see sally go to the library.

a few weeks ago i got the opportunity to be a pattern tester for shannon over at luvinthemommyhood. she was looking for testers for her new sally dress pattern and it was all very hush hush and covert. late night emails, secret photo shoots…i even had to poke out jeremy’s eyes when he accidentally caught sight of an unfinished dress i was working on. sorry, hon. but the sewing world is a dangerous place. if you can’t take the stitches, get out of the craft room.

anyway, now the pattern is released !YAY! so i can share some pics of what i did.

so first of all i was slated for the size 8 testing. i made 3 separate bodices for ava, each slightly different versions of the pattern.

the sally dress comes with three sleeve options: sleeveless, short sleeves, elbow length sleeves.

in the end we went with a sleeveless version, which i shortened to tunic length.

i’m thinking the 3/4 length sleeves in a tunic length over legging = perfect for back to school wear. yup yup.

this fabric…let’s talk about it. i’ve been moving this floral fabric from place to place for ohhh…a bazillion years give or take a century. i bought 5 yards (as usual, that’s my go-to number when i find a cute + cheap fabric) at $1/yard and every summer i plan on making summer dresses for my girls and never do. so i’ve made a pledge with myself to Shop My Stash more and Shop the Stores less…and this was the perfect opportunity.

now let’s talk about the pattern: i love this pattern so much i went ahead and sewed up two more: coordinating dresses for elliot and gigi. this was another five yards of $1 walmart fabric that’s been in my stash since the dawn of time. look at me go with my Stashbusting ways.

it had two different borders: the small stripe one, and the very detailed large border. i varied my cutting direction to showcase a different portion on each girls’ dress, and i really had fun with it!

but hey, you know…it’s cool that i bathed and braided and ironed and dressed and went to the spot i’d picked…and then it started pouring on the way there. it’s becoming the modus operandi for my photoshoots apparently.

turns out a rainy parking lot isn’t a terrible backdrop. but when your little ones don’t want to stay still on a very overcast day you get a lot of this…

so our “spot” was actually outside of our favorite library, and i will go there again at some point for photos because it’s just so pretty. but due to the rain we headed right in to the library where i attempted some more photos…

yeah. nope.

the books worked their literary magic. so i got a bunch of that up there, and a little of this…

sigh. okay so this is what i’ll tell you about the sally dress:

+ it’s a quick and awesome sew. from print out to finish it took less than 2 hours for the sleeveless version
+ a big plus: there’s only 2 pages of pattern to print out. i do love PDF patterns, but i’m cheap cheap cheap and lazy lazy lazy at heart so it a little bit kills me when i have to print out 27 pages of pattern pieces, and then spend 2.6 hours taping them together.
+  it’s got big deep pockets which both the kids and i love. and the way they’re sewn right into the side seams is adorable
+ there’s no closures on the fully lined bodice. i’d never done a seamless lined bodice before so i loved learning a new technique.
+ i found it ran a little snug on my kiddos, so make sure you check measurements before deciding on a size. and maybe size up just for safety. the dresses go on over their heads, but it’s a little bit of a struggle when they freak out because they think they’re stuck. ha. EDITED TO ADD: i was a tester, on a version of the pattern that differs from the final version. i’ve got the final pattern and it looks like the bodice has been cut a little more roomy, but i haven’t sewn it up yet to give you my 2 cents (which obvs you’re dying for). anyway—my prior recommendation still stands: go by the final measurements, not what “size” you think is right. and it’s worth a muslin if you’re not sure. carry on…
+ i’m gauging it at an experienced beginner/intermediate. if you’re looking to add some new skillllz to your repertoire this is the perfect pattern.

if you want to buy the sally dress go HERE. i highly recommend it. ;)