Sofliantjes {Amare To and Dress} A review

size 4 dress, with sash option

Its no secret that I am more of a sewer of knits.. I love the quickness of sewing with knits. Woven takes time, and I am a bit of a perfectionist sometimes (not that it always shows :P) so it takes a little longer, and well when you have 4 kids.. sometimes its the quick and dirty sew you need.

When I do sew something with woven, I need a pattern that is easy to follow, and produces a beautiful result, and Sofliantjes is definitely one of my go to designers.

I was involved in testing the Amare Dress and Top. I loooooooove the finished product. It is super cute, classy and modest.. and what little girl would not look gorgeous in this?

You have the option of a top or a knee length dress, you can have a bow, or a sash.. or as some testers did a bow and a sash! The options with colour blocking this one is what makes it! I'm adding this pattern to the Christmas photo options for my girls this year.

It also has a great size range 12 months to 12 years, but isn't recommended for those with a developing chest and is an advanced beginner to intermediate pattern. It has a few tricky parts but honestly, if I can do it you can do it!

There is no pattern piece for the skirt portion of the dress and top, only the bodice so it helps save on ink as well. You also have the options of using Buttons or snaps on the back closure... I used snaps, because well.. button holes are not my most favourite thing to do.

If you haven't tried any Sofliantjes patterns you really should, and for its release the pattern is on sale for $5USD at the Sofliantjes website. It really is a beautiful design and I can't wait to make more of them.

E+M Patterns {Dress Pattern No.21} A review

My first time testing for Allison from E+M Patterns, and it was a pleasure to do so. I have a few E+M patterns in my pdf stash, and this new dress makes a nice additions to my girls wardrobe.

It has a few options that make this one very versatile, that will allow me to get the most out of this pattern for my three girls, and it very well may an appearance in my soon to open FB shop!

We have these Options

Three different sleeve lengths
- Short Sleeve
- 1/2 Sleeve
- Long sleeve

Three different Hem options
- Regular straight
- Shirt Hem (curved)
- Hi-Lo

Three waist options
- Shirred
- Hidden Elastic casing
- Belt Casing

It also has a very nice size range for 2-10 years old.

Plus is has my favourite feature of Trimless pages! they make my life easier!

The only thing really missing is layers.

The Dress goes together really easily and really quickly and the end result is beautiful. The gathering around the front neck is such a simple little addition and really adds a nice touch to the finished dress.

All up including the shirring, printing and taping together it took me an hour, next time will be quicker as when I am testing a pattern I take things a little slower and read things step by step.

Miss A was very pleased with the end result and her Pony dress, I had been hoarding this fabric for awhile, it was one of my very first knit purchases!

I can see using some sweat knit to make some really nice winter dresses using this pattern. Oh the ideas are spinning now!

Definitely recommend adding Dress No.21 to your PDF collection, and you can grab it on sale until Tuesday midnight (eastern time) for $4 USD (regular price is $8) no coupon code needed!

Size 5 long sleeve with shirring waist

If you want to see other tester photos just click this link  lots of inspiration!