Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Strawberry Navy Holiday Dress

Hi all! Today I’m sharing my last blog post of the year as a Fabric Mart Fabricista, which features my first Holiday Dress of the season! 

Fabric Selection 

This Holiday Dress was made with Fabric Mart’s Strawberry and Navy 100% Cotton Polka Dot Sateen Shirting. That is a mouthful; however, the description of this fabric is spot on! This fabric have a smooth hand with a slightly stiff drape, and falls away from the body! 

The best feature of this fabric, in my opinion, is the slight sheen and the light and dark contrast of the print. I’m a lover of polka dots, so working with this fabric was a treat! Although I found myself pressing the fabric quite often, it wasn’t burdensome because the wrinkles fell away at first contact with the iron. 

Pattern Selection 

The Cashmerette Roseclair Dress pattern was a perfect choice for this fabric. Since the pattern calls for light-medium weight fabrics such as cotton, linen, rayon, and double gauze, I was certain this 100% cotton sateen would be a great fit. The pattern features a wrap dress with three skirt variations, and sleeve length options. I made View A, which includes an ankle-length three tiered skirt with bishop sleeves and cuffs. 


I love the tiers and gathers of this view and how flattering it looks on all body types. It truly is a beautiful pattern. I found this to be an easy sew, but not a quick sew. The tiers are extremely long and take a bit of time to gather. I would suggest making View B before making View A, if you are not a patient sewer. View B features a knee-length full skirt and short sleeves, and the skirt pattern does not have tiers. This option would be more suitable for advanced beginners and people who do not like tiered or gathered skirts. 

Alterations and Adjustment 

To date, I’ve made approximately seven Cashmerette patterns, and I have enjoyed each of the patterns I’ve made. Mostly, I find that the measurements of the Cashmerette patterns are aligned with my body measurements. Therefore, I generally do not need to make very many alterations and adjustments. Although, for this pattern I made one adjustment and one alteration. 

First, I made a 1/2” sloping shoulder adjustment. This is a common adjustment that I make to about 85% of the patterns I sew. So this was no surprise. 

Second, I added 1” to the neckline of the pattern in order to raise it enough to cover my cleavage. Again, this alteration wasn’t a surprise because I usually make this adjustment to wrap tops and dresses. The pattern range in size, 0-16 and 12-32. 

I made a size 16, which is Bust 44”, Waist 39”,  Hip 54”. The pattern also includes cup sizes (C-H), and I selected the C cup. 

In the future, I would most likely choose a size 14 to get a more fitted bodice. In addition, the pattern includes two tie pieces that are designed to finish the neckline and tie the wrap dress closed. The bias binding pattern for the neckline is a little to narrow, in my opinion. I would most definitely widen the neckline binding to get a wider bias tape, or buy a pre-made double fold binding tape in the future. This was the only drawback of the pattern for me, and with that said here are a few suggestions that may help you while sewing this pattern. 

Suggestions 

(1) Choose a fabric that is at least 57” wide, if you are planning to make View A. The middle and lower tier pieces are very long, and you will most likely have to cut each piece on a single layer of fabric. 

(2) Use a gathering foot for your sewing machine. A gathering foot will cut down on the time it will take for you to add the basting stitches and gather the fabric. 

(3) Widen the bias binding piece of the pattern, or consider using pre-made bias binding. The neck binding pattern is very narrow which made edge stitching nearly impossible. I opted for turning my binding inward and top stitching the neckline. So, the binding is on the inside of my garment. 

(4) Make View B, the simple skirt option before deciding to make the three tiered skirt, if you are an advanced beginner or/and want to make a quick sew. View B is more simple in construction and will take less time. 

Although I had to make a few simple adjustments to this pattern, I enjoyed making it and would definitely recommend this pattern. I’m pleased with my new  Strawberry Navy Holiday Dress, and I plan to wear it to a Holiday party this year. 

I hope you enjoyed my blog post today.  Blessings and Happy Holidays! 

TEAMEAKA @crumpetsteaandsewing


Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following category: SHIRTING.
You can also shop our selection of Cashmerette Patterns HERE.

Comments

  1. Very attractive and festive. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your dress is gorgeous and it fits to a tee! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This dress looks fabulous on you. The fit is perfect for a wrap. And thanks so much for the extra tips for making up this pattern. Happy Holidays.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome! Thank you for the wonderful compliments!

      Delete
  4. This is great. I'm so glad I read this blog post.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your dress is beautiful and looks wonderful on you. Thanks for the tips on the pattern. Great job on your blog. Always like your posts.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Truly lovely. Your fit and finish is superb.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love the fabric and the dress. You look great in it!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made by a Fabricista: Milo + Citrine

Hello sewing friends! It’s Andrea - @happy.things.here on IG and today I’m on the blog to share some sew inspo on one of my favorite kinds of garments to make – cardigans! I absolutely love making them and wearing them year-round, whether it’s an extra layer for around my house in the winter, as my outermost layer in Spring and Fall, or paired with a dress on a cooler summer evening. I love love love cardigans! And there are so many great cardigan patterns out there – chances are that each of your favorite pattern companies offers multiple cardigan patterns. Button-less cardigans are great beginner patterns, and a handmade cardigan is a lovely personalized gift since it’s more forgiving for fit and you don’t have to know someone’s exact measurements to make one. And you can make them in all sorts of knit fabrics too.  Today I chose two cardigan patterns to share with you that I think bring a little something extra to the table. They are the Seamwork Milo and the Made by Rae Citrine.

Week 4: Jeansmaking- What They Made

This is it, the final round! And we certainly did not go easy on our three remaining contestants this time. This round they had to make their own pair of well fitting jeans. I think they all did an absolutely outstanding job! Take a look what these ladies accomplished & be sure to vote for your favorite! (Link at bottom of post.) And, don't forget to show us your me-made jeans on Facebook or Instagram. Details at the bottom of this post. Danesha from  Classyfied Life So first I must say that this entire challenge has been just that...a challenge! Two weeks ago there was hurricane Irma and I was blessed enough to not lose power and then I went out into the aftermath to capture some photos of my submission. Then two weeks ago I had a big trip planned so I had to do EVERYTHING  in two days . Then the BIGGEST challenge of all...THIS week! I got the challenge and I was super excited to have an extra few days and then before I could even get started I ended up in the eme

Made by a Fabricista: Revving up your style in the Dana Marie Moto Jacket

Hey friends - I am so excited to have been invited to participate as a Fabric Mart Fabricista this month!  This year is the year I challenge my sewing skills.   I have wanted a moto jacket for some time.  Not just any moto jacket but one that has a classic and timeless style. I saw the Dana Marie Moto Jacket pattern on the Fabric Mart website and knew that was the one.  The fabric I used was a beautiful porcelain white/black/silver 100% polyester plaid weave boucle suiting.    Remember when I said I wanted to challenge my sewing skills?  😉 This fabric was beautiful but fragile to work with.  It was a great mental challenge that had me problem solving before sewing to avoid any potential problems.  I first traced out the pattern onto tissue paper to determine the fit.   I used scrap cotton fabric to sew up a “practice run” of the jacket.    I was pleasantly surprised at how easily the jacket comes together.   I sewed up the muslin in one evening.  It was time to cut into the beautifu