Cotton Cutey

New Look 6959

Pattern: 

Fabric: Coordinating cotton prints I bought last summer at a Ben Franklin store.  We were camping in East Tawas, Michigan, and the Ben Franklin had quite a few really cute cotton prints.  Little Miss Princess picked out the main flowered fabric, and I chose the others to match.  The pattern called for 1 5/8 yd for view A (60" wide), and I think I had 1 1/2 of it, along with 1/2 yd pieces of the pink and checked. For the record, I wouldn't typically make her a mostly black dress, but she picked it, and the pink/white/yellow help lighten it up.

Alterations:  No fitting alterations, I made her the size 6 according to the finished garment measurements on the pattern paper.  The "ribbon" treatment and sleeve ruffle were design changes to incorporate the other prints.  For the added sleeve ruffle, I just added an inch at the hem, and treated them as a single ruffle.  For the side bands, I made two sets of flat tubes, and stitched the smaller on the center of the larger.  I placed them inside the seams of the front and back bodice pieces.  I chose not to make them tie in the back because... 1) it would've been a hassle for her at school and 2) I didn't feel like making that length of the flat tube ribbon.  True story... I can be a lazy sewist.  Shocking, but true.

Notions:   14" zipper.  Tiny bit of interfacing for the neckline facings.

Skill Level: Beginner!  The front pleats were a little bit tedious, but that's what makes it look NOT homemade.  This was a stop and go project because of the vacation, but it could've easily been put together in a single day.

Warnings:  The skirt pleat markings on the pattern confused the daylights out of me (because of the multi-sized lines), so I made the box pleats like I usually do and it's perfect.

Future Plans:  This is a really sweet pattern, and she loves it.  If I make another, it won't be 'til next spring.  She'll almost be 8 by then, so if she still like the style, I'll do it again.  It's not too "little girl", and it's not "too grown up", so I really like it.