Summer of Sewing--Soleil Dress

I'm back today with my favorite dress pattern to sew for summer. And modeling it is my adorable niece. Her measurements were just under the recommended measurements for the Soleil Dress pattern for size 12 months, but since that was the smallest size available in the pattern, I went ahead and made it for her. So she has a little bit of room to grow into it, and maybe it will fit her next summer as a little tunic. 
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My very favorite detail in this dress is the back opening. I love that little surprise. An option for a closed back is also included in the pattern if you wish for that instead.

My second favorite detail in this dress is the pockets. They are so adorable in size 12 months, but you can see in my previous post that they are just as fun in the larger sizes.

This dress calls for knit fabric and ribbing for the bindings. You could also substitute fold over elastic (FOE) if you prefer that look. I like working with FOE but it is a bit tricky to really get the hang of it. The best tip I can give is to stretch the FOE slightly while applying and be sure not to stretch the fabric at all. But truthfully it just takes practice. My first few attempts at FOE ended up in the trash can. #truestory

I also really love how the gathers in the front of the dress are all bunched together at the center. This helps the pockets to be shaped well. In fact this pattern is the first one that I have ever made and bound pockets in this way, so it took me a minute to wrap my mind around the construction. If you have never sewn with knit, this would be a great dress to try it out on--especially if you choose the solid back option. Normally I like to sew knits with my serger, but lately I've been finding that I really love my standard sewing machine for knits by using the knit stitch. If you don't have a special knit stitch, just use a short zig zag stitch.

I love patterns by Lauren at Baste and Gather. You can purchase all of her patterns at (affiliate link) UpCraft Club. If you are a member, you can even purchase them with your monthly credit too. 

Who will you be making a Soleil Dress for?

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A New Look Blog Tour + Giveaway

I'm honored to be participating in the Gracious Threads A New Look Blog Tour (read to the very end for the giveaway). I have been looking forward to sewing the Rainbow Tee and Cirrus Skirt ever since they were released. My challenge was to sew up "a new look" in some way, shape, or form. I chose to sew the garments as suggested with no modifications. But I chose to sew them in camo colors for my girlie here. This is my girl who prefers to wear jeans and a t-shirt, so the new look for her is wearing a skirt and wearing camo. She generally chooses bright colors to wear, which look fantastic on her, but it was time to try something different. She wasn't too thrilled about the fabric choices at first, but once she tried them on, she commented about how comfortable they were and decided that she really did like wearing them. I can imagine this skirt would be super comfy sewn up in some sweatshirt knit and layered with leggings for the winter.