The Bubblegum Dress by Candy Castle Patterns Review

I was asked last week to review another pattern, do you think I jumped at the chance?!?!?! Why yes, yes I did! As I stated in my last blog post (which also happened to be a pattern review) I love reviewing patterns, more so than testing them....I think it goes a little past love....I think I might be ever so slightly addicted to doing pattern reviews!!

When I was contacted to review this pattern I was just told it was for a dress....no problem...both of my girls adore dresses.....I received the pattern via email and saw that it was a wrap dress...I was a little more than anxious to start creating this little wrap dress...and not the good kind of anxious....I have not had good experiences in the past with wrap dresses....wait....I've had HORRID experiences with wrap dresses...but I had a job to do so that's what I set out to do!!! 

The dress is called The Bubblegum Dress and the designer of this pattern is Candy Castle Patterns.

I started as I would with any pdf pattern and saved to my computer and then got ready to get it all printed out....before I hit the print button I noticed there were 52 pages to print....EEK....but have no fear....after looking through the pattern before actually starting to cut the fabric and sew it together I realized how amazing those 52 pages were!

 I am not a "beginner sewist" but on the same hand I have not mastered every skill there is to sewing, let's face it, I probably never will!!! When reviewing a pattern I try to view it from the standpoint of someone who might not be as advanced or as comfortable with sewing and pdf patterns as I am. It is so much easier to have lots of detailed information with some tips and tricks thrown in there than to have a pattern with instructions that sound like they were written by someone who is speaking a whole different language.

In my opinion it is easier for an advanced sewer to skim through and just use what they need than for a beginner sewer to have to try and decipher and interrupt a foreign pattern language. 

The instructions and information in this pattern were spot on! I loved that there was a description at the very beginning of this pattern that stated what kind of fabric to use and how the dress should fit on the child. I loved that there were SO many options on how you could mix and match different prints and different fabrics to get a truly unique look. I only used 2 different cotton prints as I was going for a basic look but really with this dress the possibilities are truly endless.

Another love which sounds silly is that the pages are numbered and the seam allowances are included....be still my heart! I believe I mentioned it in a previous post, but I am not a mathematician, nor do I have hopes and dreams of one day becoming one so seam allowances included in patterns for me are a MUST!!!! I will not knowingly buy a pattern if it does not include the seam allowances...no way...no how!

Another favorite thing of mine is COLOR CODED PATTERN PIECES!!! I often wonder why more pattern designers do not use the color coding system but it just makes my heart so happy when I print a pattern and see that the pattern pieces are a rainbow of colors!!! It makes it so much easier on the eyes.....when they are all black my eyes sometimes tend to go a little wonky and sometimes you might just catch me hunched over my cutting table with my face two inches from the pattern pieces trying to figure out just which line to cut for the size I am needing!!! 

At first I was not planning on using the bias tape at the neck area but after putting the dress together I found I needed some little pop of color on the bodice. I loved that this pattern had directions to make this dress so many different ways....and the way in which the instructions are written it was easy to maneuver through the pattern and skip steps that you might not need without any causing any undo confusion.

The fact that this dress goes from size 6 months to 12 years made me want to jump up and down and squeal with delight! It is very rare to find a pattern with such a wide range of sizes!!! This pattern is truly perfect for girls of all ages....it can be cute as a button for your little tot or you can make it more sophisticated for your big girl! In addition to having the GARGANTUAN range of sizes, this dress is also modest and very kid friendly! No backs or tummies hanging out...there is no need to alter any part of this dress for "additional coverage" for your little darlings. 

In addition to everything I mentioned above, I found this pattern to be true to size with a brilliant fit.  If you are worried about a younger child undoing it and letting the world see all her goodies you can package those thoughts up and put them away on a high shelf. The way that this dress is constructed your child will probably not even be aware that there is a tie on the side. It is not bulky or hanging in the way....and even if your little escape artist does discover the tie and pulls on it, the dress is not going to just fall open and expose everything....this dress just works in every aspect of the way!!!! There is only one thing that I altered on this pattern and that was to top stitch where the bodice meets the skirt portion of the dress. I'm all about a very polished and finished look so my OCD kicked in and I HAD to add that top stitch!!! I HAD to!!!!

So, to sum it up, this pattern rocks!!! There is so much versatility to this dress, the pattern was written very well with all levels of sewists in mind, the size range is phenomenal, the pattern pieces are color coded, and it's the best wrap dress I have ever had the pleasure to use.

The Bubblegum Dress pattern by Candy Castle Patterns gets two sewing machines up from this pattern reviewer!!! I loved making this dress. It was not only a breeze to make but it was fun to see it come together!

Happy Monday!!!! I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to their week!!!

xoxoxoxo

~Rebecca~

Fancy Pants Leggings by Titchy Threads Review

Occasionally I am asked to review and test patterns from various designers, so when asked to review a pattern from Titchy Threads I jumped at the chance.

I love reviewing patterns from new designers or designers that I have never used before...it gives me a chance to discover new and exciting designs from such very talented women! As much as I love sewing and creating there is NO.WAY.IN.H.E.DOUBLE.HOCKEY.STICKS I will EVER draft a pattern....I give it up to the people who do...before I started testing and reviewing I didn't realize how much went into drafting a pattern...I took the designers for granted...this lady is sticking to being creative through sewing....pattern drafting is definitely out of my league!

So here they are, my take on the Fancy Pants Leggings. I opted to make the full length leggings using 4 way stretch knit bought from Funkalicious Fabrics. I am not a genius when it comes to sewing with knits, in all honesty I am quite the opposite.....it's not that I fear them or anything (ok, maybe there is a little fear there), I just didn't want to hurl my sewing machine or serger through the window while making them.....who's go time for that?!?!!? (hee hee)

There are so many things that I loved about this pattern. If you click the link above for Titchy Threads some might think that this pattern is geared more towards pajama pants, which they work wonderfully for, but I think this pattern also works marvelously for just every day leggings! When in the market for patterns one of my main goals when searching is the versatility of it, how much use am I going to get out of it. This pattern ranks way up there on the versatility scale! Laura gives so many options with these. They can be made in short length or regular length and there are instructions on different waist bands and ankle finishes to achieve your desired look.

The instructions are crystal clear on this pattern from start to finish! Laura includes so much detailed information in her pattern that even a novice knit sewist like myself feels comfortable. If you have never sewn with knits or if you are looking for a pattern to sharpen your knit sewing abilities this is a great one....

A few more details, small as they are but make a world of difference, that I love about this pattern is that there is a detailed table of contents, the pattern is computer drafted (means so much to me), tips and tricks on sewing with knits are included (cue the heavenly choir), the pattern is well written and has LOTS of pictures to help guide you along your knit sewing adventure, the pages are numbered (sounds silly but so many patterns I use do not number the pages which can turn out catastrophic if the pattern gets into the hands of a certain 5 year old that loves to "help" me create!), and lastly, the finished product is so cute and the possibilities with these simple leggings are ENDLESS!!!

There is only one downfall in my opinion with this pattern, and to me it's a pretty big one. The pattern size range is 0-3 months to a size 4T. I would have loved to see (or hopefully we will see in the near future) this pattern have a much larger size range. Who doesn't love leggings? I know both of my girls do and sadly they have been out of a size 4T since they were about 3 years old.

A special thank you to the beautiful Lyla for modeling these leggings and a great big thank you to her mommy Audrey with Studio Audrey for the wonderful pictures. 

Have a fabulous Thursday! The weekend is ALMOST here!!! 

xoxoxoxo

~Rebecca~