Today, we’re featuring a delightful contribution from our Advisors Circle. This is yet another installment in our Sew + Tell series, where our fans share their handmade creations and the stories behind them. Every sewn item truly does have its own unique tale.
**Name:** Emily Stone
**Where can we find you online?** Instagram, Blog
**Project Details**
**Pattern Used:** Oliver + S Carousel Dress
**Fabric Used:** Quilting cotton
The fabric worked beautifully! My daughter instantly fell in love with this print when we were shopping for something else. Coincidentally, I had recently purchased the Carousel Dress pattern, and the fabric—medium-weight quilting cotton—is one of the recommended options. While I usually prefer apparel fabrics, there's just something irresistible about the beauty of quilting cotton. This fabric really enhances the A-line silhouette, and working with such a sturdy material was incredibly satisfying.
The sewing process went smoothly overall. My serger is currently out of commission, so I opted for French seams on each seam to ensure a polished finish. I was thrilled to discover that this technique is actually suggested in the pattern instructions! I almost skipped French-seaming the shoulder darts, but upon realizing my oversight, I unpicked and redid them—it was absolutely worth the extra effort. Additionally, I decided to finish the hem with single-fold bias tape as a sort of mini-hem facing, since all the other seams were already finished so neatly.
We decided to omit the button-and-loop closure because when we tried the dress on (I made a size 12, and she measures just below that), the shoulder darts didn’t align perfectly. Without any closure, the shoulder darts fit her shoulders just right. She wore the dress around the house for a bit and seemed comfortable without needing a closure, but eventually, we added a ribbon for a touch of flair. Luckily, I had a perfectly color-matched ribbon stashed away. However, if I had anticipated adding the ribbon earlier, I would've hidden it under the bias binding at the neck instead. As it turned out, I used Fray Check on both ends of the ribbon and sewed it directly onto the binding.
The only other modification we made was to secure the keyhole facing by stitching along its outer edge, rather than topstitching the opening. She absolutely loves how it feels against her back now!
One of the best parts of this project was seeing her excitement once the dress was complete. Since I finished it, she’s worn it to church nearly every Sunday and even chose it for the first day of school. Both of us adore the generous pockets, and I couldn’t be happier with how clean and professional all the finishes look. Sewing every seam twice was definitely worth it!
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As a side note, I recently found a new quilting cotton collection that caught my eye, and I'm already thinking about what I'll make next. It's fascinating how fabric choice can completely transform a pattern, isn't it? Let me know if anyone has any tips or tricks for working with quilting cotton—it’s such a versatile material!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed hearing about this project. If you're inspired to try your hand at sewing, don't hesitate to reach out—I'd love to hear about your creations too. Until next time, happy sewing!
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Let me know if you'd like further details or additional sections added to round out the piece!
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