Fun, soft, joyful dress patterns for girls? size 8 -10

[Treasuremapper]

I am looking for some easy, fun, joyful sort of crunchy dress patterns for my daughters, wearing size 8-10.

Can you help me?

Also, what's the best source for gorgeous knit prints?

Thank you. :

[JoyMC]

i'm making this for my daughter right now. http://indietutes.blogspot.com/2007/...cle-skirt.html

it's not something you're going to whip out in a day, but i'm a beginning sewer and i'm not having any trouble with it. your daughters might even be able to help with cutting all the little squares.

in the picture, it's a baby dress. but i'm making it for my daughter who wears a 4T, and she explains how you just make more and more layers (or bigger squares) to accomplish a bigger size).

[stik]

I like the Farbenmix Olivia pattern. I can throw a dress together in an afternoon. You can make it with short or long sleeves, and with the hood or with some binding around the neck. Farbenmix has some other dress patterns that are also very cute. I haven't yet tried them. www.thefabricfairy.com has lovely knit prints.

[Treasuremapper]

Those are really cute, and I can tell that you understand what I am seeking! Please give me more ideas. I just added a bunch of items to my Fabric Fairy wishlist, thank you for the recommendation. I will order as soon as I get the perfect patterns.

[Treasuremapper]

Also -- those European patterns are gorgeous, just breathtaking, but tracing paper and non-English? What do they mean?

[stik]

Farbenmix patterns have English instructions. Tracing sounds scary, but it's really not. Pick up some Easypattern from Joannes (they shelve it with the interfacing). Get a marker and highlight the size you want to trace. You can see it through the easypattern anyway, but if you've highlighted it, tracing is easier. I add seam allowance by eyeballing 1/4 inch off the pattern line. You can do this on the Easypattern after you trace or on the fabric when you cut.

[Treasuremapper]

Originally Posted by stik

Farbenmix patterns have English instructions. Tracing sounds scary, but it's really not.

Gulp. I think I like those patterns so much that I am going to have to try this. You have to add your own seam allowances? Yipes. I wonder why they don't make it easier?

[stik]

Appropriate seam allowance size differs depending on sewing method. It's different if you're sewing than if you're serging. And everyone likes theirs a different size. On most fabrics, I like 1/4 inch. If I'm working with lightweight knits, I use 3/8 instead because I feel like a wider SA is less likely to be sucked into the feed dogs. I don't use a seam allowance at all when I cut the Olivia pattern for my younger dd because she doesn't quite fit in the smallest size yet, and I'll be cutting my older dd's next Olivia without a seam allowance as well because she's between sizes and it's a way of sizing down a tiny bit.

If you're worried, I hear that hitching two pencils together with a rubber band gives you a nice seam allowance between the points. Trace the pattern with one pencil and the adjacent pencil will make a line you can cut on.

[Treasuremapper]

Stik, I am still a beginner, challenged by a McCalls apron pattern. So, please tell me, are there any patterns that are kind of like these fabulous ones except easier?

[stik]

The Olivia was the very first dress I ever made. I'd quilted before, but I'd never sewn curves or garments. The first dress took me three hours. It would have been less if I hadn't been so scared of hemming. The second one took 90 minutes. It is very, very easy once you've done it. It only looks scary and hard if you've never done it before.

I just make the Olivia underdress, not the fancy pinafore, so that helps. www.sewingmamas.com has a lot of inspirational pictures and helpful sewalongs.

[frogger]

The Olivia dress is easy. If you don't want to add the SA, try tracing the next larger size (though it doesn't work if you have a skinny minny like me).
Sewing the dress, there's only the shoulder seams, attaching the hood, and then side seams. And heming, though I usually just serge the edges and leave it. Really it's not a hard dress at all, and there's only 5 pcs to it.

Go for it, you won't be sorry!