Sorry for the overload of Skippy and Joey posts, but they each have a lot of variations and it is my job to show them all to you – we are slowly getting there!
I know I play favourites a lot when it comes to me-made clothing, but this new Skippy dress tops the lot for my Winter wearing.
I only made it two weeks ago but I have to have a quick think as I go to get it out of my cupboard each time to make sure I haven’t worn it too many times in a row…don’t want to get a reputation as the girl who wears the same outfit over and over again!
So this variation of Skippy features long sleeves and a cosy cowl neck. The method used to sew this cowl neck onto the dress results in a twisted, drapey look. I wanted to make sure that it didn’t end up looking like a skivvy and this method gives a more sophisticated finish. Of course, if you wanted it to look more like a skivvy, you could always attach the cowl in the same way that all of the cuffs and bands in the dress are attached. The fabric for this dress is really lovely. A nice mid-weight jersey with loads of stretch that my friend bought for me from The Fabric Store in Sydney. I love it and am glad that I choose it for this cold-season Skippy dress.
These photos were taken when I went away for a girl’s weekend with my Mum, sisters and sisters-in-law. We stayed at Low Head in these cute Pilot Station cottages and had such a lovely getaway – free from all home responsibilities. We went on slow walks, lounged around, laughed so much our tummys hurt, ate way too many treats, went out for a fancy dinner, took fun photos at the lighthouse and even played some funny games of sardines in the dark and reverse charades! It was a great weekend spent with special ladies at the most beautiful place.
And incase you were wondering…you can do awesome cartwheels in the Skippy dress!
Today I want to show you one of the sleeve variations that comes with the Skippy dress pattern. The pattern includes three different sleeve lengths – short, 3/4 and long. I have already shownyou the 3/4 length and this dress today shows the long sleeve length.
I made this dress from a merino wool knit, it is a little more turquoise in colour than the photos show and it is the warmest fabric to wear. A friend picked it up for me from a local fabric store so I can’t really tell you much more about it other than it is merino wool. I was expecting it to be a bit itchy, but it has quickly become my favourite knit fabric for sewing special garments with. Although the fabric is quite thin, the warmth it gives is unbelievable. When I first made this Skippy dress, it was a frosty morning the next day for school drop off. I wore my dress without a jacket and was surprised at how warm I was. Because the merino wool knit is super stretchy is it also really comfortable to wear.
I didn’t have enough merino for the skirt of this dress, so made the skirt using a Lillestoff print that is another one of my favourites. I love this combo, and I love the way that by combining two different fabrics for the skirt and top pieces, the dress actually looks like two different items of clothing! I have had many people tell me that they “like my skirt” when I’m wearing this dress! This one has also made it into the “favourites” category and is in heavy rotation in the wardrobe!
Remember, both Skippy and Joey are avaliable at a special introductory price for just $10 until Wednesday, so if you want to pick up these patterns at a great price then don’t miss out!
SUPPLIES: Make It Perfect, Skippy pattern Merino wool knit in turquoise Lillestoff, Smila Roses in petrol
Thankyou for your lovely comments and excitement on Facebook, Instagram and the blog about my new patterns, Skippy & Joey. I’m excited to see you guys take these patterns and turn them into great dresses for yourselves and your girls!
The Skippy dress pattern was actually written up over 3 months ago, and in that time I’ve had a chance to make quite a few variations for myself, sisters and friends. This is one of my favourites.
I’m a sucker for prints and patterns in fabric. For kids, this is great, but clothing for myself requires a bit of thought and planning to create a garment that incorporates my favourite prints but doesn’t look like it belongs to a little kid! This Lillestoff raindrops print is one of my absolute favourite jersey knits and I’ve been saving it for a special occasion.
Now, a dress made entirely of these raindrops would feel a bit like a nightie to me! But to incorporate it into a very wearable dress, I simply cut the front top piece out of the raindrops and everything else from a dark grey solid jersey.
I love love love this dress – it’s definitley in my favourites and does it pass the wearable test? Well, I’ve been wearing it at least once a week for the last 3 months so I think it gets a big tick in that department!
These kangaroo pockets are becoming a favourite of mine too. I can easily stash my keys in them during school drop off with Harvey on my hip and I find it comfortable to have a pocket to stuff my hands in too.
The gathered sleeves add a pretty touch too, taking the Skippy dress to another level and giving you the chance to create much more than just a tshirt-style dress.
For Lil’s Joey dress, I choose a fun print for the main dress and sleeve pieces, but used a solid hot pink for all of the trims.
I love how the solid pink breaks up the busy print and adds a bit of extra detail to the dress.
The triangle jersey came from Ixat, but not sure if it is still in stock? It is a gorgeous print, the fabric is a little thin but fine for this dress though.
I love how you can change the look of these dresses simply by being creative with your fabric choices. There are lots of different pieces involved in these dresses, so the options to mix and match fabrics, prints and colours are endless!
SUPPLIES: Make It Perfect, Skippy pattern Make It Perfect, Joey pattern Lillestoff raindrops jersey knit Charcoal jersey knit Pink triangles on grey jersey knit Solid hot pink jersey knit
I’ve got lots of new patterns popping up on the blog this week. A freebie shorts pattern and TWO new pattern releases! I’m excited to share the first one with you today because this is my very favourite dress to wear – lets take a look at:
The Skippy dress is a fabulously flattering and extremely comfortable everyday dress designed to be made with your favourite stretchy knit fabric.
Pretty, gathered sleeves in a choice of three lengths, a strategically placed pouch pocket, optional cowl neck and a feminine, swingy skirt make it almost irresistable!
The waistband can be worn low on your hips or high on your waist, depending on how fitted you would like the top of your dress to be.
Make your Skippy dress in a solid colour for a classic look, or mix and match prints and patterns for a more modern feel.
When you want to feel fabulous with minimal effort, just reach for your Skippy Dress. Its so soft and comfortable, you’ll forget just how great you look!
I know I say this a lot, but this is my absolute favourite dress pattern. I’ve made myself quite a few (can’t wait to share them with you very soon) and they are are on high rotation in my wardrobe. I love how comfortable it is to wear a knit dress. Because we are in the middle of Winter, I’ve mostly been wearing mine with leggings and boots but am looking forward to wearing Skippy as an easy Summery dress too when the weather warms up.
Skippy is all about options…I’ve included in the pattern three different sleeve lengths, as well as an optional cowl neck. This pattern is so versatile, once you start playing around mixing and matching fabrics and sewing different options you are faced with unlimited possibilities! I don’t want to bombard you with photos of all of the options today but stay tuned, I’ll be sure to share them with you over the next week.
Can we just stop and talk about this stunning model of mine for a minute? Louise is my cousin’s wife and a good friend of mine and I was so excited when she agreed to model this dress for me. She is the mother of four little boys under 7 years of age, she is the most gorgeous person you could ever meet and her personality is just as beautiful as her flawless exterior 🙂
If you’re feeling adventurous, why not take the Skippy pattern and use it to make a stretchy top or skirt? I haven’t tried this myself yet, but a few of my pattern testers have so I’ll work on a tutorial for that very soon!
To purchase a copy of Skippy, head over to my shop. For the next week, Skippy will be avaliable at a discounted price of just $10! (Sale ends on Wednesday 13th August.) Or if you prefer paper patterns, visit one of my lovely stockists to order a copy.
I hope you love Skippy as much as I do! And come back tomorrow for the next pattern release!
SUPPLIES: Make It Perfect, Skippy pattern European organic cotton jersey in dark smoke blue
One Thimble is a beautifully presented and well thought out e-zine (magazine) that is all about sewing! The quarterly e-zine is made by sewing enthusiasts for sewing enthusiasts and each issue includes a generous amount of PDF sewing patterns as well as pages and pages of sewing-related articles, tips and tricks!
Issue 3 of One Thimble was released a couple of days ago and includes 10 fantastic PDF patterns, including one from Make It Perfect!
Meet the Daisy Chain Dress. I am in love with this dress and have a growing selection that I wear every second day! Seriously…so comfortable I never want to wear a pair of jeans again!
And here is another version sewn by Kara of Leighlee. Cute fabric choice, huh?!
You can read more about the Daisy Chain Dress on the One Thimble website where it will be avaliable to purchase for 3 months and then it will become a part of my regular pattern range, I’ll share more about it soon!
One Thimble gives you the opportunity to purchase the entire e-zine full of patterns and articles, or you can choose to purchase individual PDF patterns on their own if you don’t want the whole magazine.
The fabric for this dress is really lovely. A nice mid-weight jersey with loads of stretch that my friend bought for me from The Fabric Store in Sydney. I love it and am glad that I choose it for this cold-season Skippy dress.
