Back again with ANOTHER free pattern to help us build our Free Pattern Girls Wardrobes!

Today's pattern is from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom, the Girls A-line Pull Over Dress.

This is a simple dress but a good one. It is for sizes 4-10 and uses 1/4" seam allowances. I hate 1/4" seam allowances. But that's my problem, not the pattern's problem.

So my muslin I sewed the pattern 100% as its drafted, EXCEPT I used a 1/2" turned over hem instead of a neck facing and arm band. You can see the results in the black and gray plaid from Girl Charlee. It is super cute and the absolute right length for my skinny 7 year old. However the neckline is WAY too wide for my girl. Even if I sized down to match her chest measurement, the neckline would be too wide, especially since I didn't use the facings. But that is a fit preference and not a pattern problem. And the solution is SUPER easy.

For the first 2 photos she was NOT wearing her usual undershirt. The dress kept falling off her shoulders. It was frustrating. It was clear that it wasn't the right fit. NOT the pattern's fault. But something I would need to fix before I started hacking this pattern up.

The third photo here is how it looks with her regular undershirts. Definitely not acceptable from this mom's perspective!

So how did I fix it?
#1- I used 3/8" seam allowances on my next run through. That brought the pattern in enough on the sides to make it fit better for my skinny girl.
#2- I brought the neckline in 1" on the sides. This is actually a really easy hack. Just extend the shoulder line in 1" and then redraft the neckline using a french curve... You do have a french curve, right? If you don't, you could also just hand draw the neckline, it doesn't have to be perfect. Just remember to true up that center front! The green section is what I added to the neckline. While the pattern includes 2 separate necklines for front and back, I cheated here and only used 1 neckline piece.


#3- I color blocked the top by measuring my daughter to see approximately where the empire line would be.
#4- I shortened the entire length to t-shirt length. I used a well fitting top I made sure to use my french curve to create a curved hem at the bottom. I think curved hems look nicer than straight ones. I used the same curved shape as the dress, only at the short length.

I used some super cute dot fabric from Mabel Madison for the skirt portion and a nice stretch french terry from Nature's Fabrics. This is a definite winner. AND if you use this tutorial by EYMM, you can even add a long sleeve option to this.

Seems like our pattern collection is coming along nicely. We've got 2 patterns that when used together, we can get quite a few variations to fill out our Spring Wardrobe. Next up with be woven top patterns.