Save the Date! Handmade Designers Group Spring Showcase on February 9, 2016!

I belong in the Handmade Designers' Group, which features several other talented clothing & accessory designers. Every season, we design a few limited edition pieces for pre-order. For example, this past winter, I designed this classic red, black, & ivory dress with a burnout lace layering top.

Alba dress pattern by Violette Field Threads.
Bella's bubble sleeve layering top pattern by Greenstyle Creations.

Close-up of the layering top.

With pre-order items, I tend to use patterns I am very familiar with, AKA, my girls' favorites. For this spring showcase, I opted to use the Simple Life Pattern Co.'s Ayda & Bella patterns in pretty pastel colors.

My first dress is the Pretty in Pink Ayda dress. Isn't this pattern just lovely? Since my Tanya Whelan pink floral fabric was so beautiful, I opted not to do anything that would be overwhelming. I chose to make the sleeveless, modest back bodice, circle skirt version of the dress, but added some eyelet lace to the back bodice & hemline. Now, that was some fun math there! You get so much bang for your buck with this pattern. There are many other options--a top length, sleeve options (ruffled flutter sleeves, short, 3/4, or long), a gathered skirt, as well as a tutorial on how to add a sash & double skirt.

I just love how the circle skirt flares out so beautifully! Check out all that lace!

Close-up of the modest v-back bodice with the eyelet lace trim.

And of course, a TWIRL shot of the circle skirt!

Next up, is the Spring Bouquet Bella dress. I finally cut into one of my favorite fabric lines of all time, Bari J.'s Emmy Grace. I've been hoarding this fabric for a while waiting for the perfect pattern! Bella comes in a dress & maxi length. There is a simple version (no ruffle) & several unique strap options (straight spaghetti straps, v-back straps, & a combination of the two). An elasticized back bodice ensures a perfect fit.

For the spring showcase, I chose the ruffle dress version with the combo straps. Like my Ayda dress, I wanted to highlight the fabric & just add a few embellishments to make it stand-out.

One feature I did was use floral lace for the straps instead of bias cut fabric.

I added some 1/2" pintucks to the front of my bodice & a little button accent. Again, that took some finagling with math since it's not an option provided in the pattern. 

As a side note, I took this picture, which is why it looks different from the other ones!

Hope to see you at the showcase on Sunday, February 9th! If you love the matching floral halos featured with the Ayda & Bella dresses, please check out Little Lady Accessories! Mandy makes the most gorgeous hair accessories & can match anything. Thank you also to my wonderful models & their moms for the beautiful photos!

XOXO, Jenny

Pattern Test: JillyAtlanta's Charlotte Top/Dress

Back around Thanksgiving, a new-to-me designer, Jill of JillyAtlanta invited me to check out her new FB group. I joined her page & saw that she had some beautiful designs using some gorgeous fabrics. She asked if I could test a new top/dress she was working on, & of course, I jumped at the chance. I love testing new patterns!

Here is the JillyAtlanta Charlotte Top/Dress pattern! Isn't it adorable?

In addition to being either a top/dress, you can pick several sleeve lengths including sleeveless (as pictured above), short sleeves, or long sleeves. There's also an optional cinched waist. Sizes range from 2T to 8. I went with the sleeveless version since my girls have an inexplicable disdain for sleeves. We leave in Minne-SNOW-ta, so you'd think their arms would be freezing, but apparently their blood runs hot.

The pattern also called for using shot cotton or a fabric with a great drape. A pattern test is always an excuse to go fabric shopping, so I went to my local fabric store & found this great lightweight shirting material. I'm not exactly sure what it is; the fabric content said cotton, but it feels kind of silky & there's a bit of a sheen to it as well so I suspect that there's some synthetic material blended in as well.

This is actually my second version of the dress. Testing doesn't always go smoothly. I made the mistake of picking a size 6 without making any adjustments for B during my first go around. I knew the chest measurement was just slightly larger than her actual chest size, but I figured it would give us some room to grow. WRONG!

Ignore the bed head. I literally ripped her out of bed  & threw the dress on her to take a quick fit picture.

Eeks--lots of gaping. :(

You can see that the neck & arm openings are too big for my petite monkey. Also, the instructions in the pattern call for a homemade bias tape. I thought a pop of color would be a nice touch on the dress, but the pre-made, crochet edged bias tape may have been too heavy to use with the light dress fabric causing my neckline to sag. Whoops! After discussing it with Jill, we decided a 5T width with 6 length would be a much better fit for B.

And, TADA!!! A much happier girl with a better fitting dress. I would definitely pre-measure your child's chest & add length as necessary to make the Charlotte work for you. There is plenty of ease built in to the chest.

Another goofy pose. We were in a silly mood. :)

Close-up of the ruffly bib. Isn't it amazing? I was impressed that I actually made it! I used a white eyelet lace & doubled up in the middle to make the bib. I also made the bias tape myself, which was a first for me. It looks so much nicer than my pre-made bias tape.

Much better fit! Armscye & neckline was perfect. While this is an A-line pattern, I love that it doesn't flare out as much as most tend to do. With my slim girl, flared A-line styles tend to overwhelm her frame. This slim A-line looks flattering on her & I didn't even have to add the cinched waistband to give her shape.

The pattern is extremely well-written & easy to follow. The pattern pieces fit together nicely & was easy to assemble. Jill walks you through everything & has tons of pictures for the steps, so a confident beginner would be able to sew up this pattern with minimal problems. She even shows you how to do a French seam, so if you don't have a serger, you can still make this outfit. Bonus! I also learned several new techniques, particularly on how to encase bias tape around the armholes & neckline. Whohoo!

Thank you Jill--it was a pleasure!

XOXO,
Jenny