I am sooo incredibly ready for this warmer weather! The days are getting longer. The sun is shining brighter. I even booked a trip to the beach in hopes that Covid rates don’t get worse. Because of this warmer, sunnier weather, I decided that I needed a fun sleeveless dress. I pulled out Seamwork Adelaide, which I’d printed out years ago, but never actually made before now. I paired it with this adorable Rose & Hubble Cotton Poplin Fabric, provided by Minerva, to make this super cute summer dress. I’ve already gotten some cheesy “foxy lady” jokes from friends, so feel free to add more in the comments!
Is this fabric not the cutest thing in the world?! It’s a festive little party of foxes doing fox things! I think my favorite are the random sleeping foxes. They just warm my heart! This Rose & Hubble Poplin fabric is a smooth to the touch medium weight fabric. It’s 100% cotton, so it breathes well in warmer weather. The color stayed just as vibrant after laundering and comes in three color options. Speaking of the colors, I just absolutely love them. It was so hard picking out which color button to use because so many colors flattered this fabric. I ultimately chose a warm brown, but I think orange, cream and white buttons would all look equally great. I love working with cotton fabric and this poplin was no exception. I didn’t have any issues with snagging or unraveling or anything that could slow down my sewing. After the dress was complete, I quickly ironed away any wrinkles and everything looked crisp and perfect!
Going back over Adelaide, I didn’t realize that it was from so many years ago. It was published in Issue 6 (May 2015). When I printed it out then, I had no idea where my sewing journey would take me. I’m now finishing up a year as a Seamwork Ambassador, I’ve had a pattern named after me, and I get to choose from some truly stunning fabrics to work with as a Minerva Brand Ambassador. And it all started on a $40 sewing machine that I picked up to make dance costumes. Crazy.
But back to Adelaide – this is a pretty straightforward pattern. I made a few changes to make it more “me” and I love the results. First – pockets. If I can do it without messing up the garment too much, I’m gonna add pockets any time, any place, anywhere. On Adelaide, it was really easy to add in-seam pockets, so that’s what I did. Also, I switched the snaps to buttons. Super easy switch. When I tried on the dress before adding the bias tape, I found that the neckline and arm holes were gaping. To quickly fix this, I gathered both and finished the neckline and arm holes with the bias tape. I thought about adding more darts, but decided that gathering the fabric would be easier. Finally, I added bra strap guards using leftover bias tape. One of the things I hate most on RTW items is when designers pretend bras don’t exist. I’m a 42G – I need bras! With the added bra strap guards, I don’t have to worry about fiddling with my straps to make sure everything stays where I want it. If you’d like to know how to make your own, check out this article on Seamwork. Now I’m just waiting to get that vaccine and I’ll be fully ready for beach time!
