Pattern Review: Mini Mod Dress

If you, like me, spend too much time admiring the amazing sewing, styling and photography skills of Kelly Crawford over at Sewing In No Mans Land, then there is some good news for us. Kelly is releasing some of her fabulous creations as graded patterns so we can all try to emulate her great style. I recently tested her second graded pattern, the Mini Mod dress and it’s is now available for purchase.

I love the style of this dress and how it showcases the fabric. I chose a cotton sateen in Liesl Gibson’s Lisette fabric line for Spotlight. After I bought it I was really worried this fabric would look too old for a 2 year old, but I’m happy with the result. Kelly has made some amazing versions of the Mini Mod in beautiful Amy Butler – this dress is the perfect pattern to show off such amazing fabrics.

Little Miss A said her new dress is ‘bootiful’ and you can’t ask for more than that really.

The Details: The dress has a lined bodice and a simple button closure at the back. It comes in a small range of sizes 2T – 5. There are options for pockets, the belt (as seen here) and belt loops. This is a size 3 on my 2.5 year old. Kelly makes it clear that the pattern is sized more for petite girls so I decided a size up would be wise and it was.

The Pros: well it’s so god dammed cute for a start! The fit is great. It’s trans-seasonal – we can add tights and a cardigan and this dress should see her through the rest of the year. The design is so simple and easy to sew and the perfect way to showcase some amazing fabric you’ve been hanging on to.

The Cons: This dress is not complicated but be aware that the instructions are wordy. All the instructions you need are there but it does feel a bit like you are wading through, especially if, like me, you like to glance back and forward at the steps as you go. There is no step for under stitching the lining so I added this to mine as I think it helps the neckline sit nicely.

Will I make this dress again? Absolutely! I’m already dreaming of the endless possibilities……

My local quilting shop just got some Amy Butler rayon in their store. It’s very rare to find it in Australia (in my experience) so now that I’ve felt how amazing it is in person, just watch me try to restrain myself from whipping up some more Mini Mods ($35 dollars a metre – ouch!).