Sew and Tell with the Tiered Twirl Dress

Hi everyone!!  Are you still recovering from Easter?  Holidays stress me to the MAX because my husband and I live a little over an hour away from both of our families.  That means we are close enough they all expect us to come over, yet far enough to make it seem like most of our day is in the car.  Throw in some rain and whiny kids who didn't get their naps in the mix, and it's chaos!  I didn't even get pictures of my kids in their Easter outfits :(   I love our families, and I love Jesus, but sooo glad to be at home and just REST today!  How many of you can relate? 

 

Now that Easter has come and gone, you can focus on some fun, casual dresses, like this one!  No-stress sewing, no deadlines, just how I like it!  This is the Tiered Twirl Dress from La Tee Da Kids.  You know anything with the word "twirl" in it is going to be a big hit with your kids!  I love patterns where you can mix and match fabrics and create amazing color combinations.  Be as funky, retro, conservative, bold, or monochromatic as you like  :)  With dresses like this, any fabric combo will work!  The last time I made a dress with different tiers, I let a 5 year old choose her own fabrics.  I questioned her choices, but it turned out gorgeous!  And she never hesitates to let people know she helped design the dress ;) 

 

Here's what you need to know about this pattern.  It is available in sizes 2-7, there is an option for either 4 tie straps or 2 knot straps, and most importantly we have it for 25% off right now on the website! 

 

Let's take a look at the review sent in from our friend Karen G.

The pattern I decided to make was the La Tee Da Tiered Twirl Dress.  I was making a dress for my 2 ½ year old granddaughter, who wears a solid 3T, as her mama will tell you.  She is very tall and lean—and busy J  I really liked the ruffles made of different fabric, as well as the knotted straps.  This was my very first attempt at a PDF pattern, so a bit nervous how it actually worked!  I have sewn for as long as I can remember—definitely since grade school, with times of more serious sewing in there also—college, I took some design and construction classes, so I have the ability to do some complex things—should I choose to--which is very rare J.

 

I loved how easily this downloaded, and the way the instructions are always right there on my computer—no pages to lose somewhere in my sewing room!  There was an immediate issue once I got it downloaded and started to read the directions.  There were no directions on how to do the knot straps!  Fortunately, Kayla and Krista from Fairytale Frocks and Lollipops were right there to answer my email questions.  Turns out that there was a newer instruction page they had not received for this pattern, so they spoke with the creator of the patterns and got the new instructions emailed to me with both options on it—the knotted strap version, as well as the tie strap version.  Being the impatient person I am though, I already did the tied strap version, because it was the one I had, and I was going to make the dress NOW!! J 

 

Anyways, my granddaughter is in a different state so I didn’t have her with me to measure, and took her mama’s word on which size to use for her.  The pattern did not have any measurements for the dress—chest etc., other than a finished length—which I found a bit odd, but went with it anyway!  I chose the 3T (because that was the size she told me to make).  It took about 3-3 ½  hours from start to finish, and that is probably longer than reality.  It took me a while to decide on which fabrics—the bodice is Riley Blake Tone on Tone dots—I think petal color, the center is Riley Blake Apple of my Eye, in blush or pink, and the yellow gingham is Riley Blake Fly a Kite.  I really like how well they turned out together!

 

She had some really great tips in her directions—such as using glide dental floss inside a zigzag stitch to gather—haven’t seen anyone use that trick for a while!  She used pictures of several different projects (with different fabrics)  which I found a bit confusing, and might be more of an issue with someone with very beginner skills—although she was upfront in telling you they were from other projects.  When I make it again, I will probably use my gathering foot—because I have it, and it really does make dealing with ruffles easier—to me anyway.  Being from the south, where we put our name or initials on everything, I had to adorn her dress with a monogram of course J  It is a machine design, done with monogram KK—one of my personal favorites. 

 

As you can see from the pictures, it seems to be a bit large in the chest—I probably could have benefited from chest measurements, but we solved the issue by crossing the straps in back—makes for a gap, but it stays on her shoulders! 

 

I can honestly say I truly enjoyed the experience of using a PDF pattern—once I figured out how to download and find it again on my computer—but that is a totally different issue all together J.  And the toughest part of the entire project—as you can see from my pictures, was getting a still shot of my sweet Katie Lee—remember I told you she is busy? 

 

 

 

 

Those fabrics look so summery and sweet together!  The monogram on the bodice is a nice touch.  I'm from the south, too, so I understand the need to monogram everything!  If you had a fairly plain fabric on the bodice, you could add a snazzy applique and put the monogram on the bottom corner of the 3rd tier.  I've been a big fan of monograms on the bottom ruffle lately.  Have no fear if you don't own an embroidery machine!  This dress looks deliciously sweet without any added embellishment!  And Karen wasn't kidding about the little cutie not being able to stand still... she sent a few more pictures where you could tell she was trying to twirl in the dress.  Little girls just can't resist :) 

 

 Now it's time to pair up this summery sundress with a couple of our favorites from the shop. 

 

 

I can't get enough of this baby!  An absolutely gorgeous child!  She's wearing the Ruffle Rosette from Angel Lea Designs.  This tutorial is suitable for beginners and can be made in several sizes.  It only takes one strip of fabric, lace, or ribbon.  You can attach the rosette to a headband or alligator clip to coordinate with your Tiered Twirl Dress or add the rosettes to whatever you feel needs a pop of colorful cuteness!  Once you see how easy these are to make, you'll be adding them to everything; sashes, bags, shirts, or maybe hats...just like the one below!

 

 This is the 4 in 1 Sun Hat from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop.  I love sun hats on little kids, especially at a picnic or at the beach.  This hat would be great for either!  And it's unisex!  Make them for all your little ones!  It is a completely reversible hat that can be worn with the brim flipped up to change the look.  You can wear the tie under the chin to keep the hat in place for babies, or if you like, you can tie them in a bow around the base of the hat to keep them out of your way and stay stylish at the same time  :)  Add a Ruffle Rosette, and you take your sun hat's cuteness factor up a few notches.  Grab a life preserver, because when you pair up your Tiered Twirl Dress with the 4 in 1 Sun Hat with a Ruffled Rosette attached, you'll be drowning in compliments!     

Head over to the website and take a look at all of the great items we have for spring and summer!  Sundresses, hats, bathing suits, beach bags, rompers, shorts, tanks, skirts... we've got it all!  Take a look at our Current Top Ten patterns!  Updated daily to reflect what our customers are currently buying.  A great way to see what's hot right now  :)  And don't forget we've got our Tiered Twirl Dress for 25% off for the next few days!!  Happy shopping!!

Go sew something magical!!