In what has become a longer-than-anticipated project (who knew that things like kids would take up so much time, huh?), I have been working on drafting a girl's dress. About a year ago I sketched out some ideas for a patten, and then set out to figure out how to make it a reality. I knew how to sew, but had no experience in drafting, grading, digitizing, etc. So after many hours/days/weeks/months of reading, learning, experimenting, failing, and re-doing, I finally have not only a dress that looks like my original drawing, but a digital pattern as well. There are still a number of steps before it will be available for retail, but it's getting closer! One of those steps will be finding people who are willing to try the pattern and provide feedback, so if you might be interested in helping with that, please let me know in the comments below.
And here is the latest version of the dress!
The earlier versions of the dress (here and here) had a band at the bottom that could be used for color blocking. The bottom band is still included in the pattern, but an option has also been added for a solid skirt piece, like the one shown above.
Like the previous versions, this dress has pintucks, piping, and a Peter Pan collar. I haven't tried it yet without the collar, but I think that could look sweet as well. The back has a button closure (although, as you can see, there are no buttons on this dress yet. I either didn't buy enough or lost the ones I did buy, so it's pins for today!)
My daughter has grown since the floral version I made her earlier this summer, so this dress was a size up, and it seems to fit her really well. Honestly, I don't think it's quite frilly enough for her taste (she's into "princess" dresses these days), but I really love the shape and design.
As I mentioned earlier, there are still some things that need to be done before the pattern is ready for sale, but it's getting much closer! It's been so much fun (at at times, so frustrating!) to work on, but very satisfying as well.
