Kids Clothes Week Day 4 РAhoy Matey Matin̩e Dress Finish

Yay!!  It’s Day 4 of Kids Clothes Week and I have my first finish!  Arden is doing a happy dance with me – or rather, she’s “shimmying” as she likes to call it.  I can only guess she learned it in dance class?

I had hoped to be a little further at this point, but I have bitten off way more than I can chew lately.  Pattern testing for three other designers, participating in a couple of series, working on my own pattern and testing, and preparing to attend SNAP! in a couple of weeks.  I’m a bit frazzled!  And I have a friend I know is even busier – I don’t know how she’s managing – Supergirl, I tell you!

This dress was made nearly exactly within the hour a day challenge, with some pauses to post on Instagram, or to check in or respond to questions with my pattern test.  About an hour each for the bodice, skirt, and finishing, including cutting.

On that – I’ve heard pattern testing can be pretty rough from a designer’s perspective so I keep waiting for the chaos to commence.  I must have done something right – along with hitting the tester lottery, because so far there haven’t been any major calamities and the finished dresses are fitting really well on some majorly cute kiddos!  One of my testers has already posted about her dress – check it (and her adorable little girl) out at Manning The Machine.

Because I was trying to preserve the ship motif on the front of this panel by Michael Miller, I chose not to do the sash that is part of the normal design of the Matinée Dress.  Instead, I used grosgrain ribbon I got from The Ribbon Retreat as my prize from Project Run & Play.  It still functions to keep the back closed, but leaves the front of the dress uninterrupted.  When I ordered I chose a few colors I thought might work with this dress and this aqua was a perfect match!  I’m planning to include this and other ideas to customize your dress in the pattern.

I am still on the fence about keeping the selvage.  I like the look of it, but the skirt is a couple of inches too long.  So, do I keep it knowing she’ll probably grow into it by the end of the summer when she’s hit her sunshine growth spurt, or hem it so it looks right now?

I had planned to go down to the riverfront and take pictures near the tall ship Appledore which is docked there, but it was grey and rainy for 95% of the day.  This was one of like two breaks in the clouds so we dashed outside and took some pics on the front porch while Hadley watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I’ll probably head down there another time when things settle down a bit so I can get some great pictures to use in the pattern and listings.

Gotta include the pockets, amiright?

Here’s the left side of the dress where I pattern matched across the seam.  Ahoy, Matey!

I’m adding this dress to the Project Run & Play sewalong for Signature Style week.  If my own pattern isn’t my signature style, then I don’t know what is!