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Whimsical Winter Wear Dress

If you follow me at all, you know I love Whimsical Fabric. I have been buying my fabric from her for a while now. Twice a month, she has “Wacky Wednesday”. On these days, she has a set of fabrics from a line, usually 1 main print and 2-4 coordinates, that she posts in her group for a great deal. The catch? You must buy the bundle, no picking and choosing what fabrics you want from it. Today is a Wacky Wednesday and I LOVE the fabric she chose for today! I had the chance to purchase my bundle earlier and sew it up to share.

Late last year, I started sewing up samples of these bundles, hoping to give people some inspiration and show the fabrics in use.

Here are the ones I have done so far:

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Jocole Skirts- 2 size 14 girls skirts out of a 1 yard bundle!
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Sig Creations Delaney and Birdie ruffle pants- Size 3 with fabric left over from a 1 yard bundle!
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And this awesome Swoon Vivian and Straight Stitch Have it All Wallet- this set used all of the main print, most of the grey (its the lining of the purse as well), and then pieces of the floral- this left me 2 full yards that I chose not to add in from the bundle.

Lets get to today’s bundle!

Today’s fabric is Milk, Sugar, & Flower by Penny Rose Fabric. Isn’t it just adorable?

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As soon as I saw it, I knew it was destined to be a dress for a little girl. The problem? I dont have a little girl anymore! So I put out some feelers for models, and got a couple hits but none that would fit the bill and timeline! I realized I was going to have to send this out to someone, and time was running out! So, I started looking at my sewing friends and who would fit the bill of what I was looking for. All the sudden, I came across a picture Suzanne posted of her little girl and I knew I had found the girl for this fabric! Suzanne is the owner of Winter Wear Designs, and also works on Pattern Revolution. She is also an amazing photographer! I quickly sent her a message asking if she would be interested. Thankfully, she was as excited as I was! We tossed around dress ideas, and settled on the girls Bateau dress from Suzanne’s pattern line.

Isn’t she perfect in this fabric and dress??

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This is just perfect on her! I’m so glad I had that light bulb moment and sent that message!
This was my first time sewing the girls version! I tested the ladies version and made many muslins to get the perfect fit on my teenager! So sewing this was pretty quick, since I didnt have to run back and forth between my computer and my sewing machine! To get from printing to the zipper installation probably took me 1 1 /2 hours. I then put it down for 2 days, and finished it in another hour or so before sending it out! Not bad for a dress with 4 double box pleats!

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Details of the Dress pattern:

Sizes: 1-14 (Size 1 is equivalent to a size 18 months)
Side zipper – great directions on how to put it in and have it turn out well!
Boat neck
Options of a scoop back or cross strap back,
Tunic, vintage, or regular lengths
Pleated rectangle skirt or pleated circle skirt
The optional petti-skirt allows you to add additional ‘poof’ under either skirt version.

This version is a size 7 width and size 6 length with the scoop back and pleated rectangle skirt. I think I want this in my size now! (there is a Ladies Bateau dress available!)

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I added on the Bateau bolero to round out the outfit, and it just works so well with this style of dress!

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Details of the Bolero pattern:

Sizes: 1-14
Basic bolero
This can be basic and casual in knit or quilting cotton, or over-the-top in fur or sequins.
The front is designed to close with ribbons tied in a bow, but I love it with no closure!

Be sure to grab your bundle today! It will be on sale HERE at Noon CST! ***Fabric SOLD out*** Be sure to check out her website for more awesome fabric!

 

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Winter Wear Designs: The V Neck Vest

When I really got back into sewing and discovered PDF patterns, I quickly caught the testing bug! I love testing patterns and helping designers work out all the kinks! As life became busier and I started working for designers, I stopped testing, I just couldn’t make the time commitment and I really don’t like turning stuff in late! Lately, I have been getting back into testing groups, and Winter Wear Designs is one of my favorite designers to test for. I love her approach to testing and how she actually listens to what the testers say and suggest. I also LOVE that she is working on getting more BOY patterns out into pattern land! you can see more of the items I have made from this designer here.

The test we just finished up is for the boys V Neck Vest. It is on sale through Tuesday 2/2/16 for only $4!! Be sure to pick yours up! Of course, it will also look super cute on all those girls as well!

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Isn’t he just so cute??

 

Details:

Size: 1-14 (a size 1 is equivalent to 18 months)

V neck
banded arm holes
banded hem or a regular turned hem

Fabric choices:

upcycling
raw yardage of sweater knits
thick knit fabrics

This is definitely a nap time project! A few of the testers times ourselves and the average was ~33 min from start to finish!

My toddler loves his and keeps asking for his “soft shirt”

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Details about mine- The blue is a size 2 width with a 4 length and banded bottom. This was my first run of the pattern, and even though he fit in the 2 measurements, it was a little snug, so if you are in between measurements, I would size up. The red, is a straight size 3 with banded bottom. the fit was spot on! I can see is having a few more of these in the coming weeks! and defintely something cute for Easter!

Don’t forget to pick up your copy while it is on sale!