Dovetailed News

The Etta Shirt Dress: A guaranteed show stopper!

by Adaku Parker
The Etta Shirt Dress: A guaranteed show stopper!
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
Wax Print Lottie Culottes: A Super Comfy Staple
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!
Posted in Adaku Parker, 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, Author life, Blog, Blogger, Books, British Design, Business, Business news, business owner, Celebrity, Dovetailed, Dovetailed London, Dressmaking, Expanding business, Fabric, For people who love prints, Independent pattern designer, Learning to sew, Live your life in colour, Lottie Culottes, New product, pattern designer, Pattern Kits, pattern matching, Pressing tips, real wax, Sew, Sew Lottie Culottes, Sewing, Sewing books, sewing pattern, sewing tips, sewing tutorial, Sewing with african wax print fabric, Sewing with wax prints, sewingwithafricanwaxprint, sewmuchwax, Small business owner, Snowdrops on purple, Store news, top tips, Trousers, Wax, Wax print, Weekly blog

The Lottie Culottes: Made for Summer

by Adaku Parker
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.
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, Author life, Blog, Blogger, Books, British Design, Business, Business news, business owner, Celebrity, Crafts, Dovetailed, Dovetailed London, Dressmaking, Fabric, For people who love prints, Frozen fractals, Handmade business owner, Independent pattern designer, Learning to sew, Live your life in colour, Lottie Culottes, News, pattern designer, pattern matching, Pressing tips, real wax, Sew, Sew Lottie Culottes, Sewing, sewing bee, Sewing books, Sewing celebrity, sewing pattern, sewing patterns, sewing tips, sewing tutorial, Sewing with african wax print fabric, Sewing with wax prints, sewingwithafricanwaxprint, sewmuchwax, Small business owner, Store news, top tips, Trousers, washing your fabric, Wax, Wax print, Weekly blog

The Christie Circle Skirt : Made for twirling!

by Adaku Parker
The Christie Circle Skirt : Made for twirling!
"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."
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, Author life, Blog, Blogger, Books, British Design, Business, Business news, business owner, Celebrity, Channel 4, Christie Circle Skirt, Dovetailed, Dovetailed London, Dressmaking, Fabric, For people who love prints, Independent pattern designer, Learning to sew, Live your life in colour, pattern designer, Sew, Sew Christie Circle Skirt, Sewing, sewing tips, sewing tutorial, Sewing with african wax print fabric, Sewing with wax prints, sewingwithafricanwaxprint, Skirt, washing your fabric, Wax, Wax print, Weekly blog

The Dorothy Dress: Work from home in style!

by Adaku Parker
The Dorothy Dress: Work from home in style!
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.
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, Author life, Bell sleeves, Blog, Blogger, Books, British Design, Business, Business news, business owner, Celebrity, Craft fair, Dorothy Dress, Dovetailed, Dovetailed London, Dressmaking, Fabric, For people who love prints, full bust adjustment, Independent pattern designer, Learning to sew, Live your life in colour, pattern designer, pattern matching, Pressing tips, Sew, SewDorothy, SewDorothyDress, Sewing with african wax print fabric, Sewing with wax prints, sewingwithafricanwaxprint, sewmuchwax, Sleeves, Statement sleeves, top tips, Weekly blog, Workshops

IRIS INFINITY SCARF

by Adaku Parker
IRIS INFINITY SCARF
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
Adaku Parker speaks to Jo Good on BBC Radio London!
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

Claudette Trousers- The Power Pants for 2021

by Adaku Parker
Lena King Black woman standing in front of a brick wall wearing a pair of teal and grey trousers, a black suit jacket and white trainers. She has her hands in her pocket and is wearing a pair of blue earrings.
If you have been wanting to make these trousers for a while or you would like to give them a go, then this blog post is for you.
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, Blog, Blogger, claudette trousers, Dovetailed, Dovetailed London, Dressmaking, Fabric, For people who love prints, Independent pattern designer, Learning to sew, Live your life in colour, sewing pattern, sewing patterns, sewing tips, sewing tutorial, Sewing with african wax print fabric, Sewing with wax prints, sewingwithafricanwaxprint, sewmuchwax, Trousers, Wax print, Weekly blog

Full bust adjustments: A step-by-step guide.

by Adaku Parker
Full bust adjustments: A step-by-step guide.
In this guest blog post, Emerald (aka @highbellamy19) shares the step-by-step process that she used to create a full bust adjustment alteration.
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, Blog, Blogger, British Design, Business, Business news, business owner, Celebrity, Dovetailed, Dovetailed London, Dressmaking, Fabric, For people who love prints, full bust adjustment, Independent pattern designer, Learning to sew, Live your life in colour, Meghan, pattern designer, popsofcolour, Sew, Sew business, Sewing, sewing bee, sewing patterns, Sewmeghan

Sewing with African wax print fabric? Here are 5 top tips to get you started.

by Adaku Parker
Sewing with African wax print fabric? Here are 5 top tips to get you started.
  Remove any manufacturer’s labels. African wax print fabrics are made from 100% cotton and are printed using a wax-resist method of printing ont...
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, British Design, Business news, business owner, Dovetailed, Dovetailed London, Dressmaking, Fabric, For people who love prints, Learning to sew, Live your life in colour, pattern matching, Pressing tips, removing labels, Sew, sewing tips, top tips, washing your fabric

Gathered Magazine | The story of African Wax Print Fabrics

by Adaku Parker
Gathered Magazine | The story of African Wax Print Fabrics
Includes Q & A with Adaku Parker, owner of Dovetailed.
Posted in Adaku Parker, African print, African wax, African wax print, african wax print article, African wax print blog, African wax print fabric, africanwaxprintfabric, Ankara fabric, Ankaralovers, Dovetailed, Dovetailed London, Fabric, For people who love prints, Gathered magazine, Live your life in colour, magazine article, Magazine feature, Sew, Sewing, sewing bee, Sewing with african wax print fabric, Sewing with wax prints, sewingwithafricanwaxprint, the story of african wax print, the story of african wax print fabric, Wax, Wax print, Weekly blog