The Sew and Tell Project

I am so thrilled to be participating in the Simple Life Patterns Anniversary Blog Tour! Can you believe that Simple Life Pattern Company has been designing quality baby and children’s patterns for two years now? Simple Life Patterns has also welcomed a new designer, my friend Becca, from Sunflower Seams. She has designed the first two SLPco doll patterns! Read on to learn more about the Dolly Ayda and the new release, the Jaimesyn dress by Simple Life Pattern Company!

Before I go into details about these beautiful patterns, I need to share some information about the fabric. During testing, our friends at Modkid contacted me to see if I would be interested in sewing up some of the gorgeous new Primavera Fabrics line by Riley Blake Designs. I am so thankful for this opportunity to share this gorgeous fabric with our readers!

I knew as soon as I saw the collection, that it needed to be a Jaimesyn dress. There are so many gorgeous prints in this premium woven cotton collection. When I was selecting fabrics, I had  a particular madras plaid and floral image in my head. I wanted my dress to be a modern update of the British-style dresses I would get as a little girl when we’d visit my grandparents in England. I always love working with Riley Blake fabric and as you can see in the photos, the colors are vibrant, and the fabric has excellent drape for apparel.

There are so many things to love about the Jaimesyn dress! My favorite is that you can easily showcase 2-3 prints. I chose to use the Primavera Main Teal for the bodice and full skirt of the dress with the Primavera Plaid Teal as the accent pockets and ruffle accents. One of my favorite extra details is the pleat pocket that I accented with a vintage baby blue button. (The pleat helps the pocket have a nice shape so it doesn’t flop open).

I have made two Jaimesyn’s so far and both times, I have opted to do a double flutter even though I’m only using one print for my flutters.  The flutters have their own pattern pieces instead of a curving template, and they are also sewn in seam. The bodice is fully-lined, so Little Miss doesn’t have any rough seams against her skin. I think the double flutter effect is very sweet and adds fullness without too much bulk! As you can see in this image, the Primavera floral is a large scale floral print, but it showcases nicely when centered on this size 3T bodice.

The Jaimesyn has two cut lines for the back – a full coverage back that I will share in another post and a v-back. I think the fit on this v-back is just perfect! I closed it with a single KAM snap since I couldn’t find my buttonhole foot to use another vintage blue button.  You can see that the hem is slightly higher in the front of the dress than in the back. This is because the front bodice is slightly curved for a gentle high-low effect. I also think it helps give the skirt an appearance of extra fullness. Because Little Miss is stretching up, I mashed the 3T bodice with 4T length in the skirt. I hope this can fit through the summer!

I’m honestly not sure that I’ve ever made anything that I’ve loved more. I love it when I have a vision in my head and it turns out exactly as I planned! The fabric arrived around 2 PM last Thursday, and by 10 AM Friday this dress was finished! I’m not sure I’ve ever let something move that quickly through my stash!

I loved it so much I simply had to make my sweet girl a a matching dolly dress! This is the Dolly Ayda pattern. I chose the Ayda since it has a nice v-back that I thought would compliment the v-back of her Jaimesyn dress. Other than making downsizing an infant peasant dress for Bitty Baby for Halloween (don’t ask) I’ve never actually sewn doll clothes. The pattern steps were very clear, and the pieces were very easy to assemble. In fact, during testing, my 8 year old daughter made a sleeved version of the Dolly Ayda which I will share with you soon!

The Dolly Ayda is quick like the girls’ Ayda! However, there is a small placket in the skirt (the girls’ Ayda is pull on with no placket), so it can be put on the doll. I made the modest back version with the gathered skirt. One thing that is so nice about the simplicity of the Dolly Ayda is that a 5 or 6 year old child will have no difficulty dressing dolly by herself. And it really is a quick pattern, taking me less than an hour to complete this tank version! The dolly pattern also includes a circle skirt option and multiple sleeve lengths as well as flutter sleeves.

Do you want a chance to win your own Dolly and Me Pattern set? Make sure you visit Sew and Tell Project on Instagram for a chance to win your own Dolly and Me bundle!

Make sure you visit all our friends on the blog tour to see their lovely Simple Life Patterns Creations!

2/13 Ruby Rue Creations

2/14 Sew and Tell Project

2/15 Sunflower Seams

2/16 Wonderfully {hand}made

2/17 Pearberry Lane

2/18 Sewjourners

Now is a great time to shop Simple Life Pattern Company!