Happy Friday Everyone:
Today, I’d like to share my review of the Gabbie Dress by The Pattern Preacher. This is a cute off-shoulder Bardot style dress that I made using a beautiful Ankara African wax print fabric from the House of Mamiwata. This dress was a quick and easy sew and I am loving the result that came from this pattern and fabric combination.
(This post contains some affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I receive a small commission when you make a purchase using these links. Thanks for your support!)
Pattern Details
The Gabbie Dress is designed for woven fabrics of many weights. It can be sewn using in anything ranging from flowy rayon to heavier quilting cotton. It is available in U.K. sizes 6-20 and U.S. sizes 2-16. The finished measurements are a bust of 33.9 inches to 47.6 inches, a waist of 26.4-38.6 inches, and hips of 41.6-61.8 inches. There are only a few pattern pieces for the construction of the garment including the front bodice, back bodice, front skirt, back skirt, sleeves, and facings (for the front, back, and sleeves ). Additionally, there are waist darts on the front and back bodice pieces and pleats on the skirt pieces that give the dress great shaping. The back is closed with an invisible zipper for a chic look.
Sewing
I sewed a size 10 at the bust and graded out to a size 12 for the waist and hips. I did a quick muslin of the bodice and realized that I had a bit of excess fabric in the back. I turned to one of my sewing books, The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting by Sarah Veblen, to figure out how to improve the fit. This book goes into great detail on how to remove the excess back fabric. As a result, I made a tuck on my muslin and revised my pattern piece to improve the fit. Additionally, I prefer a below-knee length look for A-line dresses, so I added four inches to the skirt pieces so the dress would finish just below my knees. I finished the bottom hem with a blind hem stitch on my sewing machine to give an invisible finish.
Fabric
I love the look of Ankara print and I love finding new ways to incorporate into my makes. There is a beautiful range of prints and bright colors available for this fabrication and The House of Mamiwata has an amazing selection to choose from in their Etsy shop. I chose a beautiful teal, black and white print with shapes similar to the sponges you see in a coral reef. I was careful with my pattern placement when cutting out the fabric and made sure to line up key points such as the front sleeve and bodice notches and the back bodice and skirt seams. I made sure the green print on the front bodice piece lined up with the sleeve piece and I mirrored the back bodice pieces by cutting out one piece and lining it up exactly to the pattern for continuous pattern flow. I also love how the weight of the fabric helps the front and back pleat details stand out on the dress.
You can find out even more details and see twirls in my YouTube review here: The Pattern Preacher Gabbie Dress
Another great place to learn more about pattern and stripe matching is Craftsy.com. I learned a lot from the Perfect Pattern Matching Class by Amy Alan and I use her tips whenever I sew with stripes or prints.
Styling
This dress is great for a night on the town, a gala event, or a dinner date. I decided to wear my dress with some cute patent leather Kelly and Katie sandals from DSW. I also wore it with some cute white earrings that I had in my jewelry collection that matched perfectly to complete the look.
Final Thoughts
This a beautiful style that I think you’d enjoy sewing for your next fashionable event. The Pattern Preacher has generously offered 20 percent off this pattern with free shipping when you use the coupon code Crystal20. Head over to the Pattern Preacher to pick up your copy today!
The Pattern Preacher Gabbie Dress
Until next time,
Happy Sewing,
Crystal
I'd love to know what you think!