Made by a Fabricista: My first Summer dress for 2021, Axis Dress

Happy Friday, everyone! I am super excited to share about my Axis Dress by Papercut Patterns today.

This dress was love at first sight! For me, longer skirt lengths of dresses and skirts are challenging since I am petite (5’ 1”), but this dress was so pretty that I had to make it.

Now, let's talk about the fabric. I have been eyeing this Chambray Linen fabric for a while. Just seeing from a picture of it on their website, I knew that it is a high-quality fabric! I think they do a great job showcasing their fabric by putting multiple views. I think that is one of the reasons why I keep clicking “Add to cart” almost every time I go to their website, lol.

I debated between the grape and this orchid pink, but I am very happy that I chose orchid pink. Pink is one of my favorite colors, and I love that this fabric has white in it. I think it gives depth to the fabric.

There are many colors available. You can find them from here. I may have to get different colors while they are still available. This fabric is so soft, easy to work with, and feels great against my skin.

My measurements are 34”, 28”, and 36.5”, so I cut a size 3 for the bodice and graded it to a 3.5 at the waist. For the skirt, I also cut size a 3 and graded up to a 3.5 at the waist.

For the pattern adjustment, I took 1” off both front and back bodice as my usual petite adjustment and also took 1” at hip since I am short-waisted.

After I made a muslin of the dress, I noticed that there is gaping around the armhole, so I adjusted it by adding a bust dart on the front bodice and front-facing. And then I realized that the original dart and the bust dart I added were not lining up at the apex, so I moved the original darts towards the side seams. This adjustment is pretty straight forward. I drew a rectangle around the dart and cut, then I slid it to where it lined up at the apex and then taped it. This adjustment creates an empty space, so I filled it in with the paper.

Here is a tip that I learned from somewhere. I keep stripes of a pattern in handy for pattern adjustment. 1” or 1.5” of width will do. I clip them and store them with my pattern-making tools. You can also hang it on the wall if you like.

For the hem, I shortened it by 2” at first, but it was still way too long for my liking. So I shortened it another 3”.

I didn’t want to do that at first because I thought it would distort the design of the dress. But by raising the slit about an inch it did the trick for me that I think this dress still looks well balanced. I am happy with my decision.

Until next time!

Happy Sewing!

MEG | @meggisews

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following category: CHAMBRAY LINEN
You can also shop your collection of Papercut Patterns HERE.

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