As much as I like to daydream about clothing these 4 kiddos of mine in head-to-toe handmade, it is not really a priority for me. Keepin’ it real here, the kids mostly hang out in hand-me-downs and cheapie walmart tees. It’s cheap, low maintenance, and I get to avoid the mall (shudder!). Handmade clothing items are reserved for special occasions or occasional mommy whims of sewing fancy.
But when Andrea of The Train to Crazy invited me to join the blog tour for her Go To Signature Dress Pattern*, I jumped on it. Snag a copy of her adorable pattern? Rub elbows with some of my favorite bloggers? And I “have to” sew some cute matchy-matchy play clothes for the girls? Heck freakin’ yeah!
So what is the Go To Signature Dress pattern?
To quote Andrea….
This pattern is the granddaddy of knit dress patterns. It includes 3 lengths, 7 sleeve options (plus you can layer them!), 4 pocket styles, a hood and a few appliques thrown in for fun.
The Signature Dress
dress length, elastic waist, cap sleeves with ribbing, gathered pockets with ribbing
fabric from Chez Ami
This beginner friendly pattern and directions worked out beautifully. She has a lot of great tips sprinkled throughout about using knit fabrics, and I especially enjoyed her Fearless “Don’t worry. It’s not a big deal.” bits of encouragement that kept popping up.
As someone who has complained loudly about making tiny little girl puff sleeves, oh my word, these caps sleeves came together so easily. They are sewn in flat (the best method for tiny sleeves), and with the ribbed hem option, I didn’t even have to fuss with elastic. Easiest sleeve ever. The only thing easier would be leaving it un-hemmed, which would have been okay too, ’cause knits are cool like that.
My one and only (teensy-tiny not-really-a) complaint is that I did have to fuss around with the neckline pleats a bit, but discovered on the second dress that basting the pleats held them together nicer. Oh, and I misread the directions and made the neckline ribbing smaller than intended by using too large of seam allowance. You can’t even tell though. So who cares?
Despite my best efforts to stick to the pattern, I did end up making one change. I used ribbing instead of elastic for the top of the “gathered” pockets.
I wanted to break up the boldness of this print a bit and I think the little strips of white on the pockets help.
The best part? As adorable as these dresses are, it is a simple kind of cute. One that does not distract from the beauty of girls that wear them.
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Want to see more of what can be done with this versatile pattern? Click on the button below to check out the other stops on the tour!
*Disclosure: I received a free copy of the pattern for participating in this blog tour. This post and all opinions contained are my own. Also, I am an affiliate for Go To Patterns, and will receive a small commission on any sale made from the links in the post. If you like Go To Patterns, you can sign up to be an affiliate too! You can read more about Sew Fearless’ Blog Disclosure Policy here.
I’ve been working on one of these dresses, and I love your tip on basting the neck pleats down low. I also think ribbing on the pockets is the cutest thing ever.
Very nice sewing!
These are sooo cute! I really prefer the thinner neckband for girls. Makes it look more feminine.
I have been following the Blog Tour of the new “Go To Dress” Pattern, and I must say, your version is my favorite so far! I love sewing for my daughter, and this pattern looks so easy. Thanks for sharing!
So cute, I love that you made matching ones for both girls. I think the pocket ribbing is a great touch… something would feel missing without it. =)
The neck pleats are definitely a bit fiddly. Great idea with basting further down. Gorgeous dresses for two gorgeous girls!