Adroit Blouse and Dress
Adroit Blouse and Dress
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The Adroit blouse and dress was designed with working mamas in mind. This business casual garment has breastfeeding, pumping, and maternity options. Of course, there are regular versions too! After your pregnancy, you can remove the curve out of the front skirt without having to seam rip. We explain how to add zippers to the front princess seams, and how to make them really invisible without ironing. No back zipper, so you can get it on and off by yourself! There is a side seam zipper, though some testers said it wasn't necessary. And of course, there's pockets!
We included an A0 file for this pattern, but it's 6 pages! The tiled, print at home pages have been separated into two files - one has the cups, and the other has everything else. The projector files are all on one page.
Pattern options: There are two lengths included - blouse and knee length. Three sleeve lengths - short, elbow, and long. Two sleeve caps - a super pouf sleeve or a more fitted sleeve cap. Four cup size options for the front bodice - B-D, DD/DDD, G/H, I/J. Nursing or not - nursing version has a modesty panel behind the zippers. Maternity or not. V-neck with optional mini or large ruffles.
Difficulty: This is a beginner-friendly sew with a lot of pieces. Experience with zippers and darts is helpful. To help beginners, the tutorial is separated into the four main versions - breastfeeding top, breastfeeding dress, regular dress, and regular top.
Fabric: Woven / non-stretch materials, from light to heavy weight. Drafted for mid-weight wovens such as quilting cotton.
Yardage: 2-4 Yards.
Special supplies needed: Zipper for the side seam - invisible or standard closed end zipper. At least 10in / 25 cm (will be cut to fit). For breastfeeding access, two 24in / 60cm invisible zippers (will be cut to fit). For bubble sleeves, half a yard/meter of narrow elastic.
Maternity friendly: Yes, includes maternity skirt.
Nursing friendly: Yes, nursing option included. Zippers are placed in the front princess seams, and the lining is replaced with a modesty panel.
Size range: Four cup size options for the front bodice - B-D, DD/DDD, G/H, I/J. The rest of the pieces are sized from XS to 5X.
Fit: Lightly fitted bodice. Lightly flared in the hips.
Time to complete: Start to finish is about two hours.
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About our Patterns
Sizing
We aim for inclusive patterns that fit all bodies. If you don't see your size on this pattern, send us a message and we'll add it in!
Our size charts offer both metric and imperial measurements.
Seam Allowance
All of our patterns have a standard, 3/8" or 1 cm seam allowance.
Print Internationally
Our tiles have two layers, labeled A4 and Letter. US printers use the Letter layer, and everyone else can use A4!
Trimless Tiles
We designed our tiles to save paper and be easy to assemble. Place the guidelines on top of each other and tape or glue. The letter layer has solid guidelines with a star in each corner. The A4 layer has dashed guidelines with a circle in each corner. Each page has a number, and the tutorial has an assembly chart.
All of our files offer layers, allowing you to print only the size(s) you need.
Copyshop Printing
A0 pages are 33.25" by 60" and are printable at most copyshops. We design ours to be printable in black and white. There are no passwords on any of our files. Our A0 files have layers, allowing you to print only the size(s) you need.
Projector Optimized Files
Every pattern comes with a projector optimized pdf file. See what our projector file includes here.
All of our patterns are drafted digitally and tested with a projector in our paper-free studio.
Video + Picture Tutorial
We use pictures in our tutorials, not line drawings. We add in videos of steps that testers have a hard time understanding.
Bookmarks
Our tutorial has a table of contents, along with bookmarks. This allows you to quickly get to the page you need.
Updates
When a pattern is updated, you will get an email notification. We allow our testers access to our entire pattern catalog, which means we get continual feedback on our patterns.
Download Instructions
Each download contains a zipped (compressed) file, for downloading all the files at once. Download the .zip file, right click on the file and select "extract all".
We also include each file individually, if you wish to download each file separately.
Merino Wool
Want to use merino wool to make this? Check out our article with tips on sewing with merino wool and where to buy it.
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