I have hundreds of patterns and not nearly enough time to sew them all. So I often add new patterns to my mental "To Sew Soon" list, and then forget about them when the next must-have pattern comes along. But the Georgia Vintage Dress from The Cottage Mama had been at the top of my list for quite some time. This past August, there was a contest in their FB group to sew up one of their patterns, so I took the opportunity and created this little beauty!
I spent approximately 5 weeks (or maybe just 2 days, but that's still a ridiculously long time) choosing my fabrics and trims. I'd been hoarding this Little Red Riding border print in the pink colorway for quite a while just waiting on the right project. While I loved the border motif with the pink, I knew I wanted to pair it with red. So I cut the cute pink with white polka dots portion off because I knew that the red gingham print was meant for this fabric. I also knew I wanted to bring out the teal from the border print, so I decided to go with a teal bib and then add the lace hem tape to the bottom of the print. The red satin sash and red shoes make everything pop. I finished it off with a white Swiss dot for the collar, sleeves, and underskirt. I adore how it all came together!
Let's talk about the actual pattern. It is made for sizes 6m- Girls 10. There are options for making it with or without the bib, with or without the underskirt, and with or without the ruffle sleeve. The PDF is 42 pages with pages 20- 48 being the pattern pieces. There was a lot of cutting and assembling, so be prepared! However, there is a chart containing the skirt measurements if you prefer to just cut those out according to the measurements and not print/use the pattern pieces. It could save you some ink and paper ;) Her pattern pieces contain grainlines, notches, and other markings, so you know exactly how the pieces should be cut and sewn together. Each step in the tutorial is accompanied by a clear, color photo so you can see exactly what to do. Also included are cutting layouts, measuring charts, a list of suggested fabrics and necessary notions, fabric requirements, and design inspiration photos.
The dress has been a HUGE hit every time she's worn it. But if you were wondering if I placed in the contest, the answer is sadly no. I was showcased as an honorable mention, though. There were a lot of beautiful versions of this dress in the competition, so no hard feelings, haha! And I loved the dress so much that I sewed up a version for my best friend's little girl using Michael Miller's Children at Play border print. Maybe I can get her to send over a photo to share here. It was just as gorgeous as this one :)
