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.
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!
