Candy Castle Cotton Candy Dream Dress Review May 17, 2018

Wow has it been forever since I’ve blogged!  But, I recently put so much work into making a very special dress, I had to share!

 Presenting the Candy Castle Patterns Cotton Candy Dream Dress

I have always wanted to make an ombre dress with layers of tulle. Ya know, where the darkest colored layer is on the bottom and then each layer on top is a shade lighter? I was not sure how it would turn out because I couldn’t envision:

1)      How gathering the tulle for the skirt would change the color of the tulle. In a single layer, tulle is one color, but layered and gathered – it looks completely different

2)      How the darker layers on the bottom would appear by the time the third layer of tulle was added to the top

So when Rebecca of Candy Castle put out the tester call for an “Un-named Princess Dress” and showed a photo of her daughter in a beautiful tulle creation, I hemmed and hawed for an afternoon…priced out tulle and netting online (because I knew I couldn’t make it to the store in time to get fabric), looked at my already-over-crowded schedule, remembered how my daughter loves to play dress up, and then decided to go for it.

 And I think the end results speak for themselves!

 

The pattern features a sweetheart neckline with sweet little straps that cross over and tie in the back.

You can make your own bias tape or use purchased tape (although I will say that the purchased stuff is always so stiff…).

The length is tea length, perfect for the younger ones so there is no tripping.

 

The elastic back and gorgeous tie-straps are my favorite design features for extending the life of the dress; she can wear it for much longer because it will adjust. And then we can pass it on to her cousins.

 

The directions walk you through every.single.step. WITH excellent photos. Plus if you run into any trouble, there is an active facebook group where you can get some pretty amazing help.

My dress has a layer of cream netting (stiffer than regular tulle), then a layer of American Beauty pink tulle, followed by Paris Pink tulle, then  topped with Light Pink tulle. The bodice is the older David Tutura pink chiffon with 3d ribbon rosettes.

This dress would be great for a ballerina, a princess, a Disney trip , a daddy-daughter dance, a flower girl – anything that requires that extra something special!

If you’re not into the tulle, you can also make an everyday dress. The sweetheart neckline is just so cute, even in regular cotton. This is a great Spring/Summer dress.

 

Ready to purchase the pattern?  Go here!(This is an affiliate link, my first ever for Candy Castle)
Rather have one made for you? Contact me at to discuss!

Kenzie’s Party Dress by EYMM! November 7, 2014

Wow – now it’s my second blog tour! And again, featuring a pattern from Everything Your Mama Made – Kenzie’s perfect party dress – Holiday version!

I actually bought this pattern right around when it first came out last year; I loved the versatility and the sizing (NB to 18 tween + a doll pattern). Last year, although my daughter was 1, her chest measurement was more in the 3-6M range in PDF patterns; not a lot of patterns come in sizes that small…   My other favorite feature was the back:

I LOVE the big bow and the low back. It is just so sweet!   I made a 12-18M size for my 2 year old based on her chest measurement; I didn’t have to adjust the length at all, so that was nice.  The version I made for this Holiday tour was actually the simplest:

Sleeveless and no ruffles.   There are many other options – cap sleeves, a ruffled flounced skirt, or even a stand alone ruffle OR simple skirt!  I wanted something simple and timeless and that she could wear for more than just one occasion.

I chose solid red cotton kona fabric with a Natural-colored Hacci Sweater knit overlay, from Girl Charlee (they have some great knit selection).  I had actually bought the Hacci Sweater knit to make myself a cardigan, but it just seemed so perfect for a Christmas dress!  I simply cut out the overlay fabric from the pattern pieces and basted them to the red pieces before assembling.

I LOVE the wide sash in the front. It is attached just on the sides, which allows you to make more of a ‘game time’ decision on whether to add it once you’ve completed the rest of the dress! I have a love-hate relationship with sashes; I love how they look, but I hate fighting this face…

to get them tied!  So I’ve been skipping them whenever possible.   The pattern is very well-written and the most complicated part is a continuous skirt placket, which she walks you through with awesome pictures.

