I got excited when I saw this mint AGF denim at Cabbage Rose recently and immediately purchased a few yards. Several of the quilters I follow on Instagram love sewing with it, so I was curious about how well it worked for garments. I find that sewing with any Art Gallery quilting cottons, my tension is always thrown off a bit, so I generally need to make adjustments when sewing with it. I’ve heard several long arm quilters complain about this as well, but no one really knows why this happens. I pre-wash all my fabrics, so it’s not the sizing. Regardless, I did not have any of the usual tension issues when I sewed with their denim on my sewing machine.
Now, if you haven’t had the opportunity to see or feel their denim in person, it’s more like a chambray or slightly thicker quilting cotton, but with a very slight bit of drape. It’s 80% cotton and 20% polyester, so there’s minimal shrinkage. I found that it can wrinkle a bit like linen, but the wrinkles iron out fairly easily…or just promptly take it out of the dryer.
Because of the weight and structure, I decided to make my favorite Deer and Doe pattern- the Arum dress. This is a dolman style dress, so you don’t want to use a fabric that has too much structure or drape. It’s a nice, simple dress that can easily be casual or dressy based on fabric choice and styling.
Deer and Doe designs for an hourglass shape, and I fall between a Euro size 36 and 38, according to their size chart. In the past, I have made a size 38, but those dresses feel too loose, so I decided to go with the smaller size. I think for any future Arums, I will properly grade the pattern pieces to my size in order for the best fit. This version is a bit more fitted than I prefer for this style, but it’s still very comfortable and easy to wear.The pattern comes with a neck facing, which gives it a nice clean finish. The sleeves and dress hem are folded under and stitched. My favorite details are the princess seams in the back to give the dress some shape. There’s a pocket piece for the front, but I chose to omit it for mine. The instructions are well written and there are illustrations to follow along. As with all of their patterns, the pattern is printed on thick white paper versus tissue.
The Arum is a great pattern for those times when you’re looking for a quick and satisfying sew, and it’s great for beginners. I think it would also be lovely in a lawn, fully lined or with a slip. Do you have a “go-to” pattern you like to use often?