Last summer, as I was nearing the end of my pregnancy, Emma reached out to me on behalf of her company, Paper Doll Patterns. Based out of New Zealand, Paper Doll Patterns specializes in sewing patterns for babies and toddlers, and had recently released the Ada Top & Dress pattern – the adult complement to their much loved Ava pattern for little ones. I had not heard of the company before, but as I browsed their website, I loved the aesthetic. Emma offered to let me try out the Ada Pattern, and I was on board right away – the dress is very cute, breastfeeding friendly, and has some very fun skirt and ruffle options!
My sewing queue was a bit full towards the end of my pregnancy, trying to get a few things made for my maternity leave and for baby boy, and I lost my sewjo completely for the last few weeks before birth. I slowly got back into the swing of things after the little guy arrived, and finally got around to sewing this cute dress back in November. I posted about it a bit in my Instagram stories at the time, showing off the great details – the elasticated neckline (a new to me technique!), the exposed seam skirt ruffle, and the buttons! I had a hard time choosing buttons from my stash to match with the dress, because I had a few different options that matched quite well… I accidentally held these red ones up to the dress, not at all intending them to be an option, and loved how they pulled out the tiny spots of red fruits in the design of the fabric!
The dress was so cute and comfortable, and thanks to the loose and breezy fit, I thought it would be an excellent dress to wear for Thanksgiving at the end of November… Unfortunately, this was not in the cards! Instead, we all got a stomach bug and spent Thanksgiving at home in our pajamas, eating ramen noodles. I proudly wore my dress to work the next week, though, and got so many kind compliments!
Since then, I’ve continued to feel so cozy and lovely each time I reach for this dress. While at first glance, this is certainly a work appropriate piece, what everyone doesn’t know is that I’m essentially just waltzing around in a really great looking nightgown when I wear this. Between the easy fit of the pattern and the pure luxury of this fabric, it could not be more comfortable!
Emma was kind enough to offer me a fabric of my choice to sew the dress in, and I was thrilled to try out some of the in-house fabric collection from Fabric Godmother. My Fabric Godmother online wish list is always a million miles long, and it seems that everytime they release a new in-house fabric, I’m immediately adding it to my list. (PS friends and family – if you ever want to surprise me with a gift, Fabric Godmother spending money is most certainly the way to go!!). I chose the Luna Trees fabric, which at the time was offered only on Viscose Lawn but currently also comes on a cotton lawn! The print is a lovely large print, with cool, mellow colors and an earthy vibe. I love the way the viscose lawn drapes and I think it paired wonderfully with this pattern!
I’m thrilled with this pattern and I hope to try out some of the other sleeve options with another version or two before the end of the year. I feel so honored to have been given the chance to try out the pattern! I’m also hoping to sew up a couple of the youth patterns for my little girl this summer! If you haven’t had a chance just yet, take a moment to get to know this lovely pattern designer and check out the “About” page on their website (linked below). Thank you again for the introduction, Emma – I look forward to many years working with your patterns!
Dress: handmade by me
Pattern: Paper Doll Patterns – Ada Top & Dress
Fabric: Fabric Godmother – Luna Trees Viscose Lawn in Blue
Key Ingredients:
Brother XR9500PRW Sewing Machine
Brother 1034D Overlocker
Dahle 36×48 Self-healing Cutting Mat
Prym Sewing Machine Needles
Gutermann Sew All Polyester Sewing Thread
Thanks for reading my thoughts on this pattern! The fabric and pattern used for this post were kindly provided to me by Paper Doll Patterns in exchange for my thoughts on the pattern. All words and opinions expressed throughout this post are my own, as always. Links provided throughout this post may be affiliate links – if you choose to purchase any products through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This simply helps me justify the costs of my sewing habit and the time it takes to share it with you!! Happy Sewing!
- XX Elizabeth
