Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Little Honey Dress


The Little Honey Dress is finished! To save time, I've copied my review from Pattern Review here instead of writing another different post. In a day or so, I'll add pictures of Emily wearing the dress.

Pattern Description:

Oliver+S Jump Rope Dress Pattern

Shirtwaist dress features rounded collar and front placket detail. View A includes short sleeves with folded cuff and sleeve tab, slightly dropped waist, patch pockets, and self sash with belt loops. View B features long-sleeves with folded cuffs, A-line shaping, and gathered bias-trimmed patch pockets. I sewed view A.

Pattern Sizing:
Sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 all in one envelope. Smaller sizes are also available. I made a size 5 and found the fit to be true to size.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Inspired by a blouse on the cover of a recent Ottobre magazine, I decided to add a ruffle to the center front of the dress. Otherwise, my finished garment looks like the pattern.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Excellent instructions! The front placket instructions in particular are very well-written and have clear illustrations. I've not had good success with this advanced type of placket, but by following the instructions my placket came out great. I'll refer to these instructions next time I sew this type of placket.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the front placket.
I love the dropped waist.
I love the many details in this pattern---the top stitching, the belt loops, the sleeve tabs, the pocket flaps, the sash, and the sweet little collar that rolls so nicely even without a separate collar stand.
I love the ruffle I added to the center front.
I love the way the found-in-my-stash purple buttons match the center of the flowers on the fabric.
I love the voile fabric I used. Lovely stuff, really, yummy, yummy voile from designer Anna Maria Horner.
I love the classic lines of this pattern.

Fabric Used:
Two coordinating prints of cotton voile from Anna Maria Horner. Did I mention how lovely this voile is?!!

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Only 2 changes: I added a ruffle to the front of the dress, and I lined the skirt with white voile. There will be no searching for the always-lost slip with this dress...it has its own built-in slip.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, and yes! My Emily wears a size 5, and the pattern goes up to a size 8. Yup, I'll be making it again!

Conclusion:
This is a sweet little pattern with a timeless, classic style.

I have enjoyed sewing this dress, and I can't wait to show you the pictures of Emily wearing it.


14 comments:

  1. Very sweet dress! Great job!

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  2. You have a very good eye! Such a pretty dress. I have been meaning to get some Oliver + S patterns as I think they are so cute. I really need to get on that!

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  3. Looks great! I love the fabric pattern!

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  4. I love the fabrics you've used, the colours are so pretty.
    Florrie x

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  5. This dress is so lovely. The red and lavender are beautiful together and it's really interesting to see your sketches. I thought you were using a pattern, but realized you were customizing it. I would have loved a dress like this to wear to church when I was little.

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  6. That fabric is wonderful! Great review, very thorough, thank you!

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  7. Well done! I love your fabric choice and the ruffle is a perfect compliment to the already sweet pattern.

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  8. Absolutely adorable! I love the light purple buttons too!

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  9. Love it, thanks for posting!

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  10. Love this dress. This would be great to make for my nearly 3 year old girl. I love the material that was used.

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