When Lauren of Sew By Pattern Pieces told me she was sending a designer my way, I was definitely intrigued. I'm sure everyone knows I'm a big fan of Lauren's precise drafting. So when Jo of Daydream Patterns reached out to me, I said yes. Little did I know that I was in for a real treat!

Jo was interested in promoting her Darcy Dress. This pattern comes in girls sizes 4-14 and women's 8-20. For the sake of keeping the post from getting to long, I'm only going to talk about the girl's version today.

At first glance, the Darcy Dress has a sleeveless bodice and a raglan bodice with short and long sleeves. Nothing that fancy there. But this skirt is a mathematical marvel. It is a bias cut skirt, which gives it extra nice drape, AND it has pockets. These pockets are SO cute. They create a little bump out on the side seam, but they are absolutely hidden. No one will know they're there unless you tell them.

When I saw the overall design, I knew the best fit and style was going to be a cotton/lycra bodice with a rayon spandex skirt. And of course, with the great selection at Simply By Ti, the hardest part was deciding which ones to pair together!

As you know, I'm usually not one to read directions. I thought I had seen it all. But these pockets are unique. So, my best advice, DO NOT attempt these pockets after a few glasses of wine, or really late at night. I read the instructions a few times, then walked through it step by step as I manipulated my fabric. My brain said, this does NOT work. But then, voila, just like magic, I had these super cool pockets. So be prepared to take a little more time the first time through. But once you understand the technique they're actually very fast, easy and impressive! For the entire photo shoot, she had about a dozen shopkins in her pockets and you can't even tell! I love a good secret pocket!

For my youngest daughter, who is 4, I made the size 4. I already knew in advance that it would be too big. While she is a very average 4 height, she has the bodice width of a size 18 months or 2. What can I say, my kids are really skinny. Unfortunately, size 4 is the smallest size that this pattern is drafted for, so that was the best I could do. I would personally be hesitant to attempt to size this down because of how the skirt is shaped. HOWEVER, I do think this skirt would be just as cute gathered onto the bodice instead of pleated, and that would make for a great way to attach it to any other empire length bodice you may have.

Now to the exciting part. As part of today's post, Simply By Ti is giving away a $20 gift certificate to our store! I'm eager to have my readers get their hands on this fabric as it is just a dream to work with. And it is really easy to register. Of course there is the rafflecopter, but let me let you in on a secret. One of the options is to head over to the facebook group. I know for certain that there is a giveaway posted! Seems like a great time to join so you'll have TWO chances to win. See you there. :)




a Rafflecopter giveaway