Clara Dress by Les Filles a Maman
/Today we are sharing the adorable Clara Dress by Les Filles a Maman. This is such a sweet design with beautiful details and plenty of room for adding your own flair and finesse. This pattern can easily dress up or down depending on the fabrics you pick and the finishing details that you add.
Our reviewers have given their versions a bit of a Valentine's Flair, but their creations could be worn year round - that is the great thing about using hearts, they can be worn anytime. You can grab your own copy of The Clara Dress for a steal at 25% off in the ETSY SHOP with the code: revolution25 (code good until 2/2/2014). And make sure to enter bellow for your chance to win!
Here are Katie and Stephanie to share their full reviews of this lovely pattern...
- 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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My daughter started Kindergarten this year, and just like that, she's opinionated about fashion and picky about her mommy couture. I am nowhere near being ready to stop sewing for her, so I have been on the lookout for "bigger-girl" patterns. If it were up to me, I'd stick a ruffle (or two or three) on everything I sew. I LOVE over-the-top girliness. Sigh. She doesn't like ruffles, has to have sleeves, barely wears dresses to school anymore. I've been hunting down patterns that I think she'll love and the Clara dress from Filles a Maman caught my eye. It's sweet, with simple lines, and I thought it would be the perfect dress for my picky girl!
I wanted her to have a sweet Valentine's Day dress to wear to her party at school, and the Clara dress fit the bill. I made the dress out of a white eyelet, and lined it with white Kona cotton, so it isn't see-through. The pattern comes with multiple options, including short and long sleeved; ruffled or not; and optional pockets. I picked short sleeves, and the non ruffled version (again, sigh). I should have used the provided size chart to figure out what size to make for my daughter, but I was lazy and went with a size 6. She's a 6 in length, but the skinny little thing is more like a 4 in the chest. It's a bit big, so I tied a red ribbon sash around her chest. I love the end result!
Here are details that you should know:
I wanted her to have a sweet Valentine's Day dress to wear to her party at school, and the Clara dress fit the bill. I made the dress out of a white eyelet, and lined it with white Kona cotton, so it isn't see-through. The pattern comes with multiple options, including short and long sleeved; ruffled or not; and optional pockets. I picked short sleeves, and the non ruffled version (again, sigh). I should have used the provided size chart to figure out what size to make for my daughter, but I was lazy and went with a size 6. She's a 6 in length, but the skinny little thing is more like a 4 in the chest. It's a bit big, so I tied a red ribbon sash around her chest. I love the end result!
- Includes size 12m-8.
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate, because there are so many buttons and buttonholes.
- There are a lot of pieces to print and tape (20 pages) but they are lettered and easy to line up with the marks in the corners of each page.
- A yardage chart is provided.
- A size chart with waist, length, and chest measurements is provided.
- Each step is shown in a picture.
- The instructions are written clearly, and easy to understand.
- Multiple options are included to allow for different variations of finished dresses.
We both love this dress so much (I might have to hide it so she doesn't ruin it before V-Day), and it only took about an hour for me to make. I definitely see more of these in our future!
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Hi there! Stephanie here from Sew Van-Tastic. Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Not for all of the hallmark reasons, but because I JUST love having an excuse to be surrounded by all things pink and red and sweet and eat lots of candy! One of the best parts of being a pink lover is having a crazy toddler sweet GIRL to sew for.
I don't know if there is anything sweeter than the Clara Dress from Les Filles a' Maman. It's classic, it's sophisticated, and it's so fun! Paired up with some ruffle socks and mary janes... knock me down, I can't handle the cute!
At first, I was skeptical (as usual) when I heard that this pattern was originally made by someone who uses the metric system for measurements. The pieces and measurements were provided in inches and the instructions were very well written and easy to understand. I would probably classify this pattern as an Advanced Beginner, just due to the yoke, buttonholes and being that there are a few steps where you are assumed to know certain techniques.
This pattern sure does offer a lot of variety. It goes from sizes 12m all the way up to 8Y. There are options for short or long sleeve and with or without the ruffle bottom. It even has a template for adding pockets. I opted to go with the short sleeve ruffled version and added my own heart appliqué. The pattern states you can make this dress with several different options for type of fabric. In the end, I decided to go with this chambray because I wanted something that would be sweet, but casual, and still comfortable for my girl to play in! The possibilities for mixing and matching and expressing your creativity with the pattern are endless.
My daughter's favorite part of this dress is the fullness. She recently decided that twirling is SO fun, and this dress allows for that quite well. The length is perfect for play time, too.
Whatever your plans are this Valentine's Day, you should sew this sweet number up for your little sweetie and put a little pep in her step. I know that my girl is going to get lots of wear from this adorable dress!
Happy Sewing!
XOXO
Steph
