No weeping for this Willow (Willow Dress and Tunic from Petite Stitchery and Co.)

My daughter has finally grown out of ruffles and ribbons so I am constantly looking for patterns that she is willing to wear, especially when it comes to dresses!  When Deb Zaleski from Lulu and Celeste, Sprouting Jube Jube Productions asked if any of us had tried out Petite Stitchery and Co, I got a little excited.  Was it possible there was a designer out there that I hadn’t tried yet??  Surprisingly, I had NOT tried any of their patterns, and after looking at their catalog, I still don’t know if I could pick a favorite.  I finally landed on the Willow Dress and Tunic (DISCLAIMER: I was provided the pattern free by Petite Stitchery and Co. but my thoughts are my own.)

Let’s go over some quick pattern details before I get too far along:

- Large size range: 2T through 12 (I appreciate this since my daughter is going to be topping out on the size range of many patterns I own)

- Rated as a beginner pattern

- Two length options: tunic or dress

- Three sleeve options: long, 3/4, and short

- Two neck options: simple or tie closure

- Layered pattern pieces so you only print what you want/need

Based on the measurements, my daughter was a size 7.  The sizing for this was spot on for ready to wear, and the fit was perfect on her.  We urgh’ed and argh’ed over fabric for a hot minute and finally landed on a drapey black with pink medallions.  I tried to talk her into a second color for contrast, but Nay was having none of it so we ended up doing the whole dress in the same fabric.  The pattern itself has panels in the back so it lends itself to colorblocking or an overlay on the back. 

We also opted for the ¾ length sleeve.  That’s usually the standard when I ask Nay what length she wants.  The ¾ length is almost perfect for us right now.  It’s the end of May, and the temperature was almost up to 100 degrees today.  Like I stated above, there are also two other sleeve options you can choose from.  You can also choose to add a sleeve cuff, elastic, or standard hem.  Nay chose the standard hem on her sleeves.  I also chose to do a simple finish on the neck due to my daughter’s sensitivities with things against her neck.

I really love the fabric for this dress.  The drape gives the dress such a dreamy feel.  The pattern calls for lightweight fabrics like cotton lawn or voile.  I wish I would have paid attention to what this fabric is when I bought it from SincerelyRylee a couple of months ago.  It was perfect for this pattern and sort of just flowed when Nay put the dress on.  There are also tips in the pattern on how to make fabrics less sheer if you have a somewhat see through fabric that you want to use for the dress.

The pattern is rated as a beginner pattern, and I do wholeheartedly agree with that!  If you know how to gather fabric, that’s the most difficult part of construction.  I think this dress came together in about 2 hours for me, so it was a relatively quick sew.  The tutorial was very well written with clear, concise instructions and photos for each step so you can compare your steps with what it should look like during the process. 

Overall, I loved the pattern and was very pleased with how easy it was to follow along.  I am so excited to have a new company that I can get patterns from as my little becomes not so little.  You can check out the Willow and all of the other patterns in the Petite Stitchery and Co. lineup at their webstore: Petite Stitchery and Co.  You can also follow all of the designer’s happenings by following their Facebook page: Petite Stitchery and Co FB.

Thanks so much for following along!  Now, go check out some of the amazing patterns at Petite Stitchery and Co, and sew yourself up some love!

Thanks again and Happy Sewing,

Kim