Ok, so maybe not quite 4 inches, but she sure has shot up this summer! She better get as much wear as she can out of this frock during the last of the heat, because by the time next summer rolls around it will be a tunic on her, rather than a dress!
Ok, so to the pattern review. I wasn't a big fan of this dress. Mostly because I really wanted the petals to sit right up on the bodice line, just like on the pattern photo, but since the petals are one-size-fits-all, if you are making it up in a size 8 like I did, then they just sit weirdly halfway along the bodice length. Bah humbug! So to remedy this I ended up redrafting the entire bodice piece, then altering the waistband to make it all fit. That's a lot of faffing around just to get some petals looking nice.
And then, of course, the darn petals just flopped everywhere after the first wear, so now I need to hand sew them flat to the bodice. STUPID PETALS!
I also ran out of fabric to make the skirt band. Not sure if this was my fault for reading the pattern requirements wrong (is it just me, or is figuring out your fabric requirements super tricky for the Project Runway patterns, what with all their options and choices? I thought I'd erred on the side of caution, but apparently not!) or if the pattern itself was at fault, but I ended up with a skirt not quite as long as I would have liked, event though I did lengthen the skirt to make up for the bodice alteration shortfall. I could always go back to the fabric store and buy some more fabric, but I feel the moment has well and truly passed, people.
The dress has buttons on the back (I went for cute red and white polka dot ones, to contrast against the stripes), but I feel a zip would have done the job more easily and neatly.
Anyway, despite the faffing around, it ended up a very sweet dress to wear to Christmas mass, and for our Christmas day family picnic. And having a happy girl at Christmas is what it's really all about.
Project Details
Pattern - Simplicity 2265
Fabric - 3m of 115cm wide cotton quilting
Notions - Lining for bodice, interfacing, 3 buttons
oh i agree, the PR fabric guides are cryptic at best! so hard to figure out how much you need. however, this is such a cute dress. i love it in the red/white striped fabric! i made this exact dress a few years ago (except pink/white stripe for easter) and my daughter adored it.
ReplyDeleteDespite the stupid petals :) it's super cute!
ReplyDeleteI clicked on the pattern link and there's NO WAY I would have considered this pattern based on the illustrations and cover images. Your dress, however is gorgeous! Even with a tepid review you sell it better than they do!
ReplyDeleteHow cute!
ReplyDeleteOh Tyger is SOOOO cute. I wouldn't pick the pattern from the envelope but your dress is super lovely. Best get that wear out of it.
ReplyDeleteYour dress is far nicer than the picture on the pattern. You must have the ability to see past some of those awful over the top, frilly, too cute, sugary sweet, twee pictures on patterns. Seeing yours makes me want to make one. Had I of seen the pattern first I would have passed it by. Great job! I actually prefer it without the rose and the band at the bottom.
ReplyDeleteHi there! I came upon your blog after seeing your review of this on sewing patterns.com. I have a question about the construction, if you have time. I'm currently making this for my 4 year old and am to the part of sewing the midriff piece on the bodice. The instructions say to baste it, but then never instruct to sew it with a smaller stitch. Did you do this? I'm also assuming I'll need to trim down the seam allowance because it's quite bulky with the lining, petals, and bodice. Thank you!
ReplyDelete