Today marks day 1 of our fabulous project features for our blog series featuring Shannon Fabrics + Aurifil. Over the next three weeks we are going to feature projects handcrafted by both Aurifil Artisans and Shannon Fabrics Ambassadors using Embrace® Double Gauze, Cuddle® Minky, and Aurifil 40wt thread! Today we are thrilled to feature our very own Social Media Coordinator, Hilary Jordan. While not officially an Aurifil Artisan, Hilary is a true Aurifil thread champion, lending her expertise to quilting and garment sewing. We just knew that she would add a little magic to the Embrace® Double Gauze and are so excited to share her project with you today!
When Erin asked if I wanted to help out with the Shannon Fabrics blog series, I knew right away that I wanted to make a dress using the Embrace® Double Gauze fabrics. I live in Southeast Texas where the summer lasts forever, and a lightweight dress is exactly what I need on a sweltering hot day!
The wonderful folks at Shannon sent me several yards of their Wildflowers Embrace® fabric in the Scarlet colorway, and I pulled Aurifil 40wt and Forty3 in white #2021 from my thread stash for my dress construction. I always use 40wt thread when sewing garments because of its heavier weight, and the Forty3 has been a wonderful addition to my garment sewing arsenal. It’s so strong and can withstand the fast speeds of my serger!
I pulled my copy of the Deer & Doe Myosotis dress from my pattern stash. I made a version of this dress earlier in the year and I’ve been itching to make another. The pattern lists double gauze as a potential fabric option, so I knew it would be a great pairing. For my version I decided to make the bodice from view B and the skirt from view A. I was even lucky enough to have the perfect red buttons in my stash to finish the dress! 
This was my first time making a garment with the Shannon Embrace® Double Gauze and I have a few tips for anyone looking to try their hand at garment sewing with this fabric.
- Pin diligently; the multiple layers in the double gauze make it slightly slippery to work with.
- Finish your seams to prevent fraying. I used my serger, but french seams are another option.
- Pre-wash your fabric. This is dreamy 100% cotton, so make sure to pre-shrink it to ensure that your garment doesn’t shrink once it is completed.
- Finally, be careful if you have to use your seam ripper. The weave on the double gauze is looser than a quilting cotton and you might rip a hole in your fabric… ask me how I know. 😉
I loved making this dress using Shannon Embrace® Double Gauze and Aurifil 40wt thread! I’m thankful that I have about a yard of double gauze left to play with and try my hand at making something else! Be sure to come back each week to see all the amazing projects that the Shannon Fabrics Ambassadors and Aurifil Artisans will be sharing over the next few weeks!
Hilary rocks our garment world! Shouldn’t we all run out to make a sweet and cozy dress to finish out the Summer? Thank you Hilary!
Don’t forget to pop over to the Shannon Fabrics blog on Friday to get a peek at a brand new project by Shannon Fabrics Ambassador Jayme Christensen of Finding Sweetland.
SCHEDULE
August 10 – Intro
August 15 – Aurifil, Hilary Jordan (By Hilary Jordan & Aurifil Social Media Coordinator)
August 17 – Shannon Fabrics, Jayme Christensen (@findingsweetland)
August 22 – Aurifil, Amista Baker (Hilltop Custom Designs)
August 24 – Shannon Fabrics, Pamela O’Neill (@pamelaon)
August 29 – Aurifil, Faith Essenburg (Sarana Ave)
August 31 – Shannon Fabrics, Colleen Bell (The Embroiderist)
ABOUT HILARY
Website — Facebook — Instagram — Twitter — Pinterest
Hilary is a quilter, a sewist, a wife, a mom to 2 amazing boys, and is also the Social Media and Guild Coordinator for Aurifil. An arts & crafts enthusiast from the get go, she has always been involved in the creative process of making, from art classes in school to fun craft project kits to Girl Scout crafts. While in her freshman year of high school, she decided she wanted to learn how to sew, so that she could make her own Halloween costume. Her parents bought her a sewing machine and she used the instruction manual to teach herself. The first few garments off that machine were terrible; so many wonky hems & questionable fabric selections, but it was a start!
Throughout high school and college she would make a garment here and there, and she started to dabble in quilting. Her sewing machine was one of the few things that went with her to college. But it wasn’t until she was pregnant with her oldest that she took a more serious interest in quilting, and things snowballed from there! When she moved to Houston with her family in 2013, she joined the Houston Modern Quilt Guild and found her tribe. The rest is history!
You can learn more about Hilary and her projects via her website, By Hilary Jordan.
I love your dress! It turned out so cute and looks great on you!
Just so you know for next time–Embrace double gauze comes pre-shrunk on the bolt, so you can actually sew with it without prewashing, if you want. When I prewash, I always use a little starch and press it again before cutting it out. If you starch your cut edges, it won’t be as wobbly either and sews up like a dream. And for that pesky unsewing, I totally recommend the Kai Seam Remover as it won’t get the fibers of the fabric, but totally cuts the thread (I swear it’s magic!)
Check out the Shannon Fabrics website for a quick and easy infinity scarf if you want to use up that extra fabric. 🙂
Beautiful dress, great job!