Say hello to the most fabulous pleats I’ve ever seen on a sewing pattern! When Forget Me Not Patterns posted the sneak peek photo of this pattern asking for testers, it was a no brainer! The dramatic diagonal pleats caught my eye instantly and I have a weakness for wrap anything so I was sold in a second!

The Adeline pattern offers so many fun options and I loved all of them so I literally made them all! There is a peplum top or a knee length dress with a tulip shaped wrap skirt. You can have short or ¾ sleeves, plain or pleated. And there are two neckline options, plain or shawl collar. For my top version I made the plain neck and plain short sleeves. My dress version is full on fancy with shawl collar and pleated short sleeves.

My top is made from a yellow and white striped seersucker from Fabric Mart. The neckline and hem are finished with bias binding. This was really a wearable muslin that I made during the testing phase and some fit elements have since been updated. I also made one size too small… oops! Speaking of size, this pattern offers sizes 28 – 48, a bust of 28.5″ – 48.5″, waist of 21.5″ – 41.5″ and hip of 32.5″ – 52.5″. I made my top in size 38 but by the time testing was over, I had gained quite a lot of weight from isolation eating.


So for my dress, I made sure to go up a size to the 40 and it fits so much better. I made a ⅜” narrow shoulder adjustment and shortened the bodice by 1 inch. Then I made a big boo boo! I thought the skirt looked a bit big on me and proceeded to take it in. Then I stupidly serged and just kept going so I could finish in time for my photoshoot. I should have tried it on before serging! The shape was so much nicer before I took it in.. trust the pattern maker people! Lesson learnt!


Anyway the Adeline was such a fun and satisfying make. I especially loved constructing those amazing pleats. I was super intimidated by the pleated sleeves especially. I have never seen a pattern piece quite like it. But the construction is so clever and includes a facing that finishes it nicely. It was also my first time doing a shawl collar. I really enjoyed learning these new techniques and watching this pattern come together.


So I guess it’s safe to say I need to remake another dress soon, without interfering with that beautifully shaped skirt ofcourse! The next time though, I think I need to make a full bicep adjustment; not surprising since like I said.. I pretty much ate the whole house during this quarantine period. What was exciting for me was not having to do a full bust adjustment. The pleats create that extra room in the bust area and ofcourse with a true wrap style, you have a bit of freedom in terms of how tight you tie it around your waist.

I styled my top more casually; with a pair of distressed denim shorts, sandals and a cute pom pom basket purse. The dress I styled with a pair of red heels and some dangly marble earrings, definitely a fancier dressier vibe. I feel like both of these pieces are very versatile – they can be styled in various ways and worn to a multitude of different occasions.

Like I said I absolutely adore anything wrap style so this goes without saying… do yourself a favour and grab the Adeline!
Toodle-loo
Keira
The skirt shape still looks lovely IMO! Both of these really suit you, it’s great how different the results can be from one pattern.
Author
Thank you so much! This has to be one of my all time favourite patterns!
Looks gorgeous on you! Especially the akirt part – very beautiful!
Author
Thank you so much!