My favourite 5 year old is turning 6 soon, so I decided to whip up a fun little sundress, and as I’d just bought a bolt of gingham for muslin making I thought it would be perfect fabric for the project.
I follow Purl Bee Soho’s blog and saw their Smocked Dress and Shirt Pattern a while ago, but forgot about it until I decided to do this project. It has adorable hand-smocking at the neckline, and they recommend doing it with contrasting embroidery thread which creates a lovely effect.
And who could resist this gorgeous pattern cover?!
However I have to say that I was a bit disappointed when I got the “pattern”. Quotes because… it’s not really a pattern. It’s a booklet that tells you to cut two rectangles and make bias straps, and a short photo tutorial on smocking, which is a bit steep for $8.50 plus postage. If you were a total beginner it might be helpful for the guidance on how to attach bias strips and so on, but for me it wasn’t really necessary.
That said: gorgeous little dress! My smocking isn’t perfect but it definitely worked. I hope she likes it, and it should carry her through quite a while as it’ll start as a dress and turn into a tunic over time. I’m always thrilled by how easy kids are to (not) fit, and also how long dresses fit as long as the armholes are large enough – the little lady and her sister are still wearing Oliver+S dresses I made them 2 years ago.
In the future I think I’ll stick to Oliver+S and self-drafted patterns, though. What are you fave children’s patterns folks? Any nice little embellishment tips? I’ll post a little hand smocking tutorial too so you can also give it a try!
this is so pretty but i also wouldn’t be impressed by that “pattern”. i love oliver+s free patterns, especially the lazy days skirt with the ribbon round the hem. the junebug dress by CINO is so cute too!
I LOVE Oliver+S! They’re my go-to for kids patterns – they’re always so professional looking and lovely.
That’s really sweet! My girl’s too old for that pattern, sadly, but you’ve made me all nostalgic for little girl sewing…
I also love Oliver + S patterns for kids. For knits, I really like Go To Patterns. My favorite TNT pattern for girls is the Geranium Dress by Made By Rae. I’ve had good results for boys with Blank Slate Patterns (haven’t tried any of the girl designs yet, but she has some good ones).
I agree with you on the Purl Bee “patterns”. I have had more luck with their knitting projects than sewing, sadly. The blog is a great source of inspiration though, and the store is lovely.
I second Blank Slate patterns for kids. She has a lot of really wearable, current designs for both boys and girls. I’ve found the instructions to be very good, the patterns well-drafted, and the PDFs easy to lay out and tape. Peek-a-Boo patterns also has some really cute, very girlie designs (the Adelaide vintage-style romper is ridiculously cute), and their drafting/fit is good, although the overall “package” maybe isn’t as polished as Blank Slate’s. And of course, there’s Ottobre Design magazine.
I used to make Sprogzilla the “Redondo” skirt pattern from Studio Tantrum all the time. It is a great pattern as you just keep adding in panels and making it a bit longer as they grow. She got so many complements when she was wearing them. Top tip though. The hems end up huge so don’t do what I did and and finish of your bias (if you use it) by hand. 🙂
“Sew Beautiful” magazine is filled with these kinds of children’s clothing. Always has quite a few paper pattern insets also. I don’t have any children to sew for anymore, but I do still pick up one of the mags every once in a while.
My favorite pattern companies for kids clothes are blank slate patterns, go to patterns, made by rae, lou bee clothing, made by rae, made (dana). see kate sew also has some great patterns, but they are sometimes a bit “too much” for me – so it depends on personal taste…
Have fun checking these sites out.
Oh, and of course check out Willow & Co patterns. Some fun patterns there to…
This is really cute!