Hey there! It’s no secret that I love to sew, but if there’s one thing that makes my heart happy, it’s a good pattern mash up! I love taking different elements from multiple patterns and creating one of a kind masterpieces. Today’s mash up adventure combines some of my favorite components of two Sunflower Seams patterns: the Gardenia and Laurel. I know what you might be thinking….Gardenia is drafted for knit fabric, and Laurel is drafted for woven fabric, so how can these patterns be compatible?
The very first step to any pattern mash is visualizing what you want the final design to look like. For this project, it was my intent to make a Laurel that was perfectly designed to pair with the Magnolia pinafore.
I wanted that sweet neck tie detail to be featured, but knew that I needed the length of the Gardenia to match the waistline of the Magnolia. Now, I knew I could make the shirt version of the Laurel, but I adore the look of Gardenia’s gathered circle skirt peeking out from the vintage length Magnolia.
Now that I had a clear vision in my mind, it was mashing time! Because my bodice was mostly taken from Laurel, I decided to use woven fabric. Everything from the armscye up is all Laurel. I then placed my Gardenia piece and matched where the bottom of the armscye hit the side seam. I extended the bodice to the length of the Gardenia on the front and back bodice pieces. Keep in mind that since Gardenia is drafted for knits, the ease is different, so the pattern piece won’t extend to the fold or edge of your fabric. This is especially noticeable on the back bodice pieces where the Laurel is much wider to account for snaps or buttons. It’s alright, just continue cutting in a straight line until you reach the edge or fold of the fabric.
You now have a Laurel bodice that’s been lengthened and is ready to add a skirt! Follow the directions for making the Laurel dress bodice.
There is nothing like the twirl of a gathered circle skirt. I knew I would be using the Gardenia gathered circle skirt for this project immediately. There’s really no need to make any adjustments to the skirt pieces since your bodice has been lengthened. It is important to note, however, that a regular circle skirt will not work for this project. Because we still have the width of the Laurel, the Gardenia circle skirt will be too narrow to fit onto the bodice. This is solved using the gathered circle skirt! This way, you make your gathered circle skirt, add a placket according to directions in the Laurel, and gather it to fit the bodice. This method will also work with a regular gathered skirt as well.
Of course….that gathered circle skirt means one thing…THAT TWIRL.
I hope you enjoy this mash of patterns for a sweet dress you can wear alone
…or a Laurel dress that can be perfectly paired with a Magnolia pinafore!
Happy Sewing!!
