Lulu Dress Pattern

This post is way, way, way overdue! About a year ago, Jessica from Craftiness is Not Optional came out with the Lulu Dress and Top Pattern, and I promised to make one and blog about it! I met half the promise since I sewed the dress immediately, but then one thing after another came up and I never took any photos of Ella wearing her Lulu dress. To make matters worse, I finally did take photos last September, but then I never wrote the post--until NOW!

So, so sorry, Jess, for the delay in sharing the news about your wonderful pattern. Ella wears her Lulu dress often and her wearing it today is what reminded me that it was way past time for me to share it.

Nessie Top(s)

I've been meaning to share with you the Nessie Top from Craftiness is Not Optional forever!  It is one of my absolute favorite of all time top patterns for girls.

Weeks (really months) ago, Jess asked me to test out the Nessie Top pattern.  I've tested her other patterns--the June Bug Dress and the Olivia Top--so I knew this one would be just as great.

The Nessie Top was so quick and easy to sew together, plus the fit is loose and comfortable which is perfect for my active little girl.  I think that is one reason why I have not blogged about these tops until now!  Every time Ella wears them, she is too busy running, playing, climbing, jumping, and avoiding the camera!

The Nessie Top pattern is for knits and is so versatile!  It offers a stylish hi-low hem along with three sleeve lengths and three bodice options:  basic, color-blocked, and a peter pan collar.  I made a fourth option (of sorts) by adding a stretch lace as an overlay to the entire front of the shirt.

I made this particular version using an ivory ponte roma and a heart design stretch lace both from Joann's.  This top was sewn back in January, and I meant to blog about it before Valentine's Day! Oops!

And in case you missed it yesterday, here is Ella wearing the Nessie Top with her Triangle Pants--another pattern test but for See Kate Sew.  Read all about the Triangle Pants HERE.

This ivory heart Nessie Top paired with her Triangle Pants, boots, and this faux fur vest I made her (I promise I'll blog about the vest very soon) is my absolute favorite outfit for Ella this season. She is so stylish!

Ok.  Back to the Nessie Top.

Another thing I did a little differently for this version of the Nessie Top is that I used Fold Over Elastic (FOE) to bind the neck and the sleeves.  This was my second attempt at using FOE, but since then, I've gone crazy over FOE and may have ordered over 50 yards of it online recently! So, expect to see it in a lot more projects here in the coming weeks!

I told you she really likes this shirt!  See how worn it is starting to look?

Here is the first Nessie Top I made using a woven fabric for the peter pan collar and ponte roma knit for the shirt.  Again, this top gets worn a lot!  This fabric is so soft, has a little bit of stretch, and is thicker than normal interlock knit.

And here is the color-blocked, 3/4 sleeve version of the Nessie Top that I made during testing.  The top is pique knit while the heart fabric is a cotton interlock knit.  This one is worn often, too!

Well, as you can see, the Nessie Top pattern is getting used over and over here.  With the beautiful sunshine teasing us that warmer weather is on its way, I think I might just need to whip up a few of these in short sleeves.  The hardest part is deciding on which fabrics to use!

Be sure to go visit Craftiness Is Not Optional and check out all her great patterns (including the Nessie Top) and tutorials!

I'd also like to invite you to stop by The Daily Sew on Facebook.  I'm the guest curator there today, where I'll be sharing a few sewing and crafting tutorials as well as some other fun sewing pictures and tips!

Thanks for stopping by, and have fun sewing!

The Junebug Pattern by CINO

If you haven't heard about the Junebug Pattern by Craftiness is Not Optional (CINO), I've put together a quick post just to show you how amazing and versatile it is.

One of my absolute, all-time favorite things I've made my daughter is this Junebug Top.  I love, love, love the colors in the fabric, the matching vintage trim, the piping, and the buttonless placket. Instead of buttons, I used velcro for the closure.  Click HERE to see the original post with a quick tutorial.

Ella has worn this all summer, and sadly, it's starting to get a little snug.  If I had more of this exact fabric, I would make it in a larger size for next year.  Seriously, I love this top that much!  Don't you?

Here's the original dress version I made.  I just love the pop of color on the big buttons, and the cute puffy sleeves give it that classic little girl dress sweetness.

While she has worn this to play in a couple of times, Ella mainly enjoys wearing this for church. To read more about this dress, click HERE.

This post contains affiliate links.  When you purchase the Sew Fab Pattern Bundle through those links, I earn a percentage of the sale.  Thanks so much for your support!

The Junebug Dress and Top Pattern is included in the Sew Fab Pattern Bundle that's up for grabs this week.  You can get 26 terrific patterns all from different designers for just $29.95!  That works out to be roughly $1.15 a pattern!  Have you bought your bundle yet?  If not, you better hurry. The sale only lasts until Oct. 8th at 8. a.m. EST.  Buy it NOW!

Reversible Zippy Hoodie from Kitschy Coo, Ananda Pants from CHOPSTIX, The Sally Dress from Very Shannon, Best Harem Pants from Too Sweets , Notebook Slipcover from Gingercake, Junebug Dress from Craftiness Is Not Optional, Fancy Pants Leggings from Titchy Threads, Skinny Jeans from peek-a-boo, Pajama Eaters from Sew Fearless, Ruffle Dress from Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Go To Cape for Women, Sadie Grace Nightgown from Seamingly Smitten, Vintage V-Neck from Blank Slate Patterns, Zermatt Bow Swing Coat from See Kate Sew, Tumble Tee from imaginegnats, Nituna Jacket from Figgy's, Greenpoint Cardigan from Hey June, Gathers and Giggles Quilt from Sew Much Ado, Billy Car Play Mat and Roll Up from Handmade Therapy, Bimaa Sweater from LouBee Clothing, Candy Carousel Dress from Molly Blossom, Convertible Clutch from LBG Studio , Infinity Sweater from One Girl Circus, Undies Pattern from From the Red Kitchen, Owl Backpack from The Sewing Loft, Ethan Shirt from the Scientific Seamstress


Come back tomorrow to see something else I've made from one of the amazing patterns offered in the Sew Fab Pattern Bundle!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have fun sewing!

Junebug Pattern Top & Best of Summer Series

Today I'm blogging over at Caila-Made as part of her Best of Summer Series.

I'm sharing with Caila's readers two of my favorite children's summer clothing patterns:  the Junebug Top Pattern by Craftiness is Not Optional (CINO) and the Class Picnic Shorts Pattern by Oliver + S.

For my full pattern review of the Junebug Pattern Top and Class Picnic Shorts, head over to Caila's Best of Summer Series, and don't forget to follow along for the next three weeks for more great summer pattern inspiration.

To read my original post from last year about the Class Picnic Shorts, click here!

If you are visiting my blog for more info on how I made my Junebug Pattern Top with velcro closure, then keep reading!  More info on that topic is below.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you'll decide to check out some other outfits I've made recently.  To follow along in the future, please consider becoming a follower through Bloglovin by clicking the button below or by any of the other social media outlets by clicking the icons at the top right of my blog page.

To make the top with velcro closure, I sewed the soft half of the velcro to the lining side of the bib (about an inch from the raw edge so it will end up 1/2" from the finished edge) before assembling the bib.  After assembling the rest of the bodice, I then marked where to sew the remaining rough velcro pieces onto the side bodice.  Each of my velcro tabs is roughly 1" square.

Alternatively, I could have sewn a strip of velcro down each side of the bib, but I felt like the smaller pieces were sufficient to keep the bib secured to the bodice.

The velcro washes just fine.  I can't recall ever sewing velcro on clothing before, but I know I've bought coats and jackets with it on it and it always works great.  I found it a great alternative to buttons and snaps for this particular application.

By using the velcro in lieu of buttons and buttonholes or snaps, I was able to sew this beautiful vintage trim to the front of the bib where the buttonholes would normally be.

Just days before I even thought about making this top, I picked up a yard of this trim for 50 cents at a yard sale near my house!  The colors match perfectly right down to the burnt orange flowers, green leaves, and navy blue.  It was meant to be!

If you want to make your own Junebug Top or Dress, head over to Craftiness is Not Optional to purchase your copy of the pattern.  Be sure to tell Jess that Veronica at sewVery sent ya!  Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, and thought I would mention another great pattern that is on sale today--Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop's Bubble Shorts Pattern (affiliate link).  Just $4 this Thursday only!  Grab it while you can at this fantastic price!  Just click the picture to purchase at Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop.

Junebug Dress Pattern Test

Jess from Craftiness is Not Optional just released her first children's clothing pattern, The Junebug Dress Pattern, and I was lucky enough to test it out for her.  Jess is the sweetest person, and she's pretty talented, too.  You are going to love this pattern!

I know Jess has been wanting to develop her design into a full-blown graded pattern for some time now, and I am sure it is going to be wildly popular!  Really, this pattern is amazing not only for the design but also because of the simple instructions and great photos.  The way the instructions are worded, you'll feel like Jess is there personally talking you through each step!

For my pattern test, I made Ella the size 5T dress with sleeves.  The pattern also offers a sleeveless option and measurements to make a tunic length top.  Check back tomorrow to see the Junebug Top I made using velcro for the bib closure instead of buttons!

The pattern pieces included are for the bodice and the sleeves, while the skirt dimensions for the dress and top are in tabular form by size in both the instructions and repeated on the pattern page that you print out.  Measurements for the elastic used on the sleeves is also provided so there is no measuring your child or guessing about what length to use!

The bodice is fully lined, and Jess's pattern instructions walk you through step by step on how to do this for both the sleeveless and sleeve versions.  A simple gathered skirt and cute little puff sleeves round out the look for a relatively quick sewing project.  I completed this dress from start to finish (including printing, taping and cutting the pattern, cutting the fabric, and sewing) in roughly 3 hours!

The fabric I used is some Robert Kaufman quilting cotton I purchased last year and had been hoarding for just the perfect project.  The dots have a touch of hot pink on each of them hence the extra large hot pink buttons on the bib.  Ella loves them because the button fabric has a touch of glitter in it!

I normally make Ella size 5T, and according to the pattern measurement chart, she was somewhere between a 4T and a 5T.  When that is the case, I usually make the larger size so she will have some growing room.  The 5T in this dress will definitely give her that and she should be able to wear it next year, too.

For the Junebug Top I tested (remember to check back tomorrow for the blog post about it), I made a 4T and felt the fit was spot on for Ella right now.  Here's a little sneak peek of the top.

I'm extremely happy with both the dress and the top, and Ella has loved wearing them both multiple times in the last two weeks.  I have the feeling this pattern is going to be our summer favorite!

If you are as excited about this pattern as I am, then head over to Craftiness is Not Optional to purchase your own copy of the Junebug Dress Pattern!  Tell Jess that Veronica at sewVery sent ya, and I'll see you tomorrow for more on my Junebug Top!

Have a great day!