had never seen a pattern cut this way, but after it was cut, we both agreed it was ingenious; less cutting and less sewing!   So Jane is all cut out, and I'm going to spend the day tomorrow - Labor Day - sewing her together.  Here's a shot of my sewing room:

It's messy, but I love it! Hope you have a great Labor Day!