African Wax Print Dress

My African wax print dress project.

The Dress

For quite a while now I’ve wanted to try a project using an African wax print. There are so many beautiful examples all over the internet and in real life where I live (in the Maryland/DC area). The best thing about this fabric option for me is that there are so many different places here to buy authentic prints locally. So after reading Threads Magazine (issue #202), I decided now was as good a time as any. I purchased my material from a local fabric store. Then I had to decide on what dress pattern I was going to use.

I decided to use Simplicity 8384. This was a great pattern choice for this because I wanted to make something without a lot of details. The fabric should stand alone as the focal point in this case. Because I have made this before, I didn’t need to make any adjustments. Like with the previous dress I made, I used snaps on the inside of the placket rather than buttons on the outside. I didn’t want buttons competing with the fabric design.

woman wearing Simplicity 8384 dress back view

The Fabric

For those of you who don’t know, African wax print fabric is sold in 45″ widths only. The color saturation is such that either side can be used as the “right” side of the fabric (at least for this piece). The width is definitely something to keep in mind if you are looking to buy a piece of fabric but you’re not sure what pattern you might use or what you might actually make with it.

close up photo of the African wax print fabric

All in all, I’m glad I finally bought and used this fabric. I have seen so many beautiful dresses, suits and skirts made from this type of fabric both on the internet and in real life, that it was something that I really wanted to use. While I’m not giving up my love of floral fabrics, I always want to give something different a try! Besides, having more fabric options is a great thing in my opinion.

The Pattern

Simplicity 8384 pattern envelope front — This is the pattern I used for this dress

My First BurdaStyle Dress!

This is my first time making a BurdaStyle Magazine dress. I have seen many that I liked and would love to have, but I have never attempted it before. In all honesty, I don’t think I would have had the ability to do this even a few years ago. I’m not talking about sewing skill necessarily. I mean the knowledge to trace the pattern and get it right. And most important, the confidence to actually put it together and be confident all the way through the process. That’s important. If you start out not believing that you can complete a project, you won’t.

I used this lemon-on-navy stretch cotton that I bought from fabric.com (it’s no longer available but I can link something similar).

For my version (yes, it’s the same pattern as the first picture), I made a few changes. I: 1) raised the neckline, 2) added in-seam pockets, and 3) made it short sleeved. I was contemplating making a belt to go with it, but I like the comfort and ease of wearing it as is (it’s gathered at the waist). It gets really hot and humid where I live, so the last thing I want for summer is anything that is going to make me feel constricted.

In order to raise the neckline (about 3″), I redrew the front neckline which actually made the front wider than the back at the shoulder. I just gathered the front slightly to meet to back so the shoulder seams were even.

For the pockets, (I couldn’t believe the dress didn’t have them. Most BurdaStyle dresses seem to have pockets) I almost always use the same pattern piece. It’s a pocket from a pattern for pajamas. I retraced the piece and made it a little smaller so it would be more appropriate for this dress. Then I keep the new piece with the traced pattern pieces.

With making the dress short-sleeved, I just figured out where on my arm I wanted the sleeve to stop. I didn’t widen the sleeve or anything like that since it’s a loose enough sleeve. No other alterations for that were necessary.

As I said in the beginning, having the confidence to even start a project is important. But not doubting yourself during the process is also key. This is one of the few things (and the only one from BurdaStyle Magazine) where I did not make a muslin first! I’m so glad this turned out as well as it did and I’m very happy with the results.

As always, I encourage you to give your own project challenge a try. You might be surprised by how well things turn out!

Here is a link for a similar fabric from fabric.com. The one I used is no longer available. Click here

*affiliate links in post

Classically Styled Knit Dress

Most of what I make tends to be fairly classic in style. I like to make things that I like, that I’ll wear, and that suit my needs. In other words, I spend my time making those things that I will really enjoy wearing and whose style can transcend trends. McCall’s 7186 is one of those patterns.

M7186

I used this green ponte knit that I had in my stash which is a great weight for this type of dress. It’s not too thin but is more of a medium-weight knit fabric so it’s easy to sew. That also means that it’s going to hang well on the body.

This is one of the few garments I’ve made that I didn’t make any alterations to (I made View D). In the future, I certainly could make the sway back adjustment (which I’ve never done before – need to learn how to do that). I think that would eliminate some of the excess fabric in the back at the waist. But overall, I’m still very happy with the results. And because it’s knit, it’s very comfortable to wear.

I’m always challenged by certain pattern styles. I’m not challenged by whether I think it would look good or not, but I’m often challenged by whether the neckline is going to be too low or make me uncomfortable in some way. I don’t know if any of you go through this, but I am constantly wondering if I’ll be able to move freely without exposing anything that shouldn’t be exposed – LOL! Well, this particular dress is not a problem for me in regard to movement. It’s very comfortable to wear. I also like the fact that I can put this on and go about my business without thinking about what I’m wearing. There’s no pulling, tugging or readjusting needed. That’s what I’m looking for in my me-made wardrobe.