Grabbing a Sammy with my girl

I told my daughter that I was going to make her a Sammy, and she said, "Oh, no thanks, Mom, I'm not hungry!"  She stared at me as I laughed, and then I told her it's a dress not a sandwich...BUT, it's not just any dress.  This is the Sammy Swing Dress and Tuni from Laela Jeyne Patterns...AND, it has a matching Samantha Swing Dress and Tunic for momma!  This pattern is sheer amazing!  It took me longer to put the pattern together than it did sew it up, and I want to sew up one for every day of the month so I can wear this all the time!

Okay, as usual, let's get some basics down:

- Ranges from XS-XXL on the Samantha and 6M-14 for the Sammy (this makes me happy because my daughter is very quickly hitting the top of the size chart for most of the patterns I have)
- 2 styles: sleeved or racerback
- 4 sleeve options: cap, short, elbow, and long
- Sleeve dress/top has options for a regular neck or cowl neck
- Has both a hi-lo and regular hem for the dress and the tunic
- Racerback shelf bra option so no need to buy a special bra on the Samantha
- Detailed fit adjustment instructions for the Samantha
- No trim pages (one of my favorite things about Marisa's patterns)
- Layered printing on either A4 or standard paper (another favorite)

 I wish I had enough words to tell you how much I love this pattern.  I've already made myself a dress and 4 tops.  There is a slight possibility that I might really end up making one for every day of the month!! My daughter has hit that stage where she is kind of done with ruffles and OTT dresses so the simplicity of this one was right up her alley.  I also made tops for her best friend and her sister, and the report all around is can I get another one followed by specific fabric requirements.

I used a wide range of fabrics with these, but I did make sure that they all had at least 50% recovery so we could get these over the head without doing the funky chicken.  This pattern works with heavier knits, drapey knits, sweater knits...pretty much any knit with at least 50% recovery!

I didn't have to make any sizing adjustments for the ones that I made, but Marisa included very detailed directions on how to adjust for different sizes if you need to do that.  I am 5'1" on a good day, and I didn't even need to adjust the length on either the dress or the tunic.  I made all of these in the hi-lo option, and I loved that the lower back offered good rear coverage for me.

I'm kind of loving all things knit right now, and I've worn the ones I made every day until I had to either do laundry or make more to finish out the week. Construction is so incredibly fast.  It took me about 45 minutes from start to finish to make each one, and I was able to make all four of the girls' tops in one afternoon.  Marisa uses no trim pages so that means no cutting!  Even more of a bonus since that's usually the longest part of pattern construction. I just grabbed my glue stick and started putting the pieces together.

I'm very wary of making myself clothes because I usually spend all my time making the item and then I don't love it.  The fit on these, though, fits just about every body type.  I saw a lot of dresses in the test group, and every single woman I saw this on looked amazing in it.  It's relatively relaxed fitting overall with a slightly fitted top to bring you in at the top.  I wore the dress on a date night, and a woman stopped me to ask where I had bought it.  I'm pretty sure that you could have seen my beaming face all the way from space.

I also made my daughter a short sleeve version of the tunic, and bubs was so sad that he can't wear dresses that I made him a matching tee so he could be part of the matching party.  He wouldn't stand still long enough for a good photo, but my dynamic duo get together to discuss when they're going to wear their matching shirts so I'm calling that a win!

I could go on and on about how I love this pattern, but really, you need to just check it out for yourself.  These patterns are on sale now, and you can pick yours up at Laela Jeyne Patterns on Etsy. The Sammy is on sale here for $5.95 (regular price will be $8) and the Samantha is on sale here for $6.95 (regular price will be $9).  You can also bundle up and get both for $11.50 (regular price will be $15.50).  These prices are only good until the 1159 EST on Sunday (10 April) so if you even THINK you might make these someday, this is the time to get your copy!   You can also swing over to the Laela Jeyne Pattern Fan group to keep up with Marisa's happenings or to ask a question if you hit a bump while working with her patterns.  She's very quick to respond and is always happy to help out.  As an added piece of happy, all single patterns are also 30% until Sunday so this is a good time to pick up any of the other Laela Jeyne patterns that you might want!

Well, if you've read this far, I do appreciate you sticking it out with me!  Now go grab your Sammy or Samantha...or both and create some happiness!

Happy sewing and Blessings,
Kim