Since “Feliz” translates into English as “Happy”, it is appropriate to make a Feliz dress using polka dots and yellow buttons! Even when I chose to make it from squidgy rayon that was almost impossible to cut straight… but that’s a different story…

StraightGrain provided the Feliz pdf blouse/dress pattern for this blog tour. My opinions are always my own. Thank you for reading!

This little lady of mine is SO FUN and hilarious on photo shoots! She is our joker and loves to make us laugh. She seems to have a knack for saying the funniest things. This translates well into a photo shoot and we generally end up laughing and coming up with great photos! It’s also fun to give her creative props and see what she does – like a yellow hard hat and drill, since they were originally the only yellow things I could find to use.

The Pattern:

Since being asked on the last StraightGrain blog tour, I was excited to sew another one of An’s patterns. (You can see my oldest’s unicorn Nova blouse here.) They are well put together, straightforward and have a TON of options. The Feliz can be made in a gathered or pleated blouse or dress length. Choose from sleeveless or dolman, short, wide/narrow flutter, 3/4 and bell sleeves – plus use a zipper or buttons to fasten the back! With the wide size range 3m-12y it’s a one-stop option that will last as the kids grow up.

Looking for the pattern? It is available in electronic and paper form and you can find it in the StraightGrain shop.

Sewing the Dress:

I chose to sew a 3/4 bell sleeve gathered dress for my youngest as a fall transition piece that will easily layer into winter. I figured the gathering on the skirt would match the gathered bell sleeve and love how it looks! The bell sleeves and button back are on-trend, and since navy is now the new black, she’s dressing better than I am, lol!

I chose a size 6 based on her measurements and increased the sleeve and shoulder area to a size 8. I do this on most patterns for my kids, since we all seem to have broad shoulders and large upper arms. I love the fit, it’s roomy enough to be comfortable and allow her to move without being baggy.

The sewing was straightforward. I love the clear illustrations and didn’t have any trouble sewing this dress up. (Yay!)

Changes: I did add a few extra buttons down the back since I had them in my stash AND (genius) I figured out how to sew buttons on with my sewing machine! Love the Janome Skyline S9 that I have on-loan right now. You can see a video of how it works on Instagram. (Plus photos of other projects in the works – it’s my main sharing space!)

Ooops:

The dress length is 1″ shorter than intended due to an unfortunate scissor accident…. on the late night after I cut out that squidgy rayon I was talking about earlier! I love how comfy and super soft rayon is… but cutting an obvious pattern out is nigh unto impossible unless you spend 3 hours straightening it impatiently doing it like I did… eeep!

Materials:

• Navy Polkadot Rayon (big box store)
• Yellow Buttons
• A bit of fusible interfacing under the buttons

Conclusion:

Love it! My favorite is that the number of options allows you to use the pattern over and over while making each project unique. Definitely recommend it!

 Check out the other participants in the Nova tour:

Lily & Woody | Kaatjenaaisels | Yerasi | Flaflinko | Blanche | Liesellove | Bel’etoile | Petrol & Mint

Made By Sara | A Naais ID | sewpony | 128 | Sweeter Than Cupcakes | Noortjeprullemie

Thread Riding Hood | Clara stickar | Christinaa | Love You Sew | My Petite Sophie | With Love By Eva

 Thanks for reading! See you again soon,

Sherri