It's Raining Cats...and Fish?

It seems like so many of Cordelia's dresses had been in rotation for about two years or so. Sure they kept getting shorter, but they still fit on her torso, so they stayed in the closet. Well Miss C must have gone through another growth spurt because it seems like all of a sudden none of her old dresses would button. 

Luckily, I love sewing dresses. This is my second Vintage Grace Flutter  Dress- I reviewed the pattern and showed off the pictures of the first one in my last post. 

The second dress went together even smoother than the first, and this is the final length of the size six dress- just for reference.

I only made two changes to the pattern when I made this Dress. First change was that I lined the flutter sleeve because the backside of this fabric was very underwhelming. Lining the piece was super simple, I cut two pieces of black fabric the same size of the flutter sleeve, then I placed them right sides together and sewed along the bottom edge. Then I trimmed the curve, flipped right side out, and sewed like normal. 

My second change was to add side pockets. I personally love having pockets in my skirts and dresses, and Cordelia has become accustomed to them as well- which I guess is a perk of having mommy made clothing. Jess from Craftiness is Not Optional has a great tutorial on how to add side pockets HERE.  Its a really simple addition to any project. 

Normally I avoid letting Cordelia pick fabric for things- that might make me sound terrible, but you can end up spending hours sewing fabric you hate when your five year old picks it out. However, I gave Cordelia full choice in the fabric store on fabric for a new dress and she picked this darling cat fabric. 

The best part was that her choice gave me the perfect opportunity to use these little fish bowl buttons my sister found at a yard sale last year. 

Thanks for stopping by- and do us a favor and cross your fingers for sunshine for us- well yesterday we were lucky enough to see the sun, but we had been hammered with rain for days and we are back to rain again! Rain is beautiful and wonderful but It sure is making for a cranky mamma and a cranky kid. 

Vintage Grace Flutter Dress- Pattern Review

Pattern testing has given me the opportunity to get to know the style of some really great PDF pattern designers. One designer I can recommend without even knowing what pattern you are talking about it Melissa from Bella Sunshine Designs. Every pattern I have worked on from her has just been totally top notch- and I am a big fan of how thorough her testing process is.  

The Vintage Grace Flutter Dress is Melissa's latest pattern (and one I had the pleasure to test). This pattern is sized six months to girls size 12, and features a great flutter sleeve with optional lace trim. The bodice has a great wide, flat, simple, front which makes for a great place to feature some super special fabric, or you could decorate it with a heat transfer design or applique. I love that the bodice is also lined so all of the seems are inside and not left where they can be itchy- which would especially be a plus if you appliqued the front!   

This is my first version of the new Vintage Grace Flutter Dress- It is also from one of the early stages of the pattern, so keep in mind that two inches were added to the length of the dress on the final version. I made this dress using my favorite black and white stripe cotton, and super awesome blue octopus fabric from Cotton and Steel.  I have been really obsessed with all things black and white- a trend that Cordelia hates, but the blue in the Cotton and Steel fabric made my fabric choices  five year old approved. Instead of opting for lace on the flutter sleeve I used black bias tape on the edge to repeat the black and white theme. 

The dress went together quickly- probably about an hour and a half not counting the cut out time (I take FOREVER to cut things out). The instructions are very straightforward and great for any confidant beginner. I like that Melissa includes cutting instructions for the skirt so you don't have to print and tape the entire pattern - you can just print the bodice and sleeve and then measure and cut your pattern. She also includes helpful tips on blending sizes and adjusting for length- and her size lines are marked with the size on them which makes it easier if you have to print multiple sizes at once.   

The last dress feature I want to mention is the adorable button back. I love a good button back, and I have such a large stash of buttons! I love buttons because it is such a nice extra touch in a little girl's dress- and Melissa's instructions on the buttons and the skirt placket get an A+.  So now that I am done gushing (for now) I want to mention that the Vintage Grace Flutter dress is on sale until Thursday!