Pillowcase Dresses can be a lot of fun; they are an easy starting pattern for anyone learning to sew, and they are quite versatile for those of us with a few years of sewing under our belts. We challenged two of our reviewers to come up with some super fun variations of Footloose and Fancy Free's Sew Lacy Pillowcase Dress. This pattern is unique in it construction in that it is fully lined! That just ads to the fun. We have mod stripes, an adorable top, and a vintage Valentines look all to inspire you to re-visit the pillowcase dress!!!

Here are Kara and Nicole to share their versions of the Sew Lacy...

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

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Pattern Review of Footloose & Fancy Free Sew Lacy

by Kara Orr

Color blocking seems to be all the rage at the moment and I think that translates well in children's patterns. I thought the Sew Lacy by Footloose & Fancy Free would be a fun pattern to try my hand at color blocking with black and white.

The Sew Lacy Double Pillowcase Dress pattern can be made in sizes 6/12 mths to 14. This pattern could be considered a beginner pattern. There are no difficult techniques or extra tools needed to complete the dress.

The Sew Lacy is designed to be a double layer pillowcase dress, which makes it unique. The pattern includes measurements for the top and bottom layers. There is a drafted pattern included for the arm hole cutouts.

The Sew Lacy is a casual dress that is designed to be made with woven cotton. I can see this dress being worn everywhere from church to the playground. Fabric choice can completely change the look of this dress making it casual or dressy.

The pattern instructions are written very clearly and are very easy to follow. Instructions are paired with very clear pictures making it very easy to follow the pattern.

The pattern instructions call for a lace edge on the top layer of the dress. There are also several choices for the tie closure with an interesting variation on the neck casing and arm holes. There is room for a lot of creativity in this dress!

I thought a fun take on this pillowcase dress would be to use black and white stripes for a color block effect. I used solid black and white fabric sewn together to make fat stripes. Other than making the stripes, I made the dress just as the pattern instructs.

I took a different turn with my second Sew Lacy. I stayed with the color block theme but made a couple of changes.

First, I shortened the dress to a top and made a smaller size.

The neck is supposed to be tied together with a ribbon or sash but I put elastic in the neck band to create more of a ruffled neckline.

A big dot on the side made for a fun twist. I just made a cutout in the main fabric and added a white dot to complete the top. I kept the second layer as the instructions called for. This is an easy, quick sew if you need a cute dress with minimal time invested.

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Hello fellow seamstress! Woohoo it is a new year and my first time back for 2014!! I had the pleasure of bringing you fun creations last year and can't wait to have lots of chances this year to share my love and passion for sewing. I was so thrilled when Pattern Revolution posted about this Pillowcase Dress pattern from designer Sandra of Foot Loose and Fancy Free.

I haven't sewn a pillowcase dress in like forever!! I forgot how much fun they are to sew. This pattern has amazing direction from Sandra. You get to learn fun new techniques that you might not be as familiar with, and Sandra gives amazing direction. I went with a fun Valentines Theme for mine. You will all have "sew" much fun sewing this one plus you can sew them quickly if you are last minute holiday sewers like me.

I love that this Sew Lacy Double Pillowcase pattern includes something unique from all the other pillowcase dresses out there! What.... you might be asking yourself? Please.... share! Well, it is a fully lined pillowcase dress which means no awkward arm hole bindings, how awesome is that!!

I love that you can really get creative with this pillowcase dress. I opted not to do the lace and did a double fabric ruffle and jumbo ricrac. I also added a fun pocket to give it an extra special touch.

Here are the details I loved about Sandra's Foot Loose and Fancy Free pattern:

Size Range: 6 months to 14 years
Pattern Pieces: One piece for the armhole cut out.
Options: Lace ruffles, fabric ruffles, double ribbon/fabric ties, single ribbon/fabric ties.
Pattern Assembly Time: 10 seconds or as long as your printer takes there is no taping just cutting.
Fabric Cutting Time: 10 minutes Sewing Tiem: under a hour depending on how fancy you get :)
Fun tidbits on this pattern: All seam allowances are 1/2" which I love! You learn how to do a french seams for a very professional finish.
Sewing Level: Confident Beginner.

As I said, I did a double gathered ruffles on this dress which I love. Here's how you can make your own:
I cut my bottom ruffle 8" by width of fabric and the top ruffle 6" by width of fabric.
I then folded the fabric in half length wise wrong sides together then set my machine to the longest stitch and width. (You can do a straight stitch or zig zag stitch to gather).
I then found the centers on the pillowcase dress and the ruffle piece.
I placed a pin in the center then worked to each side.
For the bigger ruffle I attached that right to the bottom edge of the pillowcase dress and finished it with my serger and then top stitched for a finished look.
I then repeated the process with the other side and with the other smaller ruffle piece.
Next, I sewed on my nice jumbo ricrac.
I found a lovely crochet doilie and made a fun pocket. (I placed it up higher for my daughter but, you can place your special touches were you see best.)
You will also see I added a little pop of color using bias tape around the armhole. This is totally not necessary as Sandra has created a fully lined dress. I just wanted to add it for a more Valentines feel with the red. After doing my finished lined arm holes I took my bias sewing from the inside stitched my bias then flipped it over to the front to finish it. Just showing yet another fun option you can do! See....endless possibilities. :)

I wanted to spice it up and did party in the front and business in the back. I did all my fun trims all on the front side of the pillowcase dress and left the back plain with the bigger ruffle on the bottom. Can you image how cute would these be in Disney themes!! I had so much fun with this vintage Valentines look and I can't wait to see what you all create once you own this pattern. Thank you Sandra of Foot Loose and Fancy Free for designing and letting me review this pattern. You can buy her pattern here: http://www.footlooseandfancyfree.bigcartel.com. I hope you enjoyed seeing my fun creation. Clara Mae certainly enjoys her new fancy dress :)