Hannah Dress by Yeppar

I had purchased a pattern by Yeppar a while ago, while waiting for the referral of my daughter from China & I really liked the simplicity behind it & how fast it is to sew up!

But I especially love the fact that instead of just seeing the finished product hang in my daughter's closet, I can now see her wearing it!

Here she is wearing one in a teal damask print. My daughter is currently 20 months old and weighs about 28 pounds so I made her a size 2t. I also stitched some ribbon around the waist instead of adding the little strip the pattern called for. 

Here's another one in an orange cotton print and a contrasting color for the little strip.

And I decided to make her a US themed one thinking I'd put it on her for our US Consulate appointment while in China. I added some ribbon at the bottom with pre stitched blue thread on it, so I just stitched right along the middle with a white thread. 

And here she is wearing it on December 3, 2012

I also like that these little dresses can be worn as tunics too with a long sleeve underneath & some leggings. Hoping to make a few more of these for the spring. 

Simplicity 2147

I've been test sewing several patterns lately, mostly because I've been wanting to select a few easy patterns that I can use to teach garment sewing for beginners. Here's a good one I found from Simplicity. I made view B, but I'm planning to sew View A & D as well, including the belt. 

For my fabric, I used something from my stash. Believe it or not, I found this black with white pin striped cotton/stretch fabric at Wallmart for only $2 per yard. I couldn't pass it up, so I bought the entire bolt which had about 9 yards on it. 

I made a pattern size 16 and used up about 2 1/2 yards.  I also used a contrasting thread in my favorite color turquoise for topstitching & for the hem. What I loved most about this particular pattern is that it only has 4 pattern pieces, so it is perfect for beginner sewists. The pleating around the yoke area is pretty simple to learn and although the pattern suggests to use 1/2" single fold bias tape around the neck area for a finishing hem, you can get away with just folding the neck facing inward & then topstitching ( especially if you use a fabric with stretch or knit ). I did use bias tape myself, but if I make this again I will most likely not use it. And although you can't tell from my photo, I added side pockets to mine for comfort. You can also use this dress with or without a belt. I personally think it looks a bit to boxy on me without a belt. Another thing I want to mention about this pattern is that it is a mini dress, so I personally thought it was a bit too short so I added a few more inches on the length, although I could of worn it as a tunic with leggings underneath. 

If you are interested in also sewing this mini dress/ tunic but don't have sewing classes nearby that you can attend, there is a pretty good video tutorial on youtube that is pretty easy to follow. Here's the link 

Cynthia Rowley 2406

I finally finished this dress -pattern design by Cynthia Rowley, #2406. I had cut out the pieces a few months ago actually, and just this past Saturday I pulled it from my "to finish" bin and spent about 3 hours or so sewing it (including pressing time). I made view D ( but I added about 4 inches to the length), and it literally has 3 pattern pieces in addition to a pocket if you want to add it. I love dresses with side pockets and I was so excited about inserting them ( so excited that I didn't bother with taking an accurate measurement of where I wanted them placed ). So when I actually sewed on one of the side pockets, serged the seams, and tried in on for fit -the side pocket was way too low. By then, I was just not in the mood to rip out the seams & start over, so I ended up scratching the side pockets idea and sewed up the side instead. But I really love how this dress fits, so I will definitely make a few more ( with accurately positioned side pockets ). & I will also have to try the shorter version ( as originally designed ).

Here's the back view. I love the opening on the back & the kimono style sash.

Here's a pic of me wearing it to a wedding. 

And here's what the pattern looks like. My front view photo though, doesn't quite look like the top cover photo above ( view D ) does it? I think because I didn't loosen it up around "Matilda's" waist ( my bodyform ) & because I made it a few inches longer. But overall, I really liked this pattern. I found it to be pretty simple & I will definitely be making a few more of views B & C.