Dress to Impress: 5 out of 4's Layla Dress Sewing Pattern Review

Life is too short to wear boring clothes. 

That's why Layla is the perfect party, office, or doing-the-laundry dress!

The Layla Dress has several options and features:
- Fully lined
- Princess seamed bodice
- 4 Sleeve lengths
- Button up back
- A-line box pleated skirt
- Pockets option
- Sash option
- Knit or woven fabric skirt option

The layla was a relatively easy sew - just follow the straight forward instructions, and voila!  

The pleats were a nice sew, and the seam ripper did not come out!  I didn't have quite enough fabric for the entire front skirt with pleats, so I did make them a bit smaller than the pattern itself, ensuring that the front was the same size with less fabric than it would of been as per the original pattern piece. 

I used some Scuba fabric from Water Tower Textiles - and the scuba was light enough that making the sleeves didn't leave me feeling squished in, thus it has a great bicep circumference (mine tend to be large for more form fitted sleeves). 

The skirt is cotton fabric from Fabricland, and of course, I opted for the side pockets!   

Overall, it's a fun dress for work or a party, and I love that I can use woven or knit for the skirt part without needing to alter any of the pattern piece sizes. 

Get your Layla here.

***Affiliate Links Above used - I love these patterns, and without the help of those who love their patterns, marketing would be extremely difficult for the pattern makers we love and learn to love. Affiliate links help with the hours, fabric, and tears that go behind testing each pattern in order to provide a real-person view on the patterns for you (and me!) 

You Get a Pattern! YOU Get a Pattern! Everybody Gets a FREE Pattern!

The Wolf and the Tree's first FREE pattern is finally here!  

FLAIR!

In celebration of 10,000 members, Saskia has created the most awesomely comfortable batwing top. 

It it loose on the top, but is graded in such a way to maintain my womanly shape, yet hiding those chocolate bars I ate last week when I had a sugar craving. 

 


There are a multitude of different options for this top/dress, which include:
- Above knee mini dress
- Tunic/Mini Tress
- Tunic
- Regular Length
- Crop Top
- Regular Bodice
- Short Bodice

I LOVE the ruching effect - essentially, it's the way the fabric sits and just bunches up at the waistband - no ruching is required for this effect!  The looser the fabric, the more stellar the slouchiness. 

I used a ReALLY light sweater knit from Water Tower Textiles, and love its breath-ability, warmth, and versatility. 

As a tester of this pattern, we were given no instructions. 

I finished my first top in half an hour. With NO instructions. 

 

So if you are an intermediate to advanced sewist, Flair will be a great way to expand your fashionable wardrobe.  

If you are a beginner or novice sewist, this is a great way to enter the knit sewing world. It's really not as scary as you think! 

And I betcha can't sew just One!

I sew all my clothes with *gasp* a plain Jane Viking Husqvarna Emerald Sewing Machine - their base model. There's 8 stitch options. 

No serger.

No Coverstitch machine. 

Just stretch stitches and zig zags to finish it off. 

Yes, I've heard Sergers are quicker, but this is what I have, and that's okay. She's a workhorse!

So here are the steps you're going to take next:
- Join The Wolf and the Tree
- Check out the Announcements section on how to get your Free Flair Pattern!
-  Enjoy this free pattern on Saskia! 

Try out her socks, ballerina top, or even the ballerina skirt - such lovely unique patterns that make you wonder why you haven't discovered them sooner. 

***Affiliate Links Above used - I love these patterns, and without the help of those who love their patterns, marketing would be extremely difficult for the pattern makers we love and learn to love. Affiliate links help with the hours, fabric, and tears that go behind testing each pattern in order to provide a real-person view on the patterns for you (and me!) 

Isn't She Lovely? The Rebecca Page Stevie Skirt

Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? I never thought we'd be making one as lovely as she. 

She is the Rebecca Page Stevie Skirt!

Stevie is a super quick sew that has a few fun features:

- Length choice - Mini, Knee, Midi, or Maxi length

- Knit fabrics only!

- No zippers or other fasteners

- Has a cute flare along the hem - making it flirty and fun!

- Comes in 18" Doll, newborn to 12 year old sizing, and Ladies sizing (with a super savings on the Bundle for all 3 patterns!)

The Knee length version really shows the sassy hem flare - perfect for twirling in!

I made mine from some stretch CL for both the band and the main skirt fabric. It honestly took me 15 minutes from cut to done - and this included ironing and hemming!



I paired Stevie with the Chloe Cami - what a super cute combo!  I added a tie for the Cami to ensure the flare at the bottom of the top was complimentary to the skirt flare.

The shoes are Miche Designs Pointed Toe Flats - easier to make than I thought!



My second Stevie was created with some sparkly velvet - which meant a cute mini skirt version!  

Again, it's a very quick sew with a flattering flow.

Get Stevie pattern for the little girls in your life, yourself, their 18" high dolls, or Bundle it up for all 3 patterns.


Sew On!

Me Made May Day 17: Ballerina Tie Top & Dreamy Drape Skirt

Today I'm going for the layering bottom effect. 

And wanted to look bad ass. 

So, I'm sporting a pair of leggings that started my sewing adventure along with a few me-made garments. 

These leggings I bought on sale at American Eagle for $8 just over 2 years ago. I thought they were almost done and wearing out a year and 4 months ago. 

That's when hell broke loose and I started sewing my wardrobe, due to the inability to find a) camisoles that were tunic length, and b) leggings that fit and didn't cost me an arm and a leg in stores.  

My office is beside one of our city's largest malls. I spent 3 lunches scouring for these two staple pieces to no avail. 

And forget about pants shopping. The only ones that would fit me cost $70-$80, as anything else made my "squat" thighs look like sausages. I mean, I'm in my 30's - why don't they make business pants for ladies who have real thighs? Who have done squats and lunges for years? More on this rant here.

Here's today's outfit other than the leggings:

The Wolf and the Tree's Ballerina Tie Top

Yes, I know I wore one already this week, BUT this is my short sleeved version. 

More on one of my fave easy-to-sew tops in a previous post

Rebecca Page's Dreamy Drape (Add On) Skirt

I like pairing my mini Star Wars themed Dreamy Drape skirt with leggings - I mean, what girl doesn't like layering? 

It will pair well in the summer with Capris leggings - allowing me to wear non-tunic length shirts AND leggings together. 

More on my awesome skirt here.

Sew on and have fun with your wardrobe - life's too short to be serious! 

Sewing Pattern Review: Rebecca Page Dreamy Drape & Add On

The Dreamy Drape pattern ran solo until this Spring, when Rebecca Page released the Add on to enhance this simple and flattering batwing style top. 

The original includes: 
- The batwing drapey top pattern
- Neckline with hemming or binding options
- Diagonal Hem or Banded straight waistband
- Ladies, Child, and 18" Doll versions
- Elbow, 3/4, or full sleeves

This top is a quick sew, and definitely best for a flowy knit fabric. 

The instructions are straight forward with step by step instructions along with a one-page Cole's notes version for more skilled seamstresses, or those of us who have sewn up more than a few Dreamy Drapes. 

If you use a fabric without flow, it will look boxy and not very flattering to be honest. 

I made mine with a flowy purple & silver fabric I got for pattern testing that I liked enough to utilize in clothes I keep and wear. 

 


With the Dreamy Drape Add-On, it gives us even more options: 

- Make the Dreamy Drape Top into a Drapey Dress! 

- OR Make a mini or knee length skirt with knit band 

- Option for a sultry walking vent at the back

This skirt was SO quick to sew up - and I'm a slow sewer. 

I have a Viking Emerald - so no serger, no coverstitch machine - it's just me and my trusty sewing machine with basic stitches.

So it can take me a bit longer to sew, and right now a bit longer to understand instructions at times with my Brain Fog (darn you, Vestibular Migraines!). 

My Mini took me under half an hour from cut to done, and my knee length with the vent took my just over half an hour!  

And I LOVE to pair my mini with leggings - great for the summer to pair with capris length leggings too - especially for those of us who don't want our thighs rubbing together.

And they also look quite flattering on my derriere, and don't give me muffin top or make my abdomen area look sad. 

I need more Dreamy Drape Skirts!  

I'm not sure if the dress would be flattering on me, but for the skirt alone, I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a comfy pencil style skirt. 

Have little ones with 18" dolls?  I've also sewn up the Dreamy Drape Top and Skirt for this sizing too - this is a great intro into small sewing (and sewing up scraps!) due to minimal seams and binding.

 

Add a bit of ruffle to the bottom to girly it up if you want, and use the Ultimate Patch Pocket Pattern Add On to add some pockets to the back  or front!

The Gretel Skirt - It's all About The POCKETS with Mother Grimm Designs!

I love it when I can just totally embrace the inner child within, and others just go with it.

This will make sense to Doctor Who Fans

That's what happened while testing the fun Gretel Skirt for Mother Grimm Designs, located in the UK!

It was a quick test, but it was also a quick skirt to sew up with easy to follow direction.  The design was created for stretch jersey/knits, however, many of the testers ended up using not only stretch jersey, but non-stretch wovens mixed in the the knits for spectacular results!

This is a "panel" skirt, meaning, you are to use an uncut t-shirt panel - apparently they are sold as such, but I like to cut things up for repurposing, so most of my "panels" actually DO come from t-shirts, and I just colour block  around the edges to make it into a full "panel."

Neither my test skirt nor fancy skirt had panels, but I sure did use a mishmash of fabrics - each fabric pulling the colours and designs from the other - such a neat effect for an under-hour sew!

Mishmash test skirt

There are two smaller side panels, and the front and back panels - which can be reversed, just by twisting your skirt around to the other side!  It sits at your proper waist, so for myself, I don't feel overly hippy or large bottomed, as it is a rather flattering cut.

That's how I got away with wearing my Tardis skirt at work without feeling too dressed down.   And really - the POCKETS are so awesome, they held my work pass AND phone, and a bit of change for my required 2nd coffee of the day.

It also passed the wind test. Every girls' worst nightmare is having that light flowy dress or skirt...go up like Marilyn Munro in her famous white dress, all because of a wind gust.

Between my office building and the parking lot or mall (where I get my coffee or sit in during lunchtime), the wind can gust me away like Mary Poppins 3 out of the 5 days a week I am there.  It did this while I wore my Gretel skirt, and due to the size of the panels, it did NOT blow up.  There was some rippling, but I didn't have to hold my skirt down!

A skirt you can whirl in that stays down in the wind (and has POCKETS) is a must in every girl's closet!

So, if you have some bits and bobs of fabric that you are coveting because it's too small for a full item, Gretel allows you to use these smaller fabric pieces as side panels, pockets, or even the waistband!

Gretel can be as fun or as serious as you want it - a panel is fun, but not required.  I can only imagine this as a Christmas Dress, with big pockets to hold goodies in, perhaps with a lace overlay on the sides. Or it can be hiked up over your chest, and worn as a dress (with a few alterations, like lengthening the skirt and lowering the pockets) with or without straps added on.

I am now eyeing Mother Grimm's Dragon Wings (which I wish were adult size....although I could always trace a larger patten), but feel that I will dive into the Adult Coif (face hood for the winter) with add ons like animal ears or a pixie cut when I'm ready for new patterns.

For now, I will OCD over Gretel. I feel I need one for every day of the week!

Gnome Tried to hide in my side pocket!