Sewing a hacked Belle Fibre Mood Dress in African Print Fabric by Dovetailed London
In this guest blog post, Jemma (aka @madebydoris) writes about her hacked Belle Fibre Mood Dress in this beautiful African print fabric from Dovetailed London. Jemma was gifted this fabric in exchange for a blog post as part of the Dovetailed London Ambassador Program. Want to read on, get a cup of your favourite drink and enjoy!
The beginning of spring here in the UK always reminds me of how much I love wearing cotton. I am one of those people that immediately get too hot in any kind of man made fibre as soon as the temperature gauge gets above 12 degrees. I am also one of those people who are drawn to a bold, often quirky, print, to make into a summer dress.
So, I think the universe aligned when I was given the chance to be an ambassador for Dovetailed London and try out their amazing African Wax print cotton.
I have never sewn with Wax prints before so was slightly apprehensive of doing something wrong or messing it up! But after pre washing and drying the fabric (recommended) I was pleasantly surprised to find it had a lovely, soft touch and the colours were as vibrant as ever.
Pinning patterns and cutting out fabric is probably my least favourite part of the sewing process. Quite often (in winter) I get seduced by a lovely viscose print or even occasionally (dare I say) a polyester, and immediately regret my decision when the pinned fabric is slipping all over the place and my cut out pattern pieces are all wonky donkey.
Cotton in comparison is sooo good to cut out!
Having chosen a smallish print, I was pleased to not have to worry about pattern matching and the cutting out process was easy. This is my first summer sew this year and I decided to go with one of my favourite silhouettes from last summer, the Fibremood Belle hacked into a dress with pockets. I may not be able to wear it for a month or 2 yet, but I am optimistic that summer is on its way for us here in the UK.. I think we are all ready for it!!
I remembered to mark the 'face' side of each pattern piece (the print is visible on each side so occasionally difficult to see which is the correct side) and started by sewing in my bust and back darts (another little hack to the Fibermood Belle) to give the dress a bit more shape.
Want to make something gorgeous on this fabric? Shop here.
Want to sew with African fabric? Shop here.
Looking for a range of sewing patterns designed specifically with African wax print fabric in mind, shop here.
Want to buy ready-made in a selection of Dovetailed garments? Shop ready made here.
Want to make your own with a little help? Shop workshops here.