Shetland | Attie and Dora

The weather is finally warming up in Shetland and it is really starting to feel like Spring. Two lambs have been born on the croft and if you follow me on Instagram you might have seen that I am expecting a baby, we are so excited and the baby is due in August 🙂 .

To celebrate this I wanted to share an offer code with you, for 25% off the Dora Dress and Top pattern in my Etsy Shop. I hope this post will inspire you to give the Dora Dress pattern a try for your Spring/Summer sewing wardrobe.

Use the code SPRINGDORA at the checkout for 25% off. Follow this link to buy the dress.

This change of season has inspired me to make some new Dora Dress samples to show how the pattern can be worn during warmer times of year. You will notice I am not modelling these samples, as thanks to my growing baby bump I no longer fit in them, ha! I really enjoyed not being in front of the camera this time. I am definitely not a natural at having my photo taken so it was a relief to get to hide behind the lens and help Aaron to compose the shots.

The Dora Dress made up in a cotton lawn fabric is so comfy and breathable and great for hot weather. We don’t get much hot weather up here in Shetland but I did wear a cotton lawn Dora Dress while on holiday in London last year, it was above 30 degrees celsius (very hot for a Shetlander), and wearing the dress certainly helped me cope with the heat.

Marjolein, a good friend of mine who you may remember from this post if you have been following me for a while, kindly agreed to model these samples for me. She is an amazing comedian, I would recommend going to see her perform if you get the chance. You can follow her here.

The blue and white fabric was from Merchant and Mills and is a beautiful weight and drape for this dress. I love the print.

We took these photos at the Lodberries in Lerwick, if you watch the BBC series ‘Shetland’ you may recognise the building behind her as Jimmy Perez’ house.

Dora Dress Side View 2 Attie and Dora

Dora Dress Front View Attie and Dora

Dora Dress Front View Attie and Dora Patterns

Dora Dress Back View Attie and Dora Patterns

Dora Dress Back View

Dora Dress Side View Attie and Dora

This second version was made using a burgundy poly crepe fabric from Stoff and Stil.

Last summer I wore a green crepe version of this dress to a couple of weddings and I thought it made a lovely wedding guest dress.

Red Dora Dress Attie and Dora

Red Dora Dress Attie and Dora Side

Use the code SPRINGDORA at the checkout for 25% off. Follow this link to buy the dress.

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At the beginning of March I was contacted by Fibers to Fabric and very kindly offered a voucher for fabric in exchange for a review * . I had a look at their fabrics and was thrilled to be given the opportunity to try them out. I took my time over my choice and eventually decided on this black cotton ikat fabric. There were only 2m left and it was quite narrow in width, so I knew I would be limited as to what kind of garment I could make, but I loved it so much I had to choose it.

*I only ever share products and promote things that I love and I think you will too. I was sent this fabric in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media and all opinions and thoughts are my own.

The fabric was shipped from India and I was very surprised when it arrived so quickly, unfortunately I forgot to write down the date it arrived argh sorry, but it was surprisingly quick, especially as I live in Shetland and the postage was reasonable at £3.72.

Before pre-washing I overlocked the edges of the fabric, as it looked like it had quite a loose weave, I didn’t want to lose any yardage to fraying. I think this was a good call as the fabric did fray a lot after cutting. I found it easy to work with other than that. It is quite light weight and is extremely comfy to wear. It is 100% cotton and so breathable.

I selected the Scout Pattern by Grainline Studios to make with it, as it required under 2m to make. I had been eyeing up this pattern for a while and thought it would perfectly compliment this fabric.

I made a few minor adjustments to the flat pattern before cutting. I lengthened the body on the lengthen/shorten line by 5cm. I then added another 5cm to the hem length. I added notches to the side seams 20cm up from the hem to leave open as side slits.

This was a very quick pattern to cut out and sew up. I followed the instructions to finish the neckline with bias binding and I really like the result.

For the side slits I sewed the side seams to the notches I added earlier, then pressed the seams open, overlocked the edges and topstitched around the openings. I then bar tacked the top of the opening to secure in place.

We took these photos at one of my favourite locations in Shetland, Nesbister böd. It was such a beautiful sunny day I only managed to get photos at the back of the böd, out of the direct sunlight, but coincidentally the yellow lichen on the back wall matched the yellow in the fabric, which was cool and totally accidental.

I absolutely love this top! I have been wearing it constantly since I finished it. I think the combination of this pattern and this fabric was perfection and I love the bold ikat print, it just feels really cool and modern in these colours.

Scout tee Attie and Dora