I’m delighted to be able to join the Coffee and Thread blog tour! I’ve given a fair amount of love to the Ania Tunic this year, like this one I made for Charly’s Kindy clothes, and this one I made for Caroline’s first day of preschool. Olga’s patterns are well done, and she’s got so many adorable dresses!
The blog tour is two weeks long and began on Monday- be sure to check out the list of participants at the bottom of this post! There’s lots of inspiration to be had!
In conjunction with the tour Olga is hosting a giveaway for a great haul of patterns and fabric. You can enter by following the link below.
AND there’s a discount code for any pattern in the Coffee and Thread shop– get 20% off with code ‘coffeeandthreadtour’!
SO what did I make for the tour? While I’ve got several Coffee and Thread patterns on my ‘to sew’ list, I saw her newest pattern, the Polina Dress, and just couldn’t get over the adorable flounce. There are two flounce variations, but my favorite is View B, with the flounce following the curve of the neckline. It is such a fun feminine detail, I knew my girls would go nuts for it as they love anything “girlish” these days.
And boy is it girlish! (See what I did there ? 🙂 While the Polina dress is drafted for woven fabric, I hacked the pattern to sew it in knit. My sister in law is getting married this summer so I’m working on making my girls dresses in the wedding colors, and this super soft plum knit, upcycled from a thrifted Eddie Bauer dress, fit the bill. Caroline is in love with it and feels so fancy with the tulle flounce!
I made quite a few alterations to make this dress work in my chosen fabric, which are all detailed below. I’d love to make another Polina in a rayon challis with the circle skirt option for a super drapey and flowy dress.
Pattern: Polina Dress from Coffee and Thread
Fabric: Upcycled thrifted knit dress
Size: 3
Her measurements: in inches below
Chest- 21
Waist- 20
Hip- 21.5
Height- 41
Mods:
-selected size by comparing bodice pattern piece to a well fitting t shirt
-cut back on the center back line on the fold, creating one bodice back piece instead of two
-cut the skirt longer to allow for elastic at the waist
-cut away seam allowance on armscye and neckline
-cut 16 flounce pieces from crushed tulle and layered them instead of sewing a main and lining
-bound the neckline and armscye using this method from Megan Nielsen
-added 1.5″ elastic at the waist (sewn to the wrong side of the skirt) to help support the gathers and form a faux elastic casing, and sewed the skirt to the bodice with no center back closure
-omitted the ties
As you can see there is some gaping at the armscye- I calculated my band length at 90%, and suspect if I’d done them at 85% it would be a bit better. If I make a knit version again I’ll likely raise the armscye a bit to help with this to account for the stretch. The dress is roomy enough to allow room to grow, but not so roomy that she’s drowning in it. Perfect!
I wondered as I sewed if I’d ventured into clown territory with the amplified flounce, but some kind friends assured me it is rather French looking, or emulates an Elizabethan Ruff. I like the sound of that much better! Sewn in knit, this Polina dress is perfect for my active-yet-loves-to-be-fancy girl- easy to wear and play in, with just the right touch of fluff!
Thank you Olga for having me along on the tour- and don’t forget to check out all the other amazing sewing happening on the Coffee and Thread blog tour!
April 3
Enjoyful Makes || Idle Sunshine || ZowieZo Handmade || Angie Burgett
April 4
Handmade Frenzy || Replicate Then Deviate || Fairies, Bubbles & Co || Coral + Co
April 5
Made By Sara || Naeh-Connection || The Bag of Unexpected || Circle Meets Line
April 6
Skirt Fixation || Sewing Like Mad || Hello Holli || Buzzmills ||
April 7
Little Cumquat || Thread Bear Garments || Pearl Berry Lane || Plus 2 is 5 || Sew Chibi
April 10
Stahlarbeit || Knee Socks and Goldilocks || Bonnie and Lottie || Sew Sophielynn
April 11
Mouse House Creations || While She was Sleeping || Mix it Make it || By Dagbjort
April 12
Gaafmachine || Beletoile || LBG Studio || My Cozy Co || As It Seams
April 13
Moineau & Petit Pois || Just Add Fabric || Sweeter Than Cupcakes || Frances Suzanne || Sew Liberated
April 14
Stitched Together || S is for Sewing || Boevenbende || Lafolie Sewing Booth || Sew Pony ||