I really like the Schultz Apparel Minna Dress as it’s one of the patterns I tried early on in my sewing journey and I needed very little adjustments for a lovely fit.
Here you will find a selection of my different versions of the Minna dress that I’ve made, including a black dress with embroidery, a cute summer dress in a romantic rosebud cotton and a lilac poly cotton version that my Instagram followers helped me choose this pattern and design for!
Black cotton with kurbits inspired embroidery
I needed a plain black dress so decided to make one in the Minna pattern. This was my first time trying this pattern out and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn’t need to adjust it much to get a good fit so it was a fairly quick project. The skirt is a gathered rectangle and I put in a side zipper instead of one in the back as I wanted to try and add embroidery.
I had only tried small embroidery projects before but I had an idea and was only hoping I’d be able to pull it off. The design is inspired by Swedish folk dress embroidery and also kurbits – which is a painting style very common in the area of Sweden that I am from. I’m so happy with how it turned out and when I showed it to my granny in Sweden she said “oh it’s just like kurbits” so I’m giving myself a big gold star for that!
FABRIC
Finished June 2022
Rose & Hubble Ivory Rosebud Cotton Poplin
This cotton poplin fabric is so dreamy! It feels soft and the pattern is so cute so I thought it would suit this style of dress. This is the same bodice as for the black dress and the same puff sleeves too. I adjusted the pattern to add ties in the back and also put in elastic in the skirt back so that I could get into it without a zipper. I only wish that I had made the skirt just a tad longer as I prefer a proper midi length.
FABRIC
Rose & Hubble Ivory Cotton Poplin
Finished May 2022
Lilac floral polycotton
This was my first time trying another of the versions for the bodice. I really like how this V-neckline looks as well. Instead of putting in a faux button band I just sewed the pieces together. It was actually my Instagram followers who decided which pattern they wanted me to use for this fabric. They decided on the Schultz Apparel Minna Dress with the V-neckline bodice and 3/4 sleeves. I took the creative liberty of making a circle skirt with it. I think it will be a really lovely dress for summer, but I must admit it’s a tad too cold for winter in Scotland.
FABRIC
Finished January 2025
Floral textured brocade
I instantly fell in love with this fabric when I first saw it. The colours were a perfect combination and I had a design in mind from the start as I really wanted to take advantage of the texture and body of the fabric. I ended up choosing the Minna bodice and bishop sleeves with the cuff and for the skirt I ended up self-drafting it and pleating as I much preferred that look to gathering the waist. I was really lucky and ended up finishing the dress at the same time as the cherry blossoms came out so managed to do a little photoshoot with them before they started disappearing with the wind.
FABRIC
Finished April 2025
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