The Minna Dress
Schultz Apparel
I love following Amalie from Schultz Apparel on Instagram. Her feed is full of the most beautiful pieces that are a mix of modern and vintage and they are exactly what I want in my wardrobe right now. She has recently started selling her designs and I am so excited about it!
The Minna dress has 3 different views and they are all beautiful. I made view C, with 3/4 sleeves, a gathered skirt and buttons up the front. The best part, it has an invisible zipper up the side, which means it isn’t even necessary to make buttonholes for the front buttons.
Construction
I chose a cotton print from my local fabric store (Tania Tissus). If you haven’t heard me rave about it before, it truly is the best. The people working there are very helpful and the selection is excellent. It’s one of those places where you walk in, and they’ll show you all the new things that they got since you last time you visited.
The instructions for this pattern are clear, and the illustrations are helpful. There are also a few handy tips in the explanations. Instead of creating large pattern pieces for the skirt, the pattern gives you the measurements for cutting it directly on the fabric. This cut down on the number of pages to print, which is appreciated).
I had to make a few small changes to the pattern for fit. I shortened the sleeves and took a little bit more out of the darts. I also made the skirt 4″ narrower (but that was because my fabric wasn’t quite as wide as the measurement I needed. In the end, despite making a muslin, I ended up needing to take up the shoulders. I had only created the muslin version of the bodice, and with the weight of the skirt, it pulled everything down slightly. Add that to the list of things I am still learning!
Pattern Matching
After cutting out the skirt, I could see that I would have some extra fabric leftover, so I decided to do some pattern matching.
I know that there are many ways to do this, but here is the method I use.
- First of all, I make sure that I do all of my prep first. That includes having the pattern pieces on tissue paper, laying the fabric out flat and choosing where in the pattern I want the pattern (I’m sure we’ve all seen some flowers that are not strategically placed in RTW)
- Cut out one side of the bodice (respecting grainlines and original idea of where you want the pattern placed)
- Fold back the edge of the cut piece along the centre front line. That way you are matching the very centre of the shirt where it comes together. Note: If you aren’t working with a buttoned bodice, fold the seam allowance back. Iron (or pin) in place.
- Place the cut pattern piece on your fabric so that it is directly covering the identical image
- Flip over the pattern piece (to mirror it) and fold back the tissue paper to the centre front. Line this folded edge up with the folded edge of the piece you cut first.
- Pin the pattern piece down to your fabric close to the fold. Once it is secured, remove the piece you cut first, fold the rest of the piece down and pin it.
Final Thoughts
This is by far one of my favourite things I’ve ever made for myself. The style and fit are exactly what I was looking for, and the fabric from Tania Tissus is perfect for it.
Will I make it again? Absolutely! I already have the fabric ready for the short sleeved version.