Sullivan School Dress

  A couple of months ago Abby from Sew Much Ado came out with a really cute new pattern. I tend to wait some time to buy new releases, but I liked this one enough to buy it immediately!

  I initially wanted to make this up in some soft pastels, but when I had a chance to sew it a few weeks ago I didn't have any light fabrics that I liked together for this pattern... so I took a totally different direction and used some pretty fall tones.

  Beckers usually fits in 18 month or 2T patterns as far as chest width, but on this size chart she was a 3T, and a 4T in height as usual. I sewed up the 3T and added 2" of length to the skirt hem- it fits her really well! (Or, it did when I sewed it. Since I took these photos she's grown a couple more inches and now it's a bit short.)

  I wasn't sure what to expect, since this was the first pattern from Sew Much Ado that I've sewn, but it was good! This one has illustrations to explain the steps, which is my preference, although I think her other patterns use photos.

  I was delighted to discover that the sleeve cap and armscyes are NOT symmetrical from front to back! There are still some wrinkles are the back armscye, but the front is just about perfect, and I love the sleeve detail:

  The scalloped layer of the bodice floats freely over the lining layer, and there's an elastic casing on the lining layer where the skirt attaches.

  Most of the edges are trued, with the exception of the lower bodice edge for the scalloped version (although the bodice layer is trued for the plain-edge version) and the scallop facing. The scallop facing is really the only thing I disliked about the pattern... it has a double-fold hem at the top edge, which seems unnecessary to me, possible even detrimental to helping the scalloped portion stay in place, and was also slightly difficult to sew with the dip at the side seams there. Next time I would true that edge, and do a serged edge or a single-fold hem there instead.

  The pattern suggests a flat-felled seam for the lining side seams, but I did a regular seam and serged the edges... with the waist seam and sleeve seams also being serged, it made more sense to me to also finish the lining that way.

  The back closure is a keyhole with a button and loop. I used an interesting button that I found at Hobby Lobby a few years ago.

  The red fabric is Moda Bella Solid Country Red, leftover from the girls' Christmas dresses, and I think the print is something I picked up at a yardsale a few years ago, but it could also have been gifted to me. The selvedge says 'The Whole Country Caboodle by Leanne Anderson.'

  I promise I pressed this dress! Those wrinkles just did NOT want to come out, even when I used starch. I suspect that my iron isn't getting quite as hot as it used to.

  Anyway, I will definitely be using the pattern again, I think it's adorable! And when asked if she liked her new dress, Beckers responded, "I DEW!" =)

Thanks for stopping by,