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I’m always so inspired when I see projects made from Farmhouse Fabrics products, so I was over the moon to get selected to do a promotional sew for their spring collection! Based in South Carolina and shipping worldwide, Farmhouse Fabrics specializes in heirloom quality fabrics, laces and trims. They also host a weekly show on Instagram and Facebook where they unveil new products and share projects made with their fabrics.
This project was also a collaboration with Peony Patterns, a digital sewing pattern company based in Australia. I used FOUR different patterns to create this look! When I was first working out what to make and what to buy for this project, I turned to Photoshop to try out a few different looks. I eventually settled on a combination of Myrtle sleeves with the Acacia dress, overlayed with a Verbena pinafore with Primrose hand embroidery.
With so many fabrics to choose from, it was really hard to nail down a fabric plan, but I really wanted to recreate a Peony version of my youngest’s favorite dress that I made a few years ago! She especially loved that particular dress because she’d selected all the fabrics herself, so I decided to use that for the fabric inspo, settling on a purple linen, grape gingham, and Fabric Finders floral cotton. I had wanted a lace to attach to the straps but couldn’t find anything within my budget, so thought I’d challenge myself with lace insertion instead, and for fun, bought some gingham cover buttons too.
I love fabric mail day! Farmhouse’s packaging is probably the prettiest I’ve ever received – with all the fabrics stacked neatly and tied up in a ribbon!
Tada! I do love when a vision works out! Both dresses can technically be worn standalone, though the pinny would need leggings underneath since the lace insertion has no fabric behind it.
Floral Dress
I loved the sleeves of Peony Patterns Myrtle, but since I thought a pinny would look strange over the top of the Myrtle back bodice (Myrtle has an overlapping V shape), I used the Acacia dress instead, simply switching out the sleeves. I used a size 4 chest, lengthening to size 6 height. To make the dress extra twirly, I made the ruffled hem version.
I couldn’t resist these gingham buttons! I knew they wouldn’t really stand out much, but they were so cute! They’re a shanked button, therefore you have to hand sew it on. Not really ideal on the back of a dress, but again, I loved them, so they ended up on the dress ;-).
Acacia (with Myrtle) was a straightforward, easy sew. The most time consuming part was probably all the ruffling, but I do have a ruffler foot that makes light(er) work of that step. The Fabric Finders cotton was lovely to sew, and at 60″ wide, you don’t need quite as much yardage as the pattern calls for (the yardage requirements in the pattern are based on 44″ fabric). I ordered 2 yards and had leftovers.
Embroidered Pinafore
I started the pinafore by embroidering Peony Patterns Primrose onto the linen. Printing the pattern onto Sticky Solvy simplified the process of transferring the design onto the fabric. While the pattern does come with DMC color suggestions, I chose colors from my embroidery box that best coordinated with the floral dress.
Once the embroidery was completed, I cut the Acacia dress pieces out and began the assembly process. This took me a bit of time as I had a few things to think through as I went. I cut the gingham on the bias (the lining piece is cut on the straight of grain to ensure the bias cart section didn’t get distorted).
I had intended to put pockets in the floral dress.
And when I had finished the floral dress, I found the pockets sitting on my cutting table.
So… I then decided I’d have to put pockets into the pinafore instead. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be such a big deal, but since I had planned to put lace insertion into the skirt and was making the mini version, I had to be careful about where to make the cut for that, since I risked the pockets being visible through the insertion if it was too high up. I can’t lie: I agonized over where to cut the skirt (for the trim) for a few days before actually getting in and just doing it! If it weren’t for the fact that Farmhouse had sponsored me to use all the fabrics I’d selected, then I might have just canned the idea all together, but I’m so glad I persisted because I love the look!
I followed the lace insertion instructions in the book Encyclopedia of Sewing Machine Techniques. This book doesn’t get a ton of love on Amazon (the images are a bit dated and it does expect that you know how to sew and are ready to move onto other things), but I really like it. It gives a basic overview of many techniques such as lace making, eyelet embroidery, and heirloom, and I find it quite clear and easy to follow.
Verbena is an easy sew and (without my mods), quick. Be very careful when stitching the ruffles. I discovered, after having top stitched them, that they weren’t, in fact, the same distance from the top of the bodice. Sigh. So, don’t be like me. Check that they’re exactly aligned before you get too far committed! Another great thing about Verbena: no buttons or zips! If you’re new to sewing, this might be a welcome relief!
I’m so thankful for Farmhouse Fabrics giving me the opportunity to create this project! I love how it all came together and pushed me to try something new!
And finally, I recently signed up for Summerana membership and am learning how to make composite photos – a handy skill to have when you need spring photos in the middle of *winter*! This one needs a bit more work, but it’s fun to see photos transform! (It’s also been a great teaching tool for my kids – showing them how what they see on TV or online isn’t necessarily what it seems!)
Disclosure: I received $60 worth of fabric from Farmhouse Fabrics, and complimentary patterns from Peony Patterns in exchange for promotion. Opinions 100% my own!
auschick sews 