Violette Dress in Purple Unicorns

Another busy week! I had my last holiday market of the year, the Market Day Merry Market, and did some sewing for my family and friends this week too. I'll be sharing the first with you today, the Violette Dress by VFT in purple unicorns was put sewn up for my daughter Lily. I normally sew her a "fancy" dress this time of year for all the holiday gatherings and special events we attend. Grandma also gifted her with a special night out to dinner + tickets to the broadway show "The Wizard of Oz." 

I wanted to make her something really big and fun since I know the last few years I've leaned towards fabrics and patterns that I like to sew.

The basics- I used Andover Fabric in this unicorn print and then the coordinating print in leaves. It's so whimsical and fun. The skirt is a grey shimmer tulle. 

About the pattern- I'm really pleased at the way it turned out, the scooped back is gorgeous and a real show stopper. I also liked the technique that they used to add the tulle in layers to the skirt lining rather than trying to gather all the layers together and sew the mass at once. 

What I wasn't as pleased about were the small mistakes that I had to surpass. The neckline is slightly wider on the bodice front and doesn't match up to the shoulders smoothly. Also, I found that the directions for the peplum a bit sketchy. My peplum also didn't end up lining up in the back.  

 I would normally consider the errors in the patterns to be a likely mistake in printing or cutting. It happens, of course. Except,  I sewed two bodice sizes together before getting the size and fit I wanted and each of these problems arose with both. The fit was my personal preference, not what I would consider a pattern error. On that note, I would not try to mash two sizes (the length of one size with the width of another) when making this pattern. The issue I had, as that the specific shapes that are drafted on the bodice front (inserts) make it very difficult to do. Lily measured at a size 5 width and does well with a size 7  length. With this dress I was happiest when I went with the middle of the two- a straight size 6. As you can tell it's not loose in the bodice and not too short either. 

Overall, the dress was a huge hit. I finished it in a day and was pleased with the results, as was lily. I'd actually like to try it again and see if I can make it two separate pieces rather than a full dress. While we love the big billowy tulle, she opted not to wear it during the holidays because she found it difficult to move and play a lot in it. I think she would have really liked a detachable skirt that had another fabric skirt to switch it with.  I have such a practical kid- which is something I totally love about her.