Whimsy Couture Pattern Review - Bohemia Dress

A while back I had to opportunity to test the Bohemian Dress by Whimsy Couture. Somehow this post was misplaced and never posted so I thought I would share it now. It is super easy to sew up and adorable! It has rolled hems and shirring as well as an over-sized removable flower and comes with a matching doll dress as well.That is always a hit in our home. 

Abby is sporting the size 6 and yes, some of these pics have snow in the background. :)

This dress is perfect for layering with leggings or tights when it's cool or even with a shirt underneath but is just as cute alone.

Here is a close-up of this adorable over-sized flower. It's such a fun addition. In our world we like our accessories the bigger the better. *snow* ;)

Abby was so excited when she woke up and saw her Julie doll all dressed up sitting next to her new dress. We hope to have more Dolly and me sets on here in the future.

** Whimsy Couture is currently running a 30% off everything sale on their site if you are looking for some awesome new patterns **

Whimsy Couture Pattern Review - Sweet Baby Doll Dress

Whimsy Couture just released it's newest pattern, the Sweet Baby Doll Dress and it is so stinkin' cute! Abby wore it all day yesterday and got compliments everywhere we went. Miss Abby is wearing the size 6 with 2 pettiskirts underneath. She said she HAD to have the poof with this dress. I can't say that I disagree. 

This dress is actually pretty simple and quick to sew but had stunning results. There are no zippers or buttons which makes this a great easy on easy off dress. That's a win in this family.

The top is elastic all the way around and the 'sleeves' have ribbon that runs through then and ties in the back. Since I used lace as my top ruffle you can see the fun ribbon peaking through the layers. I love the extra pop of color.

Here is the close-up of the ruffled layers. They are created by using a rolled hem and sewing the two layers on separately.

I think I'll just let this adorable dress and my Abby speak for themselves. Enjoy the picture overload. :)

I'll leave you with this picture of my awesomely silly little princess. This pattern is seriously a win for the summer. This would be perfect if you are trying to squeeze in a quick and beautiful dress for Easter.

Whimsy Couture Pattern Review - Enchanted Dress

A little while back I had the opportunity to test the Enchanted Dress by Whimsy Couture. It  is absolutely adorable and my littlest princess just loves it. I even ordered a pettiskirt to put under it to make it extra special. Can't wait for that to arrive.

The pro to this pattern:

• No serger required for the ruffles
• Easy to follow directions
• Super cute results

The cons:

• This takes quite a bit of fabric
• The ruffles take FOREVER

Okay, so those aren't real cons but more me being lazy. ;)

Abby is a very tall 4 so I went with the 6. She wears a 5/6 in RTW clothes and I probably could have gotten away with the 5 but now she has growing room.

I was miserable and cold outside so these were the best I could do for inside pics. Our house has horrible lighting. Anyone else have that problem?

This is a great dress for easy on and off self dressing. I'm a huge fan of that.

This is what you get when an over-dramatic 4 year old wants to stop taking pictures and put on a dance/show instead.

What is a princess without her 'horse'.

Just for fun here it is in B & W. This one I may just hang on the wall. (Once I fix my poorly photo-shopped floor vent that is. )

Halloween 2013 - Wizard of Oz style

This summer my girls discovered the awesome-ness that is the original Wizard of Oz. The have been talking about what they wanted to be for Halloween ever since.My oldest, Maddie, always goes got the "good" character while my youngest, Abby, always chooses the "bad" character. Go figure. lol

 

For Dorothy I started with the Whimsy Couture Ruffled Circle Skirt for the bottom of the dress without the ruffle. I made an all white circle skirt with the ruffle for under the dress. The gingham that I used for the dress was pretty thin and I wanted it to have some weight for the 'twirl' factor.   

For the top of the dress I took her waist measurement, added about 3 inches for room and seam allowance and sewed it up the back. I made straps that start at the front waistband and go all the way to the back waistband. I tacked down the straps in the front and back of the bodice and the added the bodice to the circle skirt.

 

Once she tried it on I realized that the top of the bodice was super baggy because she is rounder in the middle than she is in the chest area. I didn't want it to be super fitted or have a zipper because I wanted her to be able to use it for dress up so I decided to shirr up both sides. Now the fit is PERFECT and she can slip it on and off easily.

We added some glittery red shoes from Target, pig tail braids, a basked from my Grandma, and one of Maddie's many stuffed dogs. I had a button up for her to wear but it is just too darn cold around here so a turtleneck and tights just had to do.

For my (not-so) Wicked Witch, I started with the Whimsy Couture Empire Dress as the top and just made a tube 2.5 times her waist for the bottom. Added about 8 yards of black tulle with my ruffler foot then attached it to the top. Black glittery shoes (because she just HAD to have new shoes like Maddie), a black turtleneck, tights and a witch hat headband completed the look. 

She was insistent that she had to have a green face and red lips like the Wicked Witch in the movie. All I could see was green face paint EVERYWHERE so we came to a compromise. I painted on a witch "mask" and then gave her the red lips that she wanted.

The day we took pictures was very chilly and super windy but they were troopers with the promise of hot chocolate.

I love that these girls wanted to go with an old movie as their costumes. Hopefully they will continue to go with a matching theme next year as well because it's just so darn cute!

The pictures above were after the Harvest party at the YMCA so I'll share what they looked like before the snacks and the wind took over. :)

My Dorothy.

My Wicked Witch. :)

Happy Halloween!!!

Whimsy Couture Pattern Review - Boho Tunic

I recently started back to school. With work and my little ladies it has been crazy around here. With what little free time I have I have been sewing up a storm and I hope to be able to share some new posts with you here soon. 

Earlier this summer I had the opportunity to pattern test the Boho Tunic from Whimsy Couture. This pattern is a really quick sew and a great introduction to shirring. There are only 2 pattern pieces to cut and the instructions are very straight forward.

 

This top can be made out of knit or cotton. I went with the cotton on this top because I let Maddie choose her fabric. The neckline is serged then shirred. Sewing with elastic thread is not as intimidating as it sounds. This pattern has great tips to get it done.

There is an option to shirr across the bodice to give the top a more fitted and flared look, but Maddie looked at the test pictures and specifically asked that I didn't add it because she wanted the shirt to be 'flowy'. I have learned by now that I might as well make things like my girls want or they will never wear them. 

My little hippie at heart is happy with her new top and I'm glad that she likes it.

**This pattern was provided to me to test for free, but the opinions are all my own.**

Linking up at:

What Kids Wore Wednesday 

Whimsy Couture Banded Knit Tee - Pattern Review

I was recently contacted by Whimsy Couture to test a new Banded Knit Tee pattern. I'm pretty new to (and intimidated by) knits but I love a good challenge so I said yes. I'm so excited that I agreed because this was such a quick and easy sew and I love the results. It's my first successful knit creation and my oldest is already asking for one of her own. That's definitely a win in my book. This pattern also goes up to a size 12 so it will fit both my girls for a few more years. That is a HUGE plus in my book.

I opted to serge the entire shirt to make it a little quicker and easier on myself, but the directions specifically say that it is meant to be sewn without a serger so don't shy away from this adorable pattern if you don't have one.

My little Abby is pretty long and lean so the size 4 test pattern fit her perfectly, but the pattern has since been lengthened and widened to make for a better all around fit for everyone.

* I will update with the fit of the released pattern when I make one up for my oldest*

As you can see from my pictures Abby had a lot of Sass that day and was determined to pose how she wanted. Gotta love 3 year olds.

Have you sewn out of your comfort zone lately? Was it as scary as you thought it would be?

If you like this pattern review and would like to see others I have done, please head over to my Pattern Review Page.

Linking up at:

WKWW

Easter Dresses

I was waiting for some better weather to get the girls outside and take pictures of their Easter dresses but the snow just won't go away so please excuse the bad lighting. I used the Almost Famous Tulle Dress by Whimsy Couture to make these dresses. I learned that shirring with elastic thread is not a scary as it seems and tulle is a pain in the but to sew.

I decided to add a special touch to the dresses by embroidering the girls names on the ends of the straps.



Now for the picture overload because well....they're that cute!

 

And for those super rare moments when they are getting along and being loving to each other my favorite is below.

Many nights and about 20 yards of tulle later I loved how these dresses turned out and so do my little ladies.

Linking up at:

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WKWW

Whimsy Couture Vintage Pinafore - Pattern Review

I had the opportunity to review this adorable Pinafore by Whimsy Couture. We went to the store in search of a super cute Valentine's Day/heart fabric but when we got to the store Maddie and I were both drawn to this awesome Shamrock fabric. It's glittery and rainbow colored. How can you beat that? 

We love the twirl factor in it. I didn't have a dress that matched to put under it so we went with a white top and leggings. It ties in the back and looks absolutely adorable in the back as well.

  

Here's a close up of our awesome St. Patrick's Day outfit bows and all. If you want all this cuteness for your little one, the pattern can be found here.

Linking up at:

Weekend Wonders