**I just heard that Toni is having a HUGE sale on all Make it Perfect patterns – 50% off!  You’ve got about a day left to take advantage of the sale!**

Awhile back, Toni of Make it Perfect contacted me and asked if I wanted to try out one of her new patterns, the Joey dress for girls.  I dunno if you’ve noticed, but Yuki is aaaaall about the knit dresses so I was excited to add another knit dress pattern to my collection – and this one is so cute!  I love that kangaroo pocket and the different sleeve lengths, making this pