Mâlô e lelei, friends! I’m happy to share my Polynesian print Appleton dress with you!
Source: Cashmerette Patterns
I recently had the opportunity to try out Sprout Patterns (a division of Spoonflower) and sew a custom designed Appleton dress. I was aware of Sprout Patterns and had vague knowledge of how the process worked, so I figured it was a good time to test it out. My detailed review is on the Curvy Sewing Collective if you wish you to read more about Sprout and the process. There is also a code for 20% off a Sprout Appleton that is good until 6/27/16.
This is probably the easiest dress that I’ve ever put together as I didn’t have to cut out the pattern pieces and I’ve already made a few Appleton’s, so it was sewn together super quick. I don’t usually wear knits in the summer as they’re too hot for the 100+ days we have here in California, but I made a short sleeve version in case I wanted to wear this somewhere cooler like in the Bay Area or on the coast. The fabric is a polyester (Spoonflower’s modern jersey), which is the only fabric available for the Appleton. It is a really nice quality knit, takes the digitally printed color nicely and doesn’t fade. My fabric stayed the same bright green and the white stayed white.
As Sprout does not have customized sizing and I grade between sizes when I make the Appleton, I ordered a larger size and took it in where it was needed. Otherwise there are no alterations to this dress. It’s comfortable to wear as are my other Appletons, but one that I can wear in warmer weather.
I chose this Polynesian inspired print to to honor my Polynesian (Tongan) heritage and I’m really happy to have something in my closet to reflect that. Also, it’s green and I can’t stay away from green. 🙂
Note: I received the fabric and pattern from Sprouts Patterns at no charge in return for a review on the Curvy Sewing Collective. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
Happy Sewing!
- Dress: Cashmerette Appleton in polyester jersey, made by me
- Shoes: Stuart Weitzman
- Earrings: BaubleBar
- Sunglasses: Sunglasses Museum
Faka’ofo’ofa ta’ahine, toto’atu!
I absolutely love this dress. I wouldn’t have thought to pair the appleton with vertical stripes, but it looks fantastic. You simply glow in this dress. What a fantastic make.
I love the idea of Sprout (cutting out pattern pieces causes me no end of frustration). But the inability to make adjustments and the cost mean I probably won’t use their service.
That said – your dress is so nice! The print works so well and and I think it’s lovely you made a dress which honours your heritage. Also, you look great in it!
What a lovely dress. The colours are so gorgeous and so saturated. I like the thought of this service but It would never work for me as I have too many adjustments to make. How wonderful to have all your pieces printed onto the fabric though. I hate tracing and cutting out patterns. Xx