Introduction to the Adaline Sew Along

Welcome to the Adaline Holiday Dress Sew Along! The winter holidays are fast approaching and we love to dress our girls in handmade for these special events. We took a vote in the Bella Sunshine Designs Facebook group and you wanted to sew the Adaline Dress and Tunic for the holidays this year. Adaline is rated as a Confident Beginner pattern in the shop and includes sizes from 6M to Girls 12. Both long and short sleeves are included in the pattern, so this dress should work for your holidays no matter what climate you're in.

As a special sew along treat, you have all been given a pocket pattern piece add on! Just check the download section of your account and it should be there. If you would like to join in the fun and sew along with us, here is how to participate:



1. Get the pattern: You can purchase your copy of the Adaline Dress and Tunic pattern here. Use the coupon code “sewadaline” to get the pattern for just $5 until the end of the sew-a-long! That is midnight EST on December 12th.
2. Visit the blog each day from Day 1 (today!) to Day 7 (Saturday!) to follow along with the step by step tutorial.
3. Come and share your photos along the way on Facebook in the Bella Sunshine Designs PDF Pattern Group or on Instagram using #bellasunshinesewalong #BSDAdalineDress to ask for help and/or give advice throughout the entire sew along.
4. Upload your progress pictures & finished garment photos in the sew-a-long album in the Bella Sunshine Designs Facebook Group for a chance to win the prizes! Checkin Monday, December 12th to see the winner announcement.

Prizes

1) Fan Favourite: pattern of choice. This is the person who receives the most “likes” on their finished dress in the final day's thread on facebook.

2) Admin Favourite: pattern of choice. This one is the favourite finished dress voted on by the admins.*

3) Random Winner: pattern of choice. This one is drawn from the pool of the people who post on ANY of the participation threads. Even if you don’t make it to the end of the sew-a-long, if you participate on any of the threads then you have a chance at this one!

*There will be 3 separate winners. No duplicates.

Schedule

For Day 1: Gather supplies, print, and cut out pattern.

On Day 2: Cut material and interface.

Then Day 3: Create bodice and attach sleeves.

Next, onDay 4: Attach lining and complete sleeves.

Day 5: Create skirt placket, form pockets, hem, and attach skirt.

For Day 6: Final details, buttons, and button holes.

On Day 7: Catch up. (No blog post.)

Day 8: Winners announced! (Evening.)

Let’s get started! Day 1: Gather supplies, print, and cut out pattern.

This is going to be so much fun! Feel free to share your inspiration in our Facebook group. If you are in need of inspiration, you can search the hashtag on Instagram and Facebook or view the tester photos in the listing.

The materials list can be found on page 9 of the pattern:

• Woven fabric for both main and lining – Suggested fabrics include: quilting cottons, cotton voiles, brocades, batistes, and jacquards to name a few. This pattern is not suitable for stretch fabrics.
• Lightweight fusible interfacing
• 5 – 5/8″ Buttons (15mm)
• 1/4" (6mm) Braided elastic

Also recommended to have:

• Buttonhole foot
• Fabric pen

Printing and Assembling

Choose the size to print based on your child’s measurements. Detailed directions for measuring and choosing your size can be found on pages 6-8 of the pattern. Don’t forget to use the handy Adobe layers feature to make things easier on yourself! If the sidebar with the layers is missing, you can find it under View > Navigation Panels > Layers.

Make sure that you measure your test square! You may think to yourself, “1/8 of an inch isn’t very far off. I’ll just go ahead.” I am here to tell you not to do that. That 1/8″ comes off of every inch in your pattern. So if your sleeve is supposed to be 12″ long, then you will be short 1 1/2″.  If your finished bodice is supposed to be 12″ across, then you will lose 3″ around! That 1/8″ makes a big difference in the size and it is very important to have an accurately measured test square.

TIP: Measure your test square with a hard ruler. Soft tape measures can stretch out over time and distort your measurements. I also recommend checking your soft tape measure against a hard ruler regularly in order to maintain accuracy in your child’s measurements.

Now that you have selected your size(s), please print, tape, and cut out your pattern following the instructions on pages 3 & 4 of the pattern.



That’s it for today! Please post a picture like the one above on the Day 1 thread in the Facebook group in order to participate. Make sure that you do not have any fully visible pattern pieces by mostly obscuring them with some of your other materials. Check back in tomorrow for Day 2!