Testing, Testing - Bundle Up for Girls!

Miss P and I have been super busy lately, starting off the new year with lots of fun testing opportunities. We have been fortunate to test pretty regularly for a few designers, and also to be invited to test for others for the first time. In preparation for this week's Bundle Up Sale, sponsored by Pattern Revolution, we got to join two different tests - the Jam Jam sleepwear pattern by one of our favorite designers, Tami Meyer of Love Notions Patterns, and the Cecille Dress and Top by LilyGiggle Patterns. I've sewn a number of LG patterns but have never tested for Beth before, so I was excited to be included in this one.

Tami's sleepwear pattern is adorable, and makes me wish it was drafted for moms, too! Miss P loved it, and has worn it several times already despite it being the middle of winter here. We made the top and capri version, although there are shorts included as well. The top, with its sweet yoke detail would make a cute spring daytime tee as well. The fit is roomy and comfy for sleep but not overly baggy, and the ruffles on the pants are a really cute finish. I used a lightweight floral baby rib knit from Fabric Fairy, and cotton lycra for the red contrast. I think this was a Laguna Jersey that I got from fabric.com, but my go-to for good quality solids lately has been Purple Seamstress (Melinda Dozal) on Facebook.

I sewed a size 4T for P, and didn't make any alterations for the pattern other than to add a little extra length to the top due to her height (43.5") and her long torso. She's sort of between sizes these days, her hips and chest measurements still put her in a 4 in a lot of pdf patterns, but she's well into the size 5 range for height.

The Cecille dress began as a top pattern with a gathered peplum or a flounce, and then Beth kept adding more and more options. This pattern includes short, 3/4, and long sleeves - and the full sleeve is so sweet with the cuff. It also includes measurements for doing a full gathered skirt to make it a dress rather than a top. I made one of each - a long sleeve top with a double layer flounce, and a 3/4 sleeve dress with a gathered (woven) skirt. Miss P loved both of these, and has worn them both already. I know she really likes something I've made for testing when she asks to take photos immediately - it means she wants to wear it right away and knows I usually won't let her until we've taken pics!

This pattern was a great fit as well - I sewed a size 4 with extra length in the bodice, and made no other alterations. For the top version, I used two knit blends from Girl Charlee. I loved the colors and that print, and although the fabric doesn't have a lot of stretch (and was really challenging to do a nice rolled hem), it sewed up nicely and fits well.

"Is this...BLUE??!"

For the dress version, I used a Robert Kaufman chambray that I had been saving for something fun. Miss P doesn't usually like fabrics like this (too blue! and no print!), so I knew I needed to pair it with an interesting bodice fabric. I ended up using a cotton blend jersey sheet from Target that had a super fine orange and white stripe. For the buttons, I used two little denim appliques that I had in my hair clips/bows stash and two mother of pearl buttons that were my grandmother's. She had pearl buttons in every size, it seems, and many many of these little teeny ones. They were perfect for this project!

The Bundle Up sale runs from January 23 - February 2, and includes 11 brand new patterns for girls. The more you buy, the more you save!

I posted my tour patterns earlier this week, and please make sure to check out the other stops on the tour - there are so many awesome and creative versions of these patterns to see!