Pattern Review: Ashli's Pleated School Dress

My mother sewed my clothes when I was a kid and she really did a great job.  Before the school year would start, she would take me and my sisters to the fabric store to go through the pattern books to pick out the pattern.  Then we would go pick out the fabric for each pattern.

I always had a hard time picking out the patterns because I would get distracted by the fabrics and styling used in the pictures.  If I liked the styling, I wanted the pattern not realizing that the item may not be the best for me.  Or, if I did not like the styling, I would reject the pattern though the shape was perfect for me.

What my mom taught me is to look at the line drawings on the back side.  By looking at the line drawings, you get a better idea of the shape of the clothing article without being distracted by some one's fabric choice.

Well, recently I relearned this lesson.  There is a pdf pattern company that I had passed by because the clothes really did not appeal to me.  But when they contacted Sally and I requesting a review, I gave them a second look.  I then realized what I did not like was their fabric choices, but they really had some cute patterns.  So I told them yes.

I have been away from home the last couple of months for work so I called my daughter and asked her opinion about the dress and asked what colors would she be interested in. She wanted black and light neon blue.  I made no promises but I set out to Joann to see if I could comply.  Well, I was unable to find exactly what she wanted, but I think she will like what I did pick out.  The dress is currently in the mail, so hopefully I can update this review with pictures of it on her soon.

Pattern Source:  Create Kids Couture is an online, pdf pattern store and they have a whole line of tween patterns HERE.

Sizes available:  This dress comes in sizes 7/8 to 15/16; a great range for tweens.

Special materials required:  The top of the dress is a t-shirt style and must be sewn with a knit fabric.  The skirt portion may be knit or woven fabric but since the top is holding it up, I recommend you use a woven that is not too heavy in order to avoid unsightly stretching.

Skill level required:  I would say that this is an advanced beginner project.

The only deviation I made from the pattern is that I added the decorative element at the shoulder.

Good:  This is a fun pattern that I believe will be very comfortable for my daughter.  I really liked how the pleats give an option for contrasting fabrics.

Bad: I think this dress is a bit long.  I think it would be a little better if it was about an inch above her knees.  However, I am sure a growth spurt will fix this problem shortly.

Overall pattern rating:  I give this pattern (4) of 5 lighting bolts.