Sewing a Lola Fibre mood top in 'Peacock Feathers' African Print Fabric by Dovetailed London
In this guest blog post, Eleanor (aka @eleanorsews) has sewn the Lola top by Fibre mood in this beautiful African print fabric from Dovetailed London. Eleanor 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!
I didn’t start sewing until lockdown so I am relatively new to making clothes for myself. I am completely self taught using YouTube and the sewing tutorials that many of the independent pattern makers provide on their websites.
I use Instagram for inspiration for both fabric and patterns and it was there that I first stumbled upon Dovetailed London. I have never sewn or handled African Wax Print Fabric before and I was therefore very excited to be chosen to be a brand ambassador.
I usually shy away from bright colours and prints. It has therefore been great to sew with a fabric that I would not initially have been drawn to. The first thing I noticed when I received my fabric was just how beautifully bright the colours are. The fabric has a lovely weight to it with plenty of structure and is 100% cotton. I resisted the urge to cut into the fabric before giving it a pre wash and once done, the fabric lost none of its vibrancy and also softened.
I knew as soon as I saw the fabric that I wanted to make a summery top and I chose a pattern that I haven’t seen made up before in this type of pattern or fabric as I wanted to make something a bit different, and chose the Fibremood Lola. Fibremood sells their patterns either in a magazine or PDF form. I am not keen on pattern tracing so the PDF option works well for me! This is such a fun pattern which I have made before and I knew this fabric would lend itself well to the ruffles. The fabric was not see through, at no point stretched or frayed making it extremely easy to work with and also handled well to the seam ripper!
I really liked the fact that the print on the fabric is not uniform so the whole look of the item can be changed depending upon how the pattern is placed. I didn’t pattern match the back seams and I used a black thread although navy or the teal blue colour would have also worked well.
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.