Polka Dots Dress by Kikoi Patterns
/So, I was recently introduced to a wonderful 'new to me' designer: Kikoi Patterns. Have you seen her shop? What wonderful wearable patterns - there are quite a few that I think could work great for back-to school! Today we are sharing a review of the Polka Dots Dress - cute, comfortable, and catty... no really it has sweet little cat pockets (but those are optional, you could do plain pockets as well). Susan of Kikoi is also giving away 5 patterns to one lucky winner!!! How awesome is that!!!!
- This review was completed by a 3rd party objective reviewer who received a complimentary copy of the pattern in order to complete the review. Neither Pattern Revolution nor the reviewer received any additional compensation for this review.
Now take it away Katie....
-------------------------------------------
I was so excited to hear that I would be reviewing the Polka Dot dress by Kikoi patterns! It has been on my to-do list ever since she offered the pattern for free on her blog a while back (how awesome is that??). Seriously, who can resist this sweet dress and those adorable kitty pockets? But, my sewing to-do list is never ending and sewing for my little girl usually gets put on the back-burner. So, I jumped at the chance to review the Polka Dot dress and get this dress made up for my girly.
I keep forgetting to add printer paper to my shopping list, so I had to dig into the kids’ crafting card stock to print the pattern pieces out. Lots of cutting, but at least I have a rainbow assortment of pattern pieces!
Every page of the tutorial is full of step by step pictures, making this an easy to follow pattern (and pretty, too!). I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get confused with the wording in a pattern, and I love having pictures to follow when that happens. I thought all the detail in the bodice and on the pockets would be difficult, but she takes you through each step and it comes together pretty easily.
The most time consuming part is the hand embroidery for the cat’s face. I don’t have ANY hand embroidery experience, and was worried that mine wouldn't look as cute. I just used a fabric marker to draw the eyes, mouth and whiskers that she used (the nose is a fabric applique), and took my time stitching them. I think it came out pretty adorable, don’t you?
I finished this dress over the course of one afternoon. It probably would have been a very quick sew (under 2 hours), but my 3 little sweeties love to bug me when I am sewing. They wanted to go to the pool and I wanted to see the end result of this dress, so I tried to rush through the arm and neck binding. I ended up stretching the fabric, resulting in uneven armholes. That’s when you put it down and wait for naptime! I ripped off the binding and started over, and finished it up just in time for my daughter to wake up and squeal with happiness over her new dress. The downside? Her twin brother is obsessed with all things cat and cute, and he wants one, too. Hmmm…maybe a T-shirt?
This dress is so sweet, and so unique. Plus, it’s totally comfortable and she hasn't wanted to take it off (this child normally changes outfits at least five times per day). It’s a definite must for your girl’s back to school wardrobe! And, I found another “must have” from Kikoi Patterns (you can never have too many patterns, right??). My daughter is going to LOVE this skirt!
The most time consuming part is the hand embroidery for the cat’s face. I don’t have ANY hand embroidery experience, and was worried that mine wouldn't look as cute. I just used a fabric marker to draw the eyes, mouth and whiskers that she used (the nose is a fabric applique), and took my time stitching them. I think it came out pretty adorable, don’t you?
I finished this dress over the course of one afternoon. It probably would have been a very quick sew (under 2 hours), but my 3 little sweeties love to bug me when I am sewing. They wanted to go to the pool and I wanted to see the end result of this dress, so I tried to rush through the arm and neck binding. I ended up stretching the fabric, resulting in uneven armholes. That’s when you put it down and wait for naptime! I ripped off the binding and started over, and finished it up just in time for my daughter to wake up and squeal with happiness over her new dress. The downside? Her twin brother is obsessed with all things cat and cute, and he wants one, too. Hmmm…maybe a T-shirt?
This dress is so sweet, and so unique. Plus, it’s totally comfortable and she hasn't wanted to take it off (this child normally changes outfits at least five times per day). It’s a definite must for your girl’s back to school wardrobe! And, I found another “must have” from Kikoi Patterns (you can never have too many patterns, right??). My daughter is going to LOVE this skirt!
