The Belle of the Daily Ball - The Amelia Shirt & Dress - Bella Sunshine Designs

When I saw the video of a woman spinning in a field with a perfectly spinning dress, deep (but not too deep) neck and backline, and forgiving flow when not moving (aka ability to hide those bumps and lumps!), I was sold on the Amelia Dress created by Bella Sunshine Designs.


Once I finished my top, I even did a graceful video of myself twirling and doing Mario Brothers moves at the end!

Bella Sunshine Designs creates vintage-inspired clothing patterns, that offer different options, a variety of sizes, and a lot of work behind the scenes to bring them forward to the general public.

I have a lovely hour glass figures, and nothing is making these hips ever go away, so instead, I will sew to flatter them.

Before I tried my first Peplum style pattern, I was against Peplum styles due to my hippy hips and big thighs, until I started sewing them - the wonderful thing about PDF patterns, is you can grade patterns to fit you! 

The awesome thing about the Amelia pattern - no grading required for me!  As the band lies underneath the bust line, and the skirt flares outwards, pending you are using the proper fabrics (stretch knit), there should be no issues with the skirt hugging your hips or thighs  - it will flow with you, and really accentuate your natural bust and waistline. 

I was fortunate enough to test Amelia to help work out any final tweaks and issues, and together, our group helped Danielle and Melissa hone in on the perfect design.  They were lovely to work with, and took everyone's input and life into consideration during the process.

This pattern shows you the basics - how to measure yourself, printing and cutting of the pattern, how to layer the pattern for your perfect fit, basic terminology, finished measurements, and photo examples. 

The Amelia consists of:

- Shirt (hip), knee, or maxi length

- Sleeveless, short sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, or long sleeve

- Top requires knit stretch fabric

- Skirt can be either stretch or woven fabric, as it is sewn to the stretch knit below-bust band


If you are feeling too exposed at the back or front, you can add in a panel of stretch lace to keep the glam, but feel more covered up - the options are limitless.  I feel lace would be a sultry addition to the back and really dress it up more! Or attempt a corset-style back if you know how to make spaghetti straps.

Want pockets? If you know how to sew in side pockets, they can easily be sewn into the side seam - just determine where your hands sit, and go from there.  It may make more sense in the knee or maxi length, otherwise, they would be awkward elbow hinged pockets in the shirt version.

The more you learn while sewing and honing in your skills, the more your imagination runs wild!

The only steps I had troubles with both times around, thanks to my brain fog, was step 6. It's a doozy, so make sure you read it thrice and ensure your fabric sides and lining/fabric are placed as in the picture. No one likes bringing their ripper out!

Other than that one step, I have had no issues sewing up Amelia.  and hey, Husband loves the boobilicious end result. 

Whether you are hourglass shaped, straight hipped, or apple shaped, this design is flattering and can be made for play, work, or even fancy it up for a black tie event!

For my first Amelia, I made the Shirt Version with 3/4 length sleeves - it fell just at my hips, giving me just enough coverage and comfort while wearing it, but still showing off a bit of my booty from behind.

Back



Serious Front

I opted to bring out the geek within, and used all Water Tower Textiles Fabrics thanks to the lovely Patty!  She brought in several meters of Mario Brothers stretch knit for her Facebook Group and limited us to 1-2 meters per person so as many loyal customers as possible could take advantage of her findings.

Along with Mario, I paired it with her new Heather Denim Cotton Spandex, which is a medium thickness, yet flowy knit, that is both easy to work with, and flows evenly.  It doesn't droop, but isn't too stiff - so perfect for Amelia!

I brought out the Mario Within!

My second Amelia was sleeveless, as I was lacking sleeveless shirts.  Husband also approves of this version.

I repurposed an Old Navy dress I looked awful in, random stretch black knit for the band, and some sweet complimentary chiffon type fabric for the skirt part. It it fun to wear, and looks cute with shorts, jeans, leggings, or a pencil style skirt. 

Overall, as long as you take your tie and follow each step, Amelia comes together in an afternoon - and the results are divine.

***I am a Bella Sunshine Designs Affiliate, and promote designs I love - I am not part of BSD