Amira Dress Pattern Tester Roundup Part 1

The “cottage core” styling influence is huge at the moment, and we have got your covered with our fun and whimsical Amira Dress.

The new Amira Dress is all that defines the cottage core aesthetic – romantic styling, softly gathered tiered skirts, sweetheart necklines and of course signature puff and gathered

sleeves.

 

The design of Amira is simplistic, yet effortlessly chic.

 

And the choice of fabric for your Amira is endless. Gingham, soft florals and prints are the ideal.

 

 

So, drum roll for our pattern tester roundups – part 1 of the Amira Dress.

And as usual our roadies would like to share with you all the following:

 

1. Their name and where they live?

2. What fabric combinations did you choose and where did you purchase.

3. What sewing tips can you share when sewing the Amira?

4. What was your style choice for the Amira?

5. What fit alterations did you have to make to the Amira?

6. Have you worn your Amira yet and what compliments did you receive.

7. Any plans for future combinations of the Amira? 

And the finer details; (AU/UK) 6 – 30 (US) 2 – 26 (EU) 34 – 58

Cup sizes – A, B, C, D and DD

 

On Sale for a limited time only – $9.85

Very Confident Advanced Beginner and Above Sewing level.

 

Hello my name is Elise and I live in Queensland, Australia. Amira is a beautiful dress. It has maximum wow factor but is also really comfortable….and has pockets. I used cotton blend to make my Amira. I made the Maxi skirt length, I am 172cms and really happy with the length. I made a couple simple adjustments. I shortened the bodice length by about 1.5cms and took 2 cms out of the back bodice. My suggestion with any sewing project is make a toil so you can determine what adjustments you need. The Amira is actually a straight forward and easy sew with no trickie bits, just follow the instructions and you will be fine. I am saving my final Amira for a wedding I have coming up. Amira is a little bit fancy and makes me feel dancy.

 

Hi, I am Annet and I live in the Netherlands. When Ann came up with the design of the Amira dress I immediately fell in love and saw in this a lovely airy summer maxi dress. For the blue pink dress I used airy viscose and made it with the shirred sleeves. For the green dress I used viscose crepe and made it with the bow sleeves. I am really very happy with these dresses and can’t wait until it finally becomes summer in the Netherlands. Then they will be worn here a lot.

 

Greetings from London! It’s Ashley R here, and I’m thrilled to share my experience with the stunning Amira dress pattern. Crafted from a delicate woven peachskin fabric from abcfabric.co.uk, this design is a dream for those who love flowy, woven materials.

A quick tip for fellow sewists: always test your pattern with a similar weight fabric to ensure the perfect fit. For my petite frame at 5 feet, I shortened the dress by 2.5 inches, tweaking both the skirt and ruffle for a flawless finish. A minor adjustment at the back neck ensures it sits just right.

Styled for the summer, my Amira dress will be a hit for events, complemented by chic white heels that echo the white floral pattern of the fabric. It’s also my go-to choice for vacation wear, thanks to its lightweight feel, ideal for warmer climates. The shirred sleeves add a charming touch, and I’m already planning more versions for various occasions. The Amira dress truly is a versatile gem for any event!

 

Hi I’m Barbara. I live in Northeastern Mississippi USA.

I used a Rayon Voile purchased from https://lafinchfabrics.myshopify.com/ to make my final Amira.

I chose the maxi length Amira with above the elbow shirred sleeves.

To achieve the perfect fit, my Amira bodice was shortened 1″ with a swayback adjustment. The skirt was shortened 1.5″. The front bodice raised .75″ for modesty.

I have received many compliments on this dress, and I have future plans to make two additional Amira dresses using a linen fabric and another using Italian silk.

https://www.instagram.com/ninjabreadgirl61…

 

Hello hello,. My name is Caroline and I am living in Brussels, Belgium. I had been eying this gorgeously vibrant ecovero viscose for a while. So when the testing call for the Amira dress came, close to mother ‘s day, I decided to gift it to myself! I was imagining this nice, flowy, airy , colourful summer dress I will be able to wear for our upcoming holiday to the south of Italy. And it turned out perfect for that! I am so thrilled. I would definitely recommend you make a toile. While Ann’s patterns are amazing, no body is the same. As for me, besides grading, and lowering the darts (as always), i decided on contouring the CB seam as I have a narrow back, and moving the sleeve/shoulder points for some more coverage of my wider -strapped bras. Sewing the keepers as explained in the tutorial is a great idea and you will be at ease all day. The weather hasn’t been very cooperative yet over here. So I’ve only worn my Amira at home so far. But by the end of June we will return to Puglia, Italy for 3 weeks as we have done for the past 5-6 years. (My partner is Italian and my kids are hence half Italian, so we like to spend our holidays in Italy). I look forward to that so much! I usually only take 1 dress, for non-beach outings and dinners, as we spend a lot of time on the beach. And this year it will most definitely be my Amira. I can totally picture it. I am also adapting my toile so I have a second gorgeous Amira. I’m not sure if Belgian weather will encourage me for many more summer dresses, but I àm sure this is a pattern I will make again anyhow.

You can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nachtnaaisels

 

My name is Deidre R and I live in Moreton just north of Brisbane, Australia. For my Amira, I used a bedsheet that I found in an op shop (love upcycling) and a piece of vintage Featherweight cotton lawn from the 90’s that my mum gifted to me – I saved it from languising in her stash.

I made the Midi length dress with the shirred sleeves with no alterations to the length despite my height of 175cm (5’10”). I cut a 4 bodice, graded to a 6 at the waist and I cut an 11 skirt to match my hip measurement – but next time will size down for all and will adjust the bodice length slightly. I also cut the frill twice and made the contrast half the depth of the main frill and treated the two as one for gathering and attaching; this was an easy hack.

It’s too chilly here at the moment for me to wear my Amira so I have been showing the photos to family, friends and work colleagues. Everyone loves the look and says they cant’ wait to see it on me. They say how flattering the shape is and how much they love the colours and the contrast with the sleeves and frill, which to be honest, was a gamble as there wan’t enough of the purple to get the sleeves out. I love the swishy feel and pockets are essential.

I have a couple of other pieces of fabric that I am keen to use and one is a border print so will need to play with that to get the effect.

For tips, google any techniques that are unfamilar to you as there are heaps of tutorials online for everything.

 

hi, I’m Jackie from the Netherlands. Allways a blast to sew the beautiful fitting items from Ann. Love to turn the most amazing Patterns into favorite items. I’ve done my usual alterations to this Pattern, graded from size 3 in the top to size 5 on the bottom. Shortened the bodice a bit. I’ve also altered the neckline according to Anns instructions and it fits like a glove and shows no bra straps. I’ve made this dress from a 100% viscose and really love the summer vibes.

 

Hi I’m Jen and I live in rural Eastern California.

For my Amira dress I used a pretty blue cotton gingham and I love the cottagecore vibe it gives.

I made the midi version with the tie sleeves and I think it looks darling.

I made the size 3D graded to size 5 and I changed the shape of the darts to be more curved since I like the way that fits more than straight darts. I also shortened the bodice about 1 inch. I recommend sewing the darts with long tails to tie off at the apex.

Sadly I live in such a rural area that there’s nowhere to really wear such fancy clothes to, but I loved all the compliments I received on here for my dress photos.

I’d love to make white one with a shorter circle skirt with ruffle and use a tie back instead of a zipper. My IG is

https://www.instagram.com/sageandoakstudio…

 

Hello, I’m Maria (Velosews on social media) and I live in Sydney, Australia. The funny thing is we’re getting a fair bit of rain at the moment which isn’t what people expect in Australia.

Amira 1.0 is a combo of medium chambray fabric and light weight viscose fabric. I stuck to black on black because this combo will get worn at night more than during the day. Both fabrics are from my stash.

If you have bra strapping in your stash, try using that in the sleevehead. How do I know this? I initially used swimwear elastic to check the sleeve fit and once I knew it worked, the elastic popped out. Can I suggest you try the shirred sleeve version. I’m working on shirring for the first time every for Amira 2.0 today and I feel really chuffed it’s working out so well. Ann’s instructions are brilliant.

I wanted to make a much shorter midi version but I stuck with the midi version as is to get a feel for the dress. It’s Winter here so I’ll make a shorter Summer version for a northern hemisphere holiday in September. So I’ll probably shorten the skirt by another 6cm and keep the flounce at midi length.

Using size 5 my skirt is shortened by 11cm. My bodice is now shortened by 2cm. The sleeves are sewn 23cm along the bodice neckline. I’m using these adjustments for Amira 2.0 and using a blue on white viscose print from Spotlight.

When I wore it to take photos, my husband liked it. I loved swishing about in it. Once I do wear it out, I know I’ll get some lovely comments because this dress style is so on trend.

Amira 3.0 will be a long sleeve version with shirring. Not sure what fabrics yet but it will be a dark viscose print from my stash.

Blog: sewing – velosews.com Podcast – Sew organised style podcast – Listen to people like you by Velosews

Facebook: (2) Facebook

Instagram: Maria – I sew (@velosews) • Instagram photos and videos as well as the podcast, EverythingFrocktails and I’m on the editing team for SewOver50 account.

 

He everyone, I’m Shardee from the netherlands.

My beautiful amira dress is made of viscose crepe , bought at https://www.megastoffen.nl/viscose-crepe-gekleurde-aztec…/

The neckline in combination with the beautiful puffy sleeves makes you feel sooooo beautiful . Like a prinses

It’s not hard sewing it, but I definitely recommend to make a toile of the body. So you can make it fits you’re body perfectly.

I styled it with vintage look heels and a little bow belt for more of the vintage look.

When I was wearing it at work, I did get a lot of compliments. They also loved it.

If you like to see more of my work, follow my Instagram on www.instagram.com/Sewing_shar

 

Hello I’m Tina from California! I’m here to share another beautiful design by Ann, the Amira dress. I used this beautiful Art Gallery Rayon from Surge Fabrics. I highly suggest making a muslin first or implementing your normal adjustments if you’ve sewn a Designer Stitch pattern before. I adjusted the bodice to help cover my bra straps, sway back adjustment and removed 1″ lenght from skirt for my height. Take your time Amira is a pretty fast sew and you’ll have yourself a fabulous dress in no time!

 

Hello everyone my name is Tina and i live in Yorkshire in England.

I made my second Amira with a nice rayon i believe it is. I have a fabric shop not too far from me called 

Waltons Fabrics in Goldthorpe and I purchased from there.

A tip i would like to share is one that was suggested to me to keep my front yoke down and that would be to do a few slip stitches. Also, to take extra care placing the top of the zip on the back pieces when sewing so you have a nice even and level back finish.

My Amira was the midi length with the full back cover and i opted for the shirred short sleeve as shirring seems to be trending at the minute.

From my toil make to my final make, i was slightly generous with the placement of the zip to the upper back section with a bigger seam allowance and later Ann sent an amendment suggestion for this. I also lessened my SA on the bodice seams as when i lifted my arms the dress needed pulling down slightly. These were very small adjustments though.

I have not worn my Amira yet as the Great British Weather turned however i have a holiday approaching and Amira’s definitely coming with me!

I have bought some green spotty linen mix fabric and want to make another. This one will have the tie sleeves. I’m considering a tie belt too.

My instagram was hacked unfortunately but in the process of setting up another. My facebook is Katrina Darbski.