Happy Days Dress

Recently (and when I say recently I really mean about a month ago..shh)  I had the honor of testing the Happy Days Dress by Mandy K Designs.  This dress looks so professional with the collar and button down front. ( I used Kam snaps for mine) And all those pleats! The easy instructions walk you through the pleating process.

And Look how Cute that bow is!! This pattern has options too! You can go sleeveless for hotter weather and you can leave off the collar if you prefer. The pattern also gives directions to make a simple skirt with out all the pleats! How awesome is that!

I knew as soon as I saw this pattern that it was going to be perfect for back to school.  It will be great for those little girls who have to wear uniform colors and be in dress code. The pattern also give you clear instructions if you need to make the skirt longer. 

After I tested the pattern in the size 2 above I just had to make my other daughter one for back to school. It was a really hard decision picking out the fabric though. We are lucky enough to not have to have uniforms, so I really wanted to use a pattern that she would love. So I chose this Frozen fabric.

 Now I personally don't care for the Frozen fabric. I really think they could have made a much prettier fabric with the movie characters...But they didn't and  when I saw the "hard to find" material available I jumped on the band wagon. My daughter loves it and thats all the matters right!

This pattern is available in sizes 12mo-12years and is rated as a beginner pattern. If you follow the directions carefully and maybe use snaps instead of buttons, I really think an advanced beginner can pull this off. The bodice is completely lined and if you choose to do buttons you will have all those button holes to make.

I would like to Thank Amanda from Mandy K Designs for allowing me to be part of her testing process.

You can pick up her pattern here.

Until Next time.... Happy Sewing!

Raechel

Rissa Roo's Pixie Halter Top & Dress

One of the things I have been working on lately is testing the Rissa Roo's Pixie Summer Tank & the Rissa Roo's Pixie cotton woven Halter Top & Dress from the Plucky Butterfly Designs. I was lucky enough to get picked in the second round of testing for the knit summer tank version, and just really fell in love with the design. It is such a unique design that you don't see anywhere else.

The tank top version has 2 different strap styles. The completed bias look as shown above... or the tie straps are another great option. As seen below.

Now if your looking for even another option...You can pick up the Rissa Roo's Pixie Summer Halter Top to create the halter style like I will show you in the woven below.

I tested these just before Memorial Day so I had to make some in Red White & Blue of course! Here are all 3 of my girls sporting their Rissa Roo's Tank Tops. 

 I loved that I was able to include my big kid in the testing. I was able to leave the ruffle off and she really likes it. So YAY for me!

Now on to the NEWEST Pattern to the Family of Rissa Roo's!  The Rissa Roo's Cotton Woven Pixie Halter Combo

This pattern comes with 2 different top styles and a dress! 3 in 1..how awesome is that!

I got to make the dress versions. They are super cute and my girls love all the ruffles. I once again went with the 4th of July colors...well just because we can never have too much!

Look at all that twirl!

 This halter top has a unique tie option for the back that I just love!

Now if you have never bought a pattern from the Plucky Butterfly Designs... you should head over. Ms. Plucky as she calls herself is quite a character and it shows in her work. She shows a lot of character and passion in her patterns and you get to know her as your going along. She cheers you on through the entire pattern and even gives some Cyber High Fives!  There is so much fun in these patterns that you wont want to miss out. Her patterns go from sizes 2 to 14 so you can outfit all of your girls! So head on over and check out her page. The pattern is on sale for just a limited amount of time. www.thepluckybutterflydesigns.com

Happy Sewing!

Raechel

3 New CKC Dresses

Well I have made quite a few Create Kids Couture (CKC) dresses since I started sewing, but these 3 are the newest to my collection. The Teagon Fitted Bubble Dress, the LaRae's Scallop Dress, and the Clover's Criss Cross Dress. I like using CKC patterns because they are very straight forward and easy to understand. When I first starting sewing for my girls I was a little intimidated by the CKC patterns. They all looked so fancy and very ruffly! But I quickly learned that many of the dresses have many options to choose from and they are very easy to modify. Im the simple kinda gal. I tend to steer more towards less is more.. You will find I leave off ruffles or extra layers to give the dress a more relaxed casual look. 

*(I am no way affiliated with CKC and these are my opinions only)

The Teagon Fitted Bubble Dress

This dress is super girly! Perfect for my little one. I used a fairy princess fabric which I thought went well with the pattern. The dress takes a lot of fabric since it is completely lined to form the bubble look at the bottom. It has a button closure back to make the bodice fit nice.

I chose to make this dress a size larger than my daughters size. It is meant to be fitted, so she has a little room to grow. Overall it was a big hit!

 The LaRae's Scallop dress

I knew when I saw this dress I was going to love it. It is unique and I don't have any other pattern like it.

This one was made with fabric from the Wee Wander collection. It was designed by Sarah Jane for Michael Miller Fabrics.

This dress features and elastic back as well as a lovely tie to give it a unique look. But the scallops definitely make this dress. The pattern said not to top stitch the scallops because they didn't like the way they looked, but I did it anyways and didn't feel that it took away from the look. I really wanted a dress that will come out of the wash safe and not need a ton of ironing, so I chose to do it.

Clover's Criss Cross Dress

Finally I really loved the simple look of the Clover's Criss Cross dress by CKC. This is one of those times I chose to leave off the neckline ruffle. It was just a little too much ruffle for me.  I had a few issues with this pattern. The pattern piece itself kept printing off the top of the page... I checked my settings and reprinted many times, but still had the same issue. It was only about half an inch, so very easy to fix. The cutting chart told me to only cut 3 ruffle strips for the bottom, but when I was reading through the pattern it told me there should be 4. Other than those small issues I really think the dress turned out great.

This dress features a criss cross bodice with an elastic shirred waist line that makes it nice and easy to put on and take off.

You can find all of my dresses and designs on my facebook page at DakerGirls Designs.

Happy Sewing!

Raechel

Welcome!

Welcome To My Blog!

My name is Raechel and I'm a mom to 3 beautiful girls and married to my amazing army husband of 6 years (although we have been together for over 15 years! Yikes!). 

I'm an artsy kinda gal. I enjoy doing anything that can show off my creativity. I took every art class they offered in school. These are pictures I drew way back when I had the time.

I really love to sew. The idea of starting with a couple pieces of fabric and turning it into something functional is completely awesome!

 

(This pattern is by Dandelions n' Dungarees)

I am looking forward to this blog. I have tons of patterns that I have never tried out yet... They go on sale and I think I have to have them!! So I am challenging myself to create one new pattern a month....because really what is the point of buying them if I can not find the time to use them! So keep an eye out for new patterns and reviews coming soon!

Until Next Time! Happy Sewing!

Raechel