Matinée Pattern Release Tester Tour :: Day 2

It’s Day 2 of the tester’s pattern tour for the release of the Matinée pattern.  Before I share my tester’s lovely versions, I wanted to talk to you about the features of the pattern itself:

Beginning with the pattern title page with these fabulously adorable watercolors I commissioned from Dandyroo Designs on Etsy.  Candace took the photos I sent her (recognize the green ombre dots dress?) and painted these images of a darling little girl!  You can order a custom watercolor of your family or of your house – but don’t keep her too busy, I have plans for her to make more paintings for my future patterns!

All of the step-by-step instructions are illustrated with clear graphics.  Why graphics, you might ask?  I have found that I love the simplicity and clarity of illustrations, with no competing fabric patterns, the ability to make pieces transparent to see what is happening below the outer layers, and it makes a more timeless pattern.  Once I got the hang of making these illustrations, it was so much fun!

The Matinée looks best when it is properly fitted without any gaping at the lower back, so I’ve included guidance for blending two sizes if your childs’ measurements place her in two different sizes, say a 3T for the waist measurement, but a torso measurement of 5T.

And the pièce de résistance, is that the pattern sizes are layered within the pdf file!  You only have to print the size(s) you want, so no crossed eyes trying to follow the lines as they intersect across pages!  You can select one or all the sizes, so blending two or more sizes is so super easy!

I have tried my utmost to present the best possible pattern for you to create a lovely, professional dress or top for your little girl.  I hope you’ll appreciate the care and hard work that went into creating this pattern.

You can purchase through my Etsy shop at Jennuine Design.  Use the code MATINEE20 at checkout to receive a 20% discount through Friday to celebrate the release!

The pattern is also available on Craftsy.  This listing is at the discounted rate as Craftsy doesn’t have coupon or discount capabilities.

Okay, so now on to more of my amazing testers!

Kim of Kimmie Sew Crazy had one of the first finishes in the group, and I was so excited I squealed to see the cool fabric combinations she used.  Not to mention her sweet model and how well the playground equipment in the other shots worked into the styling.  I think I need to try gold fabric on my next version!  She’s already made another version for her own daughter and she mixed it up with a gold underskirt, an idea I promptly added to a section on suggestions to customize your Matinée!

Rawr!!  Laura of Manning the Machine made this wild leopard print (or is that cheetah??  I can never remember!) with a hot pink sash version for her little girl.  She posted a little video in the tester group because she just kept swaying and dancing as soon as she put it on her!  So stinkin’ cute!

Ingrid of Kuka and Bubu made a dress with the optional hem band.  I love the way the hem band balances a sash with high contrast like here.  You can see a little peek into the slit of the pocket on the skirt – pattern pieces for in-seam pockets are included because a dress with pockets is even better, right?  And look how perfect for twirling!  I mean, that’s practically a requirement for a little girls’ dress, right?

And last but not least for today is Shelly of Sew Shelly Sew with this great white and bright sleeveless peplum top version!  I think the white with the bold colored stripes is such a nice look.  Somebody looks like they had a great time finding Easter goodies in the grass!  Cute, cute, cute!