Make it Sew with The Bear and Pea Atelier
A 52 week challenge sewing project musings.
Here we are back with a new Thalia. I feel like this style will be super popular for Sweet Pea as she loves that it is light weight and twirly.
This version consists of a knit front bodice and only 2 of the 3 tiers to create a peplum length so that they can be worn with shorts.
The fabric for this comes from Shear Madness fabrics.
We have had a really busy few months, we moved in March then had to get the kids re-established at new schools and doctor’s offices. We had to find housing and get settled (we still need to finish unpacking but the house is finally starting to look like a home again.) And in between all that, Papa Bear and I are trying to find a good working rhythm so I can sew while he works from home- often using my sewing space to work from and leaving me going back and forth or having to schedule my actual sewing days! I must say that I am looking forward to the day when he is back in the office full time so that I can have my space to work in freely.
I have managed to finally get in some pattern testing, which admittedly is still very rare (I have cut back on my sewing to focus more on working with strike offs.) One company that I am always excited to work with is Eunoia Patterns and I was really excited to not just sew the Thalia Dress but also tested the Providence bag (which will be another post.)
Thalia is the perfect summer sundress pattern and perfect for beginners with no zipper or buttons. The single layer dress has amazing twirl, add a second layer and you get both fluff and twirl!
This is a great dress for kiddos that want something lightweight and twirly. The options are endless for the types of trims and fabric and weights one can use. I really love the spring time look of this large gingham seersucker, but I also look forward to completing one in a slightly heavier fabric to wear with a turtle neck for the winter time.
The most time consuming aspect of this dress is all the gathers, since the bodice goes together rather quickly. But with the double layer skirt there is a really lovely twirl factor. The vintage length is really adorable especially paired with the bloomers but we opted for the longer length because Papa Bear prefers the longer length for more wearing time for the tiny one.
I also opted for the bias tie on this round and after seeing everyone else creating large bows from their sashes I think I might opt for it the next time I actually add a tie.
We already have a few more of these dresses planned because they check all of the boxes that make the little one the most happy when it comes to dresses. If you’re looking for a great dress to make then this is for you!
As I mentioned in the Thalia Dress posting there are very few brands I continue to actually test for. I was very excited to see that Melissa with Bella Sunshine Designs was getting back to testing again with this very versatile and scrappy top/dress.
This pattern has a ton of features:
This pattern while offering a ton of features is a very quick sew. You might get more hung up on figuring out which version/view you would like to complete then cutting it out, spending more time on that than the actual sewing.
The most difficult part of the sewing is making sure that the triple stripes line up correctly but go slow and everything will be just fine.
I see lots of these even with the plain sleeves and dress for future makes as Sweet Pea loves a simple A-line silhouette
I recently joined the Sew PDF Pattern Showcase as an affiliate so I now get the opportunity to sew lots of small independent pattern companies. As an affiliate I will be receiving a small commission for any sales generated through the links posted.
I’m posting this late so the sale that ran for Buttons and Bibs Versitilitee no longer is running (sick kids and spouses make you loose track of time.)
I was dying to try this pattern because I wanted to use my wine fabric I had been keeping for a bit and I wanted a new lounge shirt (that will go with quarantine loungers soon hopefully.
Pattern details:
I first had to figure out which Romper I wanted to use and for simplicity and ease decided that perhaps we needed Mommy and Me semi-matching rompers for some fun when we are out and about, so I ended up selecting the Boho Breeze Romper bundle started out with sewing Sweet Pea’s first because I had some beautiful linen pants that no longer fit me plus had some wearing in the thighs.
I knew I wanted to use them because of the beautiful detailing on the sides of them. So that required me to carefully separate the seams so that I could get the most out of the pants that I can. I did have to modify the pattern just a bit to allow for me to make use of the detailing on the linen. I essentially removed my seam allowance from the front and back pieces by drawing a line then attached them so that instead of the 4 pieces, I only had 2.
Make it Sew with The Bear and Pea Atelier 