I had considered trying to add sleeves to the dress because, despite this random 65 degree day we had in November, it will be freezing at Christmas…But I am not advanced enough to make that work just yet.  I do have plans to make some ruffled leggings and a sweater (maybe out of more Hacci Sweater knit) to warm her up a bit..because a few days prior to the freak 65 degree day, we had a huge snow storm….the kids made an Olaf, and this what was left of him by our photoshoot!

She still loved him and tried to kiss him….even all melted.    Oh, the best part of the blog tour (besides the cute kids and dresses) Kymy at EYMM is offering a coupon code AND a great prize package!

Coupon code LITTLELADY will save 30% off any Kenzie’s Party Dress purchase (newborn-4t, 5-18tween, 18″ doll add-on, or the bundle that includes newborn-18tween plus the doll size), good at www.eymm.com until 11:59pm PST on 11/12/2014.

Prize package: Giveaway prizes total $125 and include $50 EYMM gift certificate, Stitchbox Monthly November Sewing Box ($35 value), $25 EYMM gift certificate, and a Little Lady Sheet of Jamberry Juniors Nail Wraps ($15 retail).
a Rafflecopter giveaway

“Bye-bye, Olaf!”  (her flu-shot bandaid was NOT coming off for pics!)

Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will add value to my readers.

Can you have too many Bubblegum Dresses? February 2, 2014

I apologize to all of you who were checking my blog everyday for my first ‘real’ post that I said would be in January 2014….Oh, wait, I think that was only ME who kept checking it to see if I had posted anything yet.  Well, both kiddos had an unusually LONG naptime today, so I was able to sit down and put this together!  Thank goodness the Patriots didn’t make the Super Bowl or I’d be much busier today….I hope I don’t use too many exclamation points in this. I over-use them because I refuse to use emoticons and I’m very sarcastic.

So, I rarely use the same pattern more than once.  It’s not a purposeful choice or because I don’t love many, many patterns; it’s just the circumstances of having a 4 year old, a 16 Month old, a part-time job, a part-time business, a house to maintain and a husband!  (and we’ll soon add ‘old house to pack up, rental house to move into, new house to build….’)

However, there is one exception. The Bubblegum Dress (and the Bubblegum Swing Dress Add-on) by Candy Castle Patterns.

Full disclosure, the first time I made one was as a pattern tester (basically, when a designer needs you to make something from their pattern to make sure it fits and the instructions are clear…).  Last May, I saw a call for testers on the PDF Pattern Sales and Promotion Facebook group (a place where I spend WAY too much time) for a super-cute pattern by Candy Castle Patterns called the Bubblegum Dress. It was cute with little ties and it was a small enough size to fit my daughter.  I had only tested for one designer before that, and it was for a pattern that was eventually free, so it didn’t feel as if it was a REAL pattern test.  I signed up for the call, was randomly picked (I’m sure it was mainly due to my daughter’s measurements because the only other thing she could go by was my name and my self-described photography skills as ‘well, some people have asked if some pictures we took were professional…’).

I gave a lot of feedback on the pattern ( I’m kind of opinionated, but the designer completely appreciated it…from what she tells me!), and I was super happy with the dress itself.   In fact, 8 months later, she STILL wears this one! (she is small for her age)

Then, there was a sew-a-long in the Candy Castle Patterns Facebook Group for the Add-on to turn this into a swing dress! (i.e. a dress that TWIRLS!) I shortened mine to be more of a tunic length because she was crawling at this time!

(the bottoms are the Butterscotch Bloomers, also by Candy Castle!)

Then, we needed a dress for Thanksgiving…

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I also made a sweet little 0-3M sized one for my niece but realized I have no pictures of it!! Probably because I was finishing it as I was packing to visit them….

So, with three versions in our closet (that we are still wearing), I would 100% recommend this pattern! It can be done in knit or woven, it comes in sizes NB to 14y, it is super-wearable and practical, the directions are superb and easy to follow, it can be layered during the (long, long) winter months, and you will get a ton of use out of it.  Granted, my daughter is super short, but even if she ever does outgrow the length, we have many pairs of leggings to solve that problem!

Stay tuned for more pattern reviews, life observations and general thoughts!