Dovetailed News

The Millie Dress: It's Party Season

by Adaku Parker June 24, 2021

For my 50th birthday I wanted to make a simple dress in my favourite fabric, African wax print. I had been gifted the book “Sewing with African Wax Print Fabrics” by Adaku Parker and she asked if I was happy to blog a review of one of the patterns. I chose the Millie dress as it had the vintage vibes I was looking for. Adaku also gifted me 4 yards of this gorgeous fabric.

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The Toni Box Bag - Let's sew some Arm Candy: African print style!

by Adaku Parker June 24, 2021

The new book from Adaku ‘Sewing with African Wax Prints’ is a project book full with colour and inspiration. The Toni Box Bag my the second project from the book and my first time creating a bag. The Toni bag is a large tote bag with a magnetic clasp. It’s lined with fusible fleece to give the bag structure and the lining can be made in contrasting fabric or like me the same fabric as the outer.

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The Jennifer Jumpsuit: The on-trend Summer staple.

by Adaku Parker June 01, 2021

This pattern has 4 pieces: front bodice, back bodice, front trouser and back trouser. There is also an option to have a fully lined bodice which I didn't use at this time. The jumpsuit came together very quickly in less than an hour.
Attaching the zips, binding neckline and sleeve edges were a breeze and instructions can be found on page 114-115; 120-121.

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The Christie Circle Skirt: A simple sew with amazing results!

by Adaku Parker June 01, 2021

As a circle skirt lover, one thing I have come to realise is really important is waiting for the hem to drop. As circle skirts are made on the bias [*note that this skirt was cut on the cross-wise grain*], the fabric is likely to drop in different areas of the skirt. As such, you should wait before hemming your skirt.

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The Philippa Pinafore Dress: Stylish and oh so versatile!

by Adaku Parker May 28, 2021

This pattern is marked a three star difficulty (most of the other garments are two stars) and there definitely were some new techniques for me. I’d never done a half elasticated waist before, it was quite fiddly and a bit different from elastic all the way round, because you don’t pull the elastic through a channel, you insert it from the long side. It felt a bit counterintuitive and was a bit fiddly, but it worked a treat! It’s so nice to have it fitted at the back waist but still have a nice clean flat front. Definitely more half elasticated waists in my future!

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The Etta Shirt Dress: A guaranteed show stopper!

by Adaku Parker April 12, 2021

African wax print fabrics are also perfect for new beginner dressmakers, being woven they are easy to create a variety of different projects from. From the projects within the book, the Etta dress was the one I just said ‘wow” as I turned the page! A classic shirt dress which a closely fitted bodice teamed with a flared skirt. A timeless piece that will be perfect for the summer days to come.

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Wax Print Lottie Culottes: A Super Comfy Staple

by Adaku Parker April 09, 2021

The Lottie Culottes pattern was an incredibly easy sew, without the pockets they took me less than two hours from start to finish. African wax print is always a joy to sew and when the pattern is this straightforward, making these culottes is such a pleasurable way to spend a couple of hours. The instructions and illustrations were so easy to follow!

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The Lottie Culottes: Made for Summer

by Adaku Parker April 03, 2021

Black woman standing in front of a red brick wall wearing a pair of culottes made in African wax print fabric in red fabric with large circular motifs and a white top.

When I received the 'Sewing with African wax print fabric' book, I was so excited to make the garments in the book. The book is awesome, it has a wide variety of garments and in an unusual fashion, it also has accessories, which is simply amazing.

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The Christie Circle Skirt : Made for twirling!

by Adaku Parker March 24, 2021

"I started by placing the fabric tightly against my skin (just because) and then I washed and spun the fabric in the machine using a temperature of 30 degrees. Then I left it to completely air dry."

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The Dorothy Dress: Work from home in style!

by Adaku Parker March 15, 2021

I chose to make the Dorothy dress, an straightish tunic with patch pockets, a boat bracket and bell sleeves. For me, it's the right balance between casual and dressed up. I'm working from home for the foreseeable future, and even before the pandemic I didn't have the kind of social life that required a lot of fancy frocks, but I do love a dress, and I thought the sleeves add that extra bit of interest.

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IRIS INFINITY SCARF

by Adaku Parker March 15, 2021

Infinity scarves are great for when the cooler weather starts setting in. This one is lined with fleece but you can use satin or cotton for a more lightweight accessory. Simple yet stylish, this infinity scarf is long enough to wrap around your neck twice!

Posted in Accessories, Adaku Parker, African Fashion, African print, African print accessories, African wax, African wax print, african wax print article, African wax print blog, African wax print fabric, africanwaxprintfabric, Ankara fabric, ankaraappreciation, Ankaralovers, Author, Author life, Blog, Blogger, Books, British Design, Christmas Crafts, Crafts, Dovetailed, Dovetailed London, Dressmaking, Fabric, For people who love prints, Gifts, Gifts for her, Handmade business owner, Independent pattern designer, Infinity scarf, Iris Infinity Scarf, Learning to sew, Live your life in colour, New product, News, pattern designer, Sew, Sew business, Sewing, sewing bee, Sewing books, Sewing celebrity, Sewing Gifts, sewing pattern, sewing patterns, Sewing personality, sewing tips, sewing tutorial, Sewing with african wax print fabric, Sewing with wax prints, sewingwithafricanwaxprint, sewmuchwax, Small business owner, Store news, TV, TV personality, Wax print, Weekly blog, Workshops

Adaku Parker speaks to Jo Good on BBC Radio London!

by Adaku Parker February 20, 2021

On 19th February 2021 at 3.30 p.m., I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with the lovely Jo Good on her BBC London Radio Show! We spoke about b...

Posted in Adaku Parker, African Fashion, African print, African wax, African wax print, african wax print article, African wax print blog, African wax print fabric, africanwaxprintfabric, Ankara fabric, ankaraappreciation, Ankaralovers, Author, BBC Radio London, Blog, Blogger, Books, British Design, Business, Business news, business owner, Craft Kits, Crafts, Dovetailed, Dovetailed London, Dressmaking, Fabric, Independent pattern designer, Jo Good, Live your life in colour, pattern designer, Pattern Kits, Radio show, Sew, Sew business, Sewing, Sewing Gifts, Sewing Kits, Sewing personality, Sewing with african wax print fabric, sewingwithafricanwaxprint, the story of african wax print, the story of african wax print fabric, Wax print, You Tube

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