Sailing away!

As I’ve mentioned before, we have several trips to the beach planned this summer, but I was so busy creating a capsule wardrobe for myself, I realized Princess needed some new clothes for our trips too! When I saw the Sailor Dress from Ellie and Mac, I knew this would be the perfect pattern to go with our summer at the beach theme!

This dress features a fully lined bodice, short sleeves or sleeveless option, and a lightly gathered circle skirt. There’s even an option for a peplum top, if your little girl doesn’t like dresses. The method of constructing the bodice was new to me, and caused some confusion at first, but lucky for you, Michelle from Stitching at Night created an awesome video that is embedded in the instructions to make it clear and easy! She’s also planning a SewAlong soon for this dress- stay tuned to the Ellie and Mac Facebook Group for details!

Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, this dress is very fast to construct- about an hour from cut to hem. It would work well in cotton lycra, lightweight french terry, brushed poly, athletic fabrics, anything with good stretch that isn’t too thick when lined. The dress sits slightly wide on her shoulders- I made her a 12-18 month size, but technically she is between the 6-12 and 12-18 month chest measurements, so she has a bit of growing room! It doesn’t fall off her shoulders at all though, and I’m quite pleased with the fit.

I used a floral cotton-lycra from Raspberry Creek Fabrics for the bodice and skirt, and a performance knit from So Sew English for the middle section and the lining, so Princess can stay cool in our hot summers. Some testers even added sailor themed buttons to the front, and piping would look cute too!

For our photo shoot we went to a nearby field to check out the grasshoppers- which kept her very happy! I just can’t get over that adorable face!

My little nature girl!

EDIT: Giveaway Closed! Congrats to the winner, Rachel! You can now buy this pattern HERE (on sale for $3 on 6/18 only)

Want to win a copy of this pattern? Enter to win using the Rafflecopter below! Giveaway starts right now, and goes through 6/18/17.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the other Ellie and Mac Patterns for adults and children HERE.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase a pattern using this link, a small portion goes toward my fabric/pattern fund. Thank you!

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14 Comments

  1. Brittney on June 16, 2017 at 10:03 pm

    Such a cutie! I love seeing your blog posts and all of the different patterns you are testing.

    • Sarah on June 17, 2017 at 3:56 pm

      Thank you! It’s fun to find new favorites!

  2. Jillann on June 17, 2017 at 12:12 am

    Super cute! I’m thinking good use for panels!

    • Sarah on June 17, 2017 at 3:56 pm

      Good idea!

  3. Kimberly Stoessel on June 17, 2017 at 3:27 am

    This is a charming dress and your little princess looks so cute in it.I really love the pop if color on the bodice.

    • Sarah on June 17, 2017 at 3:56 pm

      Thank you! It’s great for colorblocking!

  4. Rebecca Munoz on June 17, 2017 at 6:21 am

    Beautiful! Thanks for the wonderful details of your making of this dress!

    • Sarah on June 17, 2017 at 3:57 pm

      Thank you!

  5. Joyce Brown on June 17, 2017 at 4:36 pm

    What an enchanting dress…so love the full skirt, cut of the neckline and the colorblocking…perfect for my Grand!

    • Sarah on June 17, 2017 at 4:54 pm

      It is a precious pattern isn’t it? I love how it works for little girls and bigger ones!

  6. Ashlee on June 17, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    I love this pattern

    • Sarah on June 18, 2017 at 5:35 pm

      E and M patterns are so cute!

  7. Rachel on June 18, 2017 at 9:36 am

    So adorable! I need this pattern for my little lady!

    • Sarah on June 18, 2017 at 5:35 pm

      Thank you!

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