You can read my original review of the Aster Cardigan by Vanessa of Willow & Co Patterns here. Or, you can just enjoy these photos of one of my favorite garments I’ve ever made for Harper. Or ever. No really. It is that good.
I’d had this dress idea in mind for quite some time, and after picking up this quilted jersey from Mood Fabrics in NYC (which is sadly out-of-stock thanks in part to yours truly - but here is a blue version), I knew it had to happen.
I’m not one to re-create the wheel if it already exists, so when I saw the fit of my first Aster Cardigan on Harper, I decided to remix it a bit to make my quilted-jersey-dress dreams come true.
The remix was really quite simple; all I did was fold the center front of the front bodice piece inward at the foldline notch so it was the same width as the back bodice piece. I then taped the front bodice pattern piece onto a larger piece of tracing paper, and I marked a point 22″ down from the shoulder (to create a 20-21″ dress which is the standard shoulder-to-knee measurement for a 2-3 year old plus a little for a hem).
Starting at the underarm, I drew an angled line down to the 22″ point creating an A-line shape. I drew in the bottom hem with a slight curve, and that was about it. Of course, I had to also draw in that A-line dress section for the back. Okay, truth be told, I used the same pattern piece as for the front…I just made sure to the the higher, back neckline instead.
Oh, I also lengthened the main sleeve piece by about two inches to hem it instead of creating cuffs. And then, I simply cut all the pieces out on the fold. For the neckline facing, I just cut a long strip of the same fabric with a width of about 2″.
Before I did any of the main garment construction, I created a facing piece the length of my zipper and applied it to the back bodice piece - creating this adorable exposed zipper. I also skillfully created completely improvised a little flap behind the zipper to protect Harper’s skin from the metal teeth. It actually turned out quite great considering I had no idea what I was doing.
For the front pocket, I traced off a 6×9 envelope - the kind in which I keep my traced pattern pieces. I eyeballed the cutouts for the hands, and I got really lucky with my pattern matching. Seriously though, if you are going to do this sort of pocket on a patterned fabric, it’s really cool to match up the pattern. You will get lots of high fives for this sort of thing.
The photoshoot location was a vacant lot I spotted on the way to Harper’s preschool one afternoon. It worked out quite well, and we’ll probably be making lots of stops there…until, you know, a house gets built or something.
So yes, I am quite pleased with this little number. What do you think? Are you swooning over this quilted jersey like I am? I, ahem, may have ordered an additional three yards of the blue version this afternoon…
laurenydahl
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