It was such a pleasure to test again for Sofilantjes. In exchange for testing I received a free copy of the pattern. All opinions remain my own.

Before I get into my review, let me give you the basics. The Sofilantjes Nivalis (affiliate link) is a girls dress or tunic with multiple options. Sizes are from Baby size 12 months through girls size 14. Pattern includes cap, 3/4 or long sleeves. Neckline options include regular banded, cowl or banded hood. It includes color blocked empire pattern pieces as well as super cute button tabs. BUT, the super awesome part is that the sleeves and neckline options are interchangeable with the Sofilantjes Hibernis (affiliate link)! Talk about creating some new and fun options! As with all Sofilantjes patterns, they come in both English and Dutch.

Ok with the basics out of the way, now you can read about what you're really here for. My review.

I sewed up the size 3 tunic with 3/4 sleeves, color block with cowl. I used my favorite Purpleseamstress cotton/lycra and some scrap from Girl Charlee. My favorite part about sewing for my 3 year old is that so much of her stuff is made from scraps. A small piece of this or that and I've got something usable. That doesn't work so well when sewing for myself!

Truth time. I struggle with creating 3- dimensional images from line drawings. My brain just can't seem to get it straight. And the cowl is a real doozy. Figuring out which piece goes on top, bottom, etc, made my head hurt. But, I was able to hop on over to the testing group and say, "My brain can't figure this out. We need some pictures, not line drawings." Boom, pictures included in the tutorial. Those really helped me piece it together. And, sprinkled through out the instructions are little notes to help you make the process easier.

But my absolute favorite part about this pattern is that at the end, there is a super concise version of the instructions. It includes a words only and line drawings only instructions. For a super experienced seamstress, you can jump over to this part and complete your project without having to read through every single step. That's just 3 concise pages of instructions to get your from start to finish.

Please note that all photos included here are from the original pattern file. The only change made to the pattern that effected my size was that the 3/4 sleeves were made shorter by 1". This seemed like the perfect amount to make them not look quite like too short sleeves, but instead true 3/4 sleeves.

Also, the cowl is NOT meant to be functional, but that didn't stop my kids from folding it up and trying anyway. :D

I REALLY like this pattern and I look forward to doing some mashing between the Hibernis and the Nivalis. My two older girls have already asked when they would be getting their "fancy" dresses. I'll definitely be sewing this again, so its only a matter of time.

The release of this pattern means it is on sale right now for just $5! You won't want to miss the release sale, so grab your copy of the Sofilantjes Nivalis (affiliate link) now!