Hi Fabulous Makers!

It’s Rosemary here. I’m so excited to be writing my first post. I was absolutely thrilled when Vicki reached out to me, asking if I wanted to join the Minerva Makers family. Thank you, Vicki and team Minerva for the invitation and for sending my first fabric!

A little about me. I’m a hobby sewist and fabric hoarder on a mission to fill my wardrobe with feminine, chic, and really colourful outfits that fit my bubbly personality. I’ve been sewing on and off for about two years but I really got serious this year because of the pandemic. Being stuck at home most of the time meant I needed a creative outlet to keep me sane. I’m grateful that I’m able to work from home which means I get to sew more.

Now, let’s talk about my very first Minerva Maker project, starting with my fabric choice.

Fabric

I chose three yards of the lovely, stretch smooth crepe fabric, in floral print. I love floral patterns (and leopard prints and stripes for that matter!). For this fabric call out, my eyes immediately settled on the floral prints. This fabric is soft, smooth, and drapes beautifully. I found it to be low maintenance with little to no crease. I was also pleased that I didn’t get any fraying while I cut and sew.

The fabric comes in a variety of colours. I went with navy because I love anything navy and I especially love the pink floral patterns on the navy background. Before I started sewing, I was worried that the fabric would be too slippery because of how soft and lightweight it is but I was able to mitigate any slip or pucker by going slow and using a longer stitch length on my machine. Confession - I actually made a test version of this dress with a different lightweight fabric to check for size and fix whatever issues.

The Pattern

I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to make at first but I knew I didn’t want a pattern that required cutting too many pieces. It had to be either a dress or a jumpsuit so I could have longer continuous fabric pieces. There was no way I was going to mutilate this fabric more than I needed to.

I finally settled on Style Arc’s Asha Dress. This is a midi dress pattern that features a shirred waist and cuffs. There are two bodice options - one sleeveless option and a long-sleeved version with shirred cuffs. I chose the sleeved version since the weather is cooler now plus I also really like the slight bell shape of the sleeve from the shirred cuffs. Fabric suggestion for this pattern is lightweight fabric such as silk, georgette, and rayon. My crepe fabric worked perfectly.

In terms of size, I cut a size 10 but I can still make a size 12 because of the shirred waist.

I love this pattern for its simplicity and style. It’s a relatively straightforward pattern that can be made in a few hours. Once the shirring part is done, this dress comes together quickly.

The only change I made was to use an invisible zipper at the back bodice rather than using an open seam and button loop. I did use a button loop for my trial version but I prefer the invisible zipper on this version because it gives the back bodice a cleaner/flatter look.

I’m pleased with how this dress came out. It wasn’t a difficult dress to make and the fabric was just great for the style.

Until next time friends! Stay safe!

Rosemary @rosemaryaqua

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