February 11, 2021

An Appleton Dress Party with Harts Fabric


The Appleton Dress is now available in sizes 0-32 and cup sizes C-H! It’s our first ever pattern in our new size range, and that’s definitely an occasion worth celebrating.

We know how helpful it can be to see a pattern on a variety of bodies, so we partnered up with sewists in our community to sew up final versions of the Appleton Dress using fabric generously gifted by the lovely folks at Harts Fabric.

If you’ve never browsed Harts’ wide selection of fashion fabrics, you’re missing out. Their virtual shelves (and physical shelves, if you’re lucky enough to live near their Santa Cruz, CA store) are overflowing with fabulous garment fabrics of all kinds. Our sewists had so many great jerseys to choose from for their Appletons, and Harts wants to help you get the look, too! From now until February 17, 2021, you can get 15% of anything in the Harts Fabric shop using code APPLE15. (Excludes sale items, gift cards, and special order home decor items.)

With that kind of a deal, you’re just a few clicks away from a beautiful new Appleton Dress! (Okay, there might be some sewing involved too, but that’s the fun part.) So let’s get the bash started!

Mari’s Appleton

We were so excited when Marlenis chose an animal print jersey from Harts Fabric for her Appleton, and it turned out even better than we could have imagined! Run—don’t walk—to get yourself some of this rayon and spandex goodness.

Mari used our new 0-16 size range. She made an 8 E/F and graded to a 12 at the hips. Her measurements are high bust 35″, full bust 38.5″, waist 34″, and hips 41″.

Here’s what Mari had to say after trying out her Appleton Dress:

“I love it. It’s a simple pattern but paired with the right fabric, it looks marvelous. I’m obsessed with the fabric I used. The pattern is very well drafted. I’m 5′ 1″ and did not make a swayback adjustment, nor a full bust adjustment. I would recommend this dress pattern.”

See more of Mari’s makes over on her blog and on Instagram at @sewsincerely_mars.

Shawnta’s Appleton

Shawnta made her Appleton using a marbled indigo jersey knit from Harts Fabric. This fabric is spectacular, and they have a bit left in stock, so go get yourself some ASAP!

Shawnta used our 12-32 size range for her Appleton. She made a size 14 G/H and graded to a 16 at the hips. Her measurements are high bust 38″, full bust 45″, waist 37″, and hips 47″.

(Are you in sizes 12-16 and not sure which range is right for you? Check out this blog post.)

Here’s what Shawnta had to share about her Appleton:

“The Appleton dress adds easy elegance to your wardrobe without buttons or zippers! I know most folks are working from home now, but I still have to go into a business-casual office setting everyday, so having a comfortable dress that looks good at the same time is awesome. I choose this fabric for its lovely shades of blue that would work well with pieces already in my wardrobe.”

See what Shawna’s sewing up next over Instagram at @divinerae.

Sharon’s Appleton

Sharon picked out this gorgeous printed Art Gallery Fabrics jersey called “Saltwater Stream.” It’s a beautiful print, and makes for such a fun and interesting Appleton!

Sharon used our new 0-16 size range and made a size 10 G/H with elbow-length sleeves. Her measurements are high bust 34″, full bust 40″, waist 32″, and hips 40″.

Here’s what Sharon said about her Appleton:

“The drafting of the pattern was suburb with everything matching beautifully. The design and instructions were thoughtful and thorough.  The design of the dress lends itself to casual to church to career. The fabric from Harts was so yummy and was an absolute joy to sew. The colors were vibrant with subtle shifts if blue throughout. A closer look reveals the pattern is small fish swimming in circles! It had enough weight to not cling to my body but light enough to drape beautifully. It made for a flattering and comfortable Appleton dress.”

See what Sharon’s up to over on her YouTube channel and on Instagram at @thesharonsews.

Save 15% at Harts Fabric

A huge thanks to our makers, and to the folks over at Harts Fabric for their generous donation of all this great fabric! Don’t forget that you can save 15% on anything in the Harts Fabric online shop (excluding sale items, gift cards, and special order home decor) now through February 17, 2021 using code APPLE15.

We can’t wait to see what fabric you choose for your Appleton Dress! Be sure to tag your makes with #AppletonDress so we can drool over your makes, too.

Let me know what you think!