The Prize Garden Dress

New make! I can't believe I am finally getting into the sewing groove again. Baby #4 is (finally) napping at least twice a day! (one nap is at least 1 hour, and on a good day I'm getting two naps of 1-2 hours!! Yay!!!). I don't know how long it will last but I will make the most of it while it lasts! :) I even had the time to draft this quick & easy knit dress from scratch! (Woo-hoo!)

I can't say enough good things about this interlock knit. It's the Prize Garden print from the Sidewalk collection designed by Rae Hoekstra (Made by Rae) for Cloud 9 Fabrics. 

It's an organic cotton knit (bonus points!), and oh so soft! It has the perfect weight (not too thin and fiddly, not too heavy) and is really stable (it doesn't curl - we all know it's a nightmare when that happens...). It is so easy to work with you will love it!

I love it so much that I almost used it for some selfish sewing... I was sent 2 yards of it for the Sidewalk Tour and I have left a little over half yard... Do you know any women's pattern that uses up only that much? :) 

Now, let's talk the dress. It is a bit roomy, because I made it to my oldest DD but this one saw it first ans snatched it for her. :) Well, it  means there is room to growth, right? :) That or her older sister will use it instead. (If she lets her... errr, not happening.)

I designed it with a couple of cute details, and I can't wait to show them a bit better soon.

• the sleeves aren't true set in sleeves but dolman style, 
• love those cuffs on the 3/4 sleeves, 
• the opening has a self-facing,
• the woven ties on the back. 

It's such an easy sew! I am actually thinking about making a PDF pattern. Maybe I should add a short sleeve version too? Any other suggestions? Maybe add a circle skirt option? Of course since I don't have much time it may take me months to have this done... but I think this time I am really going for it! 

She is looking so big!... It's only looking at the photos that I realize how much she grew up since I first started to make things for her and blog about them. I truly wish my kids wouldn't grow up. :) 

Pattern:
Self-drafted.

Fabric: 
Prize Garden 100% organic cotton interlock knit, Sidewalk collection by Rae Hoekstra (Made by Rae) for Cloud 9 Fabrics.

When I got Rae's email with the invitation to join the Sidewalk Tour, I was so excited! How in the world one my all-time sewing/blogging heros knew I existed? Wow. But then I thought... Oh I get it, she must have got the wrong Sara. I'll just send her an email back saying there was certainly a mistake. I shared with a few of my sewing-blogging friends and they reassured me that for sure she knew what she was doing. Okay then. I'll go for it, I'll join the tour. I was happy, I was pumped, I was... stressed! Oh.my.gosh. It sinked in. I felt the weight of responsibility, and boy it was heavy. But once the yardage that Rae and Cloud 9 so kindly sent me arrived I got super excited again! This knit is really amazing and I couldn't wait to work with it! I am so grateful to Rae (and Jessica) and Cloud9 for having me on this tour! And again, I am sorry it took me a couple more weeks to get this done. :) 

Check all these amazing creations for the Sidewalk Tour for inspiration. All the prints of the Sidewalk collection are so, so cute!  

Hungry Hippie Sews  |  Fancy Tiger Crafts  |  Fa Sew La  |  

Noodlehead  |  Mama Liberated  |  Oliver's Fancy  |  

LBG Studio  |  Olivia Jane

Happy sewing!