The Caroline Party Dress and the Perfect Parcel Package #2

When Rachael from Imagine Gnats asked if I'd like to be part of her Perfect Pattern Parcel #2 Sew Along, I enthusiastically agreed without having seen the patterns.  I trusted Rachael's vision and I love to support indie designers - in fact, I buy indie patterns as often as I can.

But when I saw the patterns in Parcel #2, not only was I completely thrilled with the options, but even surprised by the level of awesomeness.  These patterns are all so, so great.  The package exceeded my expectations, which were high.  The parcel happens to include one of my most loved patterns, the Hanimi dress, which I've made a whole lot.  And interestingly, you pick the price of your parcel, which not only supports independent designers but also a portion of the proceeds go toward improving children's educations.  So cool, right?  The pricing options are great (and unbelievably affordable).  You can read all about it here. 

With Easter in mind, I decided to try the Caroline Party Dress.

The pattern reminded me of some of the Geranium-Hanimi hybrids I've made (especially this one), but with a fuller skirt and the option to add an underskirt.

 

I love the Geranium dress and I love the Hanimi, so the option to put them together is pretty fantastic. 

trying to find the pocket :)

 

 The underskirt and collar give this dress a classic vintage feel, so in keeping with that theme, I went with a yellow faux linen by Kaufman that I had in my stash.

The faux-linen-on-quilting-cotton is brilliant, because you get the look of linen without all of the shiftiness of linen.  And I love the drape of this material so much.

I paired it with a soft light peach solid for the underskirt and collar.

 I adjusted the length of the underskirt, making it an inch or so longer than the main skirt.

It closes with a zipper.  I've come to love zip closures.

 

I love this pattern!  And I could hardly handle the sweetness of Iris in this dress.
 

 I just wanted to squeeze her and kiss those chubby cheeks (a favorite hobby of mine anyway).

So if you make this dress for your little one, and find her completely irresistible, don't say I didn't warn you. ;)

This video demonstrates- via paperdolls - all of the amazing combinations you can create using these parcel patterns.



Isn't the video great?  It's inspired, right? I love it. The combinations are so good!

This pattern parcel is only available for 13 more days, so definitely check it out soon!

Happy weekend!