Naples Dress Blog Tour :: Day 1

Woohoo!  It’s here, it’s here!  The Naples Dress blog tour begins today and goes through Friday.  There’s a discount, a giveaway (read all the way to the bottom!), and lots and lots of Naples dresses and tunics!  Art Gallery Fabrics has generously sponsored the tour, providing fabrics to the tour participants and also to the prize package.

Now through Sunday, March 27 everything in my shop is 25% off with the code NAPLESTOUR.  The only exclusion are bundles since those are already reduced, but you can add the patterns in the bundle individually and get the tour discount.

I’m listed first in the tour, but I want to introduce the other two fabulous sewists before we get to that.

Kicking off the tour is Alexis from My Sweet Sunshine.  Alexis has tested with me in the past, and she has recently become a designer in her own right working with Violet Field Threads to publish her designs.  Click over to Alexis’ blog to read on to hear her thought about the Naples Dress pattern and the Art Gallery fabrics she used.

I love reading Chelise’s blog.  She always has a unique take on patterns, and you have GOT to check out the swimsuits she has for sale!  She made a tunic length Naples Dress for her older daughter that looks so sophisticated and the styling is perfection!  Read more at Chelise Patterson.

Now let’s talk about the two version I made for my girls:

I made this one with two fabrics from Art Gallery’s new denim line: Painterly Wash for the bodice, and a dobby called Evening Lakeview for the skirt and sleeves.  The Painterly Wash is the same weight as quilting cotton with a great abstract floral design.  The Evening Lakeview is similar to chambray, but with a texture that gives it a really nice sort of “broken in” feel.

Hadley is sporting a tunic length version with the same Evening Lakeview bodice, and Streakly Business Azur from Pat Bravo’s Essentials II line.   I made yards and yards of 1/4″ double fold bias out of the same fabric and used some of that to bind the bodice front, neckline and the sleeves.  I’ll talk more about the modification I made to the butterfly sleeves in a minute.

I actually made these with the opposite child in mind, but when I had them done and hanging on display, they each chose the ones they’re wearing.  Arden was recently eyeing a blue floral dress in a catalog and she always searches for a bit of pink in everything, so I’m not too surprised.  Hadley is happy if it twirls; hence she chose the tunic with the wider sleeves and gathered skirt.

To make the split sleeves, I slashed my butterfly sleeve pattern in half at the center notch and added a half inch to the cut edge.  I hemmed that edge and then sewed the sleeve with the edges butted together as if they were a solid sleeve.  Bind the edge similar to the neckline with bias tie and you have these cute split sleeves.

This was actually the second round of photos.  I started out in Arden’s room, but the light really wasn’t so great.  Both girls had stayed in their outfits so when the sun briefly peeked out from behind the clouds we dashed up to Hadley’s room to grab these.  So if they’re a little bit on the rumply side it’s because they’d been wearing them for a few hours and had lunch in the interim.

Now let’s talk about that giveaway, right?  The prize is a fat quarter bundle of Essentials II and a choice of any three of my PDF patterns.  Enter by logging in to the Rafflecopter widget and completing the entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check in each day to see what is being shared!  There *might* also be some additional fun and games (and more giveaways??) going on in the Jennuine Design Pattern Group.

3/21: A Jennuine Life * My Sweet Sunshine * Chelise Patterson
3/22: Rock the Stitch * Taylor Made Creates * Élégantine!
3/23: Handcrafted by RED * Lily Shine * Pattern Revolution * Sew Sophie Lynn
3/24: Sew Shelly Sew * 2 Little Hooligans * Handmade Boy
3/25: Filles à Maman * While She Was Sleeping * That’s-Sew-Kari * Czarina’s Project