Pattern Test for 5 Berries

January 2019.  My first pattern test! I got an email from 5Berries asking if I would like to test a pattern. I said sure! In exchange, I got this pattern for free. I made no alteration to the pattern. It was a fairly easy sew and turned out super cute. I haven't done anything quite like these flounces before, but they weren't hard. My only gripe with this dress is that it is way, way too short, its more of a tunic on Eesa (which is fine) but as a dress its just too short for my liking. You can find the pattern here. My rating is in there somewhere, lost in the other thousands, which even I do not have the patience to find. I think my favorite thing about this pattern is (oddly, I know!) the neckline-it turned out so dainty and professional-looking. I do like the straight-dress style and of course the flounces! I made a sash that can be used as well--as a sash--or a headband. Eesa wore this dress a couple of times but never wore it the next year, so I guess I'll try to sell it but its not super trendy so I won't be surprised if it doesn't sell. Here are the pictures, I took a lot for the review. I love the entire ensemble on her! I'm sad she didn't wear this dress much; its so very cute!

Sequin Initial Raglan Top

January 2018.  Oooh I just love this top for Elisa. And not a another dress, yay! I used the same pattern (its free!) as it did in this post. A size or two up, of course. I was inspired by some sequin tops with initials I saw while browsing Justice. I fortunately was able to use leftover sequin fabric from this here dress, good thing because sequin fabric ain't cheap. The main fabric I found at Goodwill--such a good deal for several yards of good-quality knit navy cotton! Raglan shirts are super quick & easy to sew up (at least relative to other sewing projects). The "hardest" part was cutting out the E and making sure it didn't rip or warp. I used the sequin fabric as an overly and sewed around the E. Eesa wore this shirt frequently (or at least frequently enough so long as the weather allowed) for two years in row. Will she get another year's wear out of it? Maybe. I will just make her a new one, if not.

Another Christmas Dress 2018

Yep, another Christmas dress! I spotted this fabric at a Sewing & Vac store (which I had just discovered), and it was just too cute to pass up on! The snow-globe angels are just adorable. I bought a yard, for $8 I believe. I used the Clara dress pattern from Violette Field Threads, and added a back sash and a couple of trims (leftover gold from the previous Christmas dress) to make the dress a bit more interesting.  I love how this dress turned out. Just so darling! Unfortunately, Eesa was only able to wear this dress for a year, as it was too small the next year. I swear the Clara top runs small, relative to their other patterns in the same size. I don't know why I didn't sell it this last December; I probably forgot. I will try this next Christmas season, because this dress is just too cute to not be worn!

The dress in action at her class Christmas party!

Christmas Dresses 2018

Here are my Christmas dresses to finish off the 2018 year! I made one for Eesa and one for her cousin. I found a Christmas-y plaid polyester fabric at Joanns for only $5/yard. I made two different dresses--they aren't matchy-matchy, and I don't even think they coordinate very well together--but individually they are cuuuuute! I made both of them the same size (a 7 I think), and let Eesa pick out the one she liked best.  She chose the dress trimmed in gold, with a collar and a big bow in the back. For that dress, I used Violette Field Threads' Piper (updated) pattern.  It was easy enough to sew up. I was lucky enough to happen to have metallic gold fabric that was soft enough to use in clothing. I found it at Goodwill; I don't know where to buy more but I'm sure I could find out eventually with enough online-sleuthing. I got lucky again, and was able to find matching gold trim (bias tape) for the hem, and I fished out two gold buttons out of my button stash for that added cuteness.  I'm very happy with how the dress turned out, and Eesa actually wore it two Christmases in a row! I'm not sure she'll fit in the dress this Christmas (2020), but I don't mind making a new Christmas dress!  

So sweet!

How cute is that bow?!

The buttons add a nice touch

For the other dress--that ended up with the cousin--I used the Penelope Dress pattern, and didn't make any alterations to the pattern other than adding several inches to the skirt, which I always do anyway.  I love how this one turned out; it reminds me of an American Girl dress---very classic! Eesa did sneak in one wear of this dress to school before we handed it over to her cousin! I was sorta hoping cousin would outgrow the dress after 2018 Christmas, but she ended up wearing this dress yet another Christmas, which is a good thing. Maybe Eesa can wear this dress for Christmas 2020, but I'm guessing it will be too small.

Not a great picture, but here are the girls together wearing their Christmas dresses

Navy, Maroon, and Mustard Outfit

[December 2018] I was in Hobby Lobby and saw a display outfit that I thought was adorable. I unfortunately didn't get a picture of it, but it was the main inspiration for this outfit: the fabrics of course, but also the style. I used Violette Field Thread's Piper Top & Dress pattern for the top (I added the sash, bow, and ruffled bell sleeves myself), and the Piper leggings pattern for the leggings.  I like making Eesa leggings because they are easy to sew up and I can add a few inches because she is so long and skinny. Most leggings we buy at the store are too short within a month. Here she is, modeling her cute new outfit that she probably only wore once or twice after this. She could have worn for the following year as well, but she absolutely refused. I'm never sure what will strike a chord with Eesa and what won't, all the outfits I make look pretty darn cute to me. I'm not sure that this outfit will sell, but I suppose I could as least try:

Pink Velvet Dress

[November 2018] Most people buy shoes to match the dress. In this case, I made a dress to match the shoes! I was in Hobby Lobby and saw this velvet fabric that looked just like some shoes I had just bought Eesa, so I bought a few yards, and came up with this here gorgeous dress. I used VFT's Talluh dress pattern. I added some personal touches such as a ruffle on the bottom of the sleeves and I just so happened to have some crochet trim that looked great with the dress so I added that around the hem, sleeve ends, and down the middle. And to top it all off, I sewed in some matching pink pearls into the crochet trim on the bodice and the hem. Eesa wore--and still wears--this dress quite frequently. She's long since out grown the shoes, but I made the dress long enough for her to get a few year's worth of wear, plus its slightly stretchy. Here she is modeling her pretty dress. She looks like a princess in it!

Blue Plaid Shirts

Here are some shirts I made in November 2018 that didn't get the love they really deserve! I bought a couple yards of this navy blue plaid fabric at Walmart, and decided to make Elisa another button-up shirt using VFT's Hattie pattern, but this time with long sleeves since summer was over and winter was just beginning. I saw a girl's shirt with lace on the bottom on a clothing website, and I wanted to make one similar for Eesa. I actually had to run back to Walmart to buy the lace on the bottom, and some cute wooden buttons so I could make the shirt according to what was in my head. I think it turned out great--just the way I wanted, except for one thing: the sleeves were too short, by at least 1/2 and inch. Ugh. She wore this shirt maybe twice and never wore it again. I think if I choose to sell it, I'll mark it as a size 5 instead of my intended size 6:

I was in a department store and came across this Carter's outfit set, and thought, "Hey, I have fabric just like that!" So I went to work, using the oxford shirt pattern from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop and leftover fabric from Eesa's shirt, and made my youngest a shirt almost exactly like the one Carter's put out, down to the little embroidered animal (mine is an elephant though and not a dinosaur). We even had the same color pants! He wore the shirt a couple of times, and outgrew it in no time flat:

Teal and Yellow Coat

I saw someone's post on the Violette Field Threads facebook group about making a coat out of the Hattie dress pattern, and I loved the idea so much that I wanted to make Eesa a coat of her own (using my own choice of fabrics, of course, I rarely straight-up copycat). I headed to Hobby Lobby and bought $30 worth of a heavy(ish) twill cotton fabric, in teal.  I found a cotton lining with a gorgeous pattern to match, and some large yellow buttons as well. Since I was making alterations to the original pattern, it was a little tricky to put together, particularly getting the skirt lining to the exact right length that I wanted, in relation to the outside. Its not 100% perfect, but its really hard to notice that I didn't get the lining to lie exactly flat. I also had some issues with getting my machine to sew the button holes, but other than that, I think the jacket turned out lovely! Eesa got lots of compliments when she wore it, and we got a few years out of the jacket, so I might end up selling it this year since Eesa has outgrown it.  

Pink and Gold Unicorn Dress

Here we go again...another gorgeous dress that slipped between the cracks and never got posted.  And yep, its yet another unicorn dress! I made this dress waayy back Jan 2017, or possibly December 2016 (sorry its been so long that I can't remember). I wanted to make sure to post this because its such an adorable dress! Eesa has long since outgrown it, in fact, I sold it a year or two ago, but isn't this such a sweet dress? I made it using the Clara dress pattern from Violette Field Threads.  I did widen the "wings" on the sleeves an inch or more than what the pattern asked for. This was one of my first times sewing an exposed zipper.  I found a gold zipper at Joanns that matched perfectly.  I cost about the same as the fabric itself, but I bought it anyway since it match so perfectly.  I also used some braided gold trim I had in my stash--it really made the dress pop!  

Halloween Dress

Eesa had been wearing the Halloween dress (see this post) I made here back in 2016 for two Halloweens in a row, so it was time for a new Halloween dress (Oct. 2018). This dress was constructed using crushed velvet from Hobby Lobby for the bodice, Halloween novelty fabric from Joanns, and some black tulle from Hobby Lobby. I used the Penelope pattern from Violette Field Threads. It sewed up nice n' easy, and I just love the tulle at the bottom, it just goes so great with the Halloween theme; it reminds me of spider webs or something witchy! Eesa has also worn this dress for two Halloweens in a row, so now that its 2020, there may possibly be a new Halloween dress coming out this fall for Eesa. Here she is modeling her Halloween dress:

The dress in action. What a perfect dress for a school Halloween party! She got lots of compliments on it:

Pink Sequin Dress

Here's another beautiful dress that I am quite proud of (made Sept. 2018). I found the sparkle fabric as a remnant at Joanns, that was (surprisingly) over a yards worth. It was $15 for the remnant; sequin fabric is typically more pricey, but I didn't mind spending that much because the sequin fabric is gorgeous! My favorite part? It had a beautiful finished edge already, so I didn't have to hem the dress. I used a combination of patterns--VFT patterns, as is typical--Harlow, Penelope, and Maisie.  I added my own back sash, and I never use the given pattern measurements for skirts in any of my dresses, as I think they are all too short. You can't see it too well in the pictures, but I covered KAM snaps in the sparkle fabric for the back enclosure, and I love that extra touch of sparkle. If that weren't enough sparkle, I also made a hair bow to match the dress. Here are the pics, I just love it when she wears her pettiskirt under the dress, it really make her look like a princess!

Purple Velvet Shirt

I saw a shirt very similar to this one I made at Walmart and thought "I can make that". And so I did! My version is also better quality, I'm certain of that. I bought the purple crushed velvet fabric at Hobby Lobby, and used the Violette Field Threads Talluah knit shirt pattern. I added the ruffle on the sleeves on my own. How cute is this shirt?! It was a quick and easy sew too! Eesa wore this shirt many, many times for two years in a row. Nothing beats a cute, comfy shirt for schooldays.

 

Dress from Fat Quarters

Here is a dress that I really like, that for some reason or another I never got around to posting. I made this *most likely* spring of 2017, but I'm not certain.  I made this dress using the Cossette dress pattern from Violette Field Threads. I made the skirt out of fat quarters from a big ol' bag of fabric that I found at Goodwill. For the bodice, I used white broadcloth. Goodness this dress is just so cute, I just love it so much! I love the color scheme--red, yellow and orange aren't seen a whole lot in little girl's dresses, so its a nice change from the usual. I should look into selling this dress, as it is much to small (and especially too short) for Eesa.

Another Unicorn Dress

It's so weird...but I feel like I JUST made this dress, even though I made it a year and a half before this post was created (sometime in August 2018). I found this adorable unicorn fabric at Hobby Lobby and just had to buy it. I just loooove this dress. The lace (also purchased at Hobby Lobby, to match) just adds that special touch, and so does the pink ribbon.  I used the Maisy dress pattern from Violette Field Threads, since I love the low, zippered back. I had to hand stitch the tops of the lace on the bodice so it would flop down. Eesa wore this dress often enough that I could tell that she liked it, in fact, she even wore it for her class pictures a year after this dress was made. That was about, oh, six months ago. I tried it on Eesa again just a week ago, ad lo and behold it was too small! Not just a little small--we could barely zip it up! So I sold this dress. I hope the next wearer is happy with this gorgeous, one of a kind dress!