Have you seen the new Heavenly Collection by Figgy’s? The collection is made up of 7 super unique and stylish patterns for kids and some of them for young adults. When Shelly contacted me about being a part of the Heavenly Tour, I jumped on board immediately. I was drawn to the Ethereal Dress & Blouse.
And what a sweet little dress this is! The construction is a very standard bodice with a gathered skirt – the frill is what makes it so special. It can be made in shirt, tunic or dress length and with long sleeves, short sleeves or no sleeves. The dress came together really easily and adding the frill was pretty straightforward. The pattern directions were clear and easy to understand and produces such a unique little piece for your kiddo’s wardrobe.
For the sleeveless and short sleeved version, the bodice is fully lined and is finished with a technique that looks great, but might be a little confusing if you’ve never done it before. Shelly has broken it down a little bit more in this post here and Rae of Made by Rae has a fantastic video for lining a Washi dress bodice that is the same technique. I recommend checking those out if you’ve never finished a lined bodice like the pattern instructs. Super helpful!
And what fabric could be more ethereal than some Nani Iro double gauze?? You might recognize this Nani Iro Melody Sketch from this A-line tunic I made a couple years ago and I said it then, and I still think even now, that this is my favorite fabric ever. I have a little bit leftover from the tunic, but not enough for a whole dress, so I used it for just the frill. The rest of the dress is made from a really lightweight shot cotton that I used on a dress for Sanae’s daughter for the clothing swap last year. I love these fabrics together – both so airy and soft, yet clean and crisp.
*Edited – I wanted to mention that I decided to do some understitching along part of the front neckline. Understitching is a line of stitching attaching the bodice lining or facing to the seam allowance and prevents the lining/facing from rolling up and becoming visible. This helps give any garment a clean and polished look and was especially important here since the bodice and the frill are different fabrics. Without the understitching, the bodice lining was rolling up and I could see it at the neckline.*
I’ve found that Figgy’s patterns run pretty large, so be sure to check the size chart and not just choose the size by the kid’s age. I made the 18 month size for my 3 and a half year old and made the “full length” dress version but shortened it by a few inches. It fits great and the bodice even has a little room for her to grow into!
The back has an opening with a button and loop closure. So simple and so sweet!
The Ethereal Dress & Blouse pattern can be purchased individually or with the entire collection. I like a lot of the patterns in the collection, but I definitely want to sew up the Stellar Tunic/Dress next!
Shelly is also hosting a huge giveaway on the Figgy’s blog with the prize including fabric, sewing supplies and the entire Heavenly pattern collection. Check out all the details and entry information here!
Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit the other stops on the Heavenly Pattern Tour throughout the month of February.
Can you believe Valentine’s Day is this week!? Doing any special sewing for the lovely holiday?
you and mie 
so cute^^
Oh my goodness!! This dress is adorable and so is Yuki’s new haircut!
Hehe, thanks Lisa. We trimmed her bangs because they were hanging in her eyes. Now she’s saying she wants to cut the rest really short too! I’m just afraid she’s going to change her mind and freak out when she realizes we can’t make it long again immediately 😛
This is so cute! I love it! Isn’t it nice to be able to use leftover special fabric? I have a few small remnants that I’ve hung onto because I love them so much- this is a great way to use them!
I’m trying to sneak in a project for my husband this week. Hopefully I’ll get it done! It’s been made a little trickier as he’s working from home this week, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep the surprise!
Yes! It’s so true. I still have a little more of this specific fabric that I’m still holding on to. I might be able to use it for a pocket bag or something. Haha! Were you able to finish your Valentine’s project for your husband!?
Hahahaha, no, I had to set it aside to finish my Mood Sewing Network project. I’m working on it today. 🙂
Hehe, well that’s ok – better late than never? 🙂
I sure hope so! 🙂
So pretty!! I wasn’t going to sew a dress for my stop on the pattern tour, but am going to now with some double gauze.
Muhahaha – double gauze – gets you every time. Can’t wait to see what you make!
Aw I love this so much Cherie! Those fabrics are adorable together, and she is just too cute!
Aw, thanks Abby!!
Oh so sweet and adorable
How unusual ! It looks lovely and she is such a beautiful little girl!
Yup – this is pretty great! Good idea with the understitching – I should have done that on mine. The frill (ruffle?) makes such a great impact. x
Thanks Laura! I learned the understitching trick from Oliver + S patterns. It was really apparent on mine that the lining was rolling up. Love your version too!
Adorable! The understitching tip is really helpful too!
What a cute dress!!!
So adorable!! I love it!
cute cute cute!!
Hi, This dress is so cute! I already have the pattern. Glad to know it runs bigger.
Oh yeah – definitely check the measurements before you start. It’s always surprising to find out that you need to make a size you didn’t expect, but those size charts are there for a reason and you definitely don’t want to guess 😛
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As always Cherie, I love your fabric choices! Do you buy them online? We have a store in Ventura called Superbuzzy, I think I mentioned it once to you, but they are the only place anywhere in So Cal where you can find Nani Iro, I think.
Thanks Justine! I’ve wanted to go to Superbuzzy, but Ventura is just soooo far from LA! But next time I’m in Southern California, it’s on my to do list. I’ll definitely let you know! The piece of Nani Iro I used here is from my trip to Japan 2 summers ago. Besides that, I order them online from Miss Matatabi (on Etsy). She’s awesome 🙂
Lovely !! 🙂
If only I came here before cutting the pieces for my Ethereal dress… I made a 2-3 year size for my 2 years old girl and it’s just tooooo large ! I could put two girls in this dress ;____; …
(Sorry for my poor english, I’m french…)
Oh no!! That’s the worst! But actually, being too big is better than being too small, because at least she’ll fit into it EVENTUALLY. Sorry though 😦
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This is lovely, I will try to make it for my baby, only she is 6 mnths old 🙂 Will put the pictures up when its done so you can check it. http://bibusch.wordpress.com/ Wishing you a great day x
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