I love Boston (boatneck dress pattern from Peek A Boo Pattern Shop)

Oh, how I love Boston!  I went to college about 2 hours from there, and I spent a lot of time in that city!  When Amy posted a preliminary photo of this dress in her pattern group, I loved the simplicity of it, and it was called the Boston Boatneck so I started feeling nostalgic for my college days. HA!  I know, it's kind of silly, but I did.  I signed up to test the dress, and I was so excited about how fast it was to sew up and how well it fit me when I tried it on!

Alright, let's get to some details about the pattern first so you know what you are getting with this pattern:

- Large pattern range: XXS - XXXL (sizes 00 - 24)
- Two length options: dress or top
- Two sleeve lengths: short or 3/4 length
- Faux or functional drawstring options
- Optional triangle accent on the neck
- Optional side pockets
- Your usual clear, concise directions with photos for those of us who need a visual reference

Okay, so this pattern calls for knits with at least 30% stretch so you can use jersey, interlock, french terry...pretty much any knit with 30% stretch.  It was so comfortable to wear, and it stood up to all day kid chasing!  Definite bonus in my book...

I personally love that this has a boatneck collar.  I have this "thing" about stuff that sits too close to my neck, and this collar gave me a lot of ease at the neck so I didn't feel like I was constantly tugging at it to get it off my neck.  I did pull my fabric a bit when I was sewing mine so that part does require some careful attention as you sew along the collar.  Nothing difficult at all, but it will require you to slow down just a little at the top.

I originally tried the top of the dress on before adding the skirt to check for fit, and I loved how it felts as a shirt.  It didn't come up too high so I felt like it would cover my belly if I had to raise my arms over my head.  I added the skirt, but I plan to make a couple of tops to wear with jeans when the weather starts to cool down here in Oklahoma.

I forgot to put the drawstring in at the end, but I went back and added it after the fact so my photos don't have the drawstring.  I also managed to somehow flip my skirt sideways when I did the button holes for the drawstring, so I have two little button holes on the side of mine.  I haven't figure out what I want to do to cover them yet so they're just kind of chilling out on the side of my dress.  My husband told me to leave it and use it as a pen holder.  He was trying to be helpful. HA!  So word of advice, check the skirt pieces before doing the button holes.  You'll have a slight curve at the top of the skirt to tell you which way is the top.

I loved that the waistline was a little lower on this dress because it helped me with my mommy belly.  A lot of the dresses of this same style that I've tried on have a higher waist so I was a little uncomfortable in them.   I am also a little bit short statured at 5'1", and I loved that I didn't need to mod the length any at the bottom.  I paired with some boots, and we were off on date night!

The dress is also a really quick sew.  I think this one came together in about an hour from start to finish.  With little helpers hanging around during the summer, I was thankful that I was able to finish this during their mommy mandated quiet time!

Okay, so if you've read this far, I appreciate you greatly!  Let's get some information on how you can pick up your copy!  The pattern is on sale today (11 August) at Amy's webstore for a special release price of $8.50!  Amy also has a Facebook group you can join and ask questions about any of her patterns or to see other people's creations using her patterns!  You can also see what some of the other testers created at the pattern listing!  Thanks so much for reading along!  Now go grab your copy and sew yourself up some love!!

Blessings and Happy Sewing,
Kim