Didn't you just love the photos from yesterday. My daughter looked so cute if I do say so myself.

Today I'm back to talk some more about the Daydream Patterns Darcy Dress. This time we're talking about the "Mama Dress" version. This pattern is for women, Australian sizes 8-20.

All fabrics are from Simply By Ti. Don't forget to register in the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a $20 gift card to the shop AND a copy of either the Mama Darcy or Darcy (your choice)

To start with on this dress, I had to deal with sizing. My hips and my bust put me in DRASTICALLY different size ranges. My hips put me in a 10 and my bust a 14. That's 2 sizes difference. But I was feeling lazy and cautiously optimistic, so I went with a straight size 14.

If you've ever seen a SBPP pattern, then you'll feel very comfortable with the giant measurement chart that is is included in this pattern. Every length and width is charted out so you can take everything into consideration. I love that chart, because it helps me make sure I end up with a skirt the right length the first time!

Because there was plenty of length information, I knew I had to shorten the bodice above the bust (my standard adjustment) and bring the skirt up 3". It was a little scary to make such a huge change to the skirt, but I knew that it would make a huge difference in where the pockets hit me and that was important for this style.

I definitely cheated and didn't do an FBA. I instead sized up a little and crossed my fingers that the fit would be good enough. Overall it really is a good fit in the shoulders. My only complaint is that the sleeves are too wide, but that is due to my super scrawny arms. I definitely should have checked the sleeve width before I cut into my fabric.

In general, I really like bust darts. I like them, even in knit garments. I feel like they give precise shaping rather than expecting the knit fabric to do all of the work. That said, it would only take a few steps to rotate it out at the side seam if you hate sewing darts. I did find that on this pattern, the darts were a little long, but that would be an easy fix.

While occasionally not sizing down for your hips MIGHT work, in this case it didn't work out for me. I do think this could be a style that would work, but not when the already loose fitting skirt is sized 2 sizes bigger than my actual hips. Seriously, I could hide some good stuff under this skirt. If I'm going to make this again, I definitely need to size down the width of the skirt. The waist of the dress is pretty forgiving in fit, so I think it would take just a little adjusting, rather than a complete overhaul.

But, speaking of hiding stuff, I think this is a great style for those women that are self conscious about their belly. The pleats and fabulous drape from the bias cut skirt are a great way to hide any lumpy bits that make you feel self conscious. And I suspect this would even fit well over a pregnant belly (although you may need to extend it just a bit in the front).

And come on, this dress has the same cool pockets of the girl's version. I can put all kinds of things in here! As a mom with 3 kids, a good pocket is SUPER valuable and this one doesn't skimp. I could easily fit my phone, keys and a few of those random items that kids pick up and bring along the way.

So what do you say, yay or nay? I'm sort of on the fence. I think a smaller skirt might help this to skim my hips some so it doesn't look quite so tent-y. BUT, on the other side, it feels like I'm wearing nothing and come summer, I definitely need some of that in my life!

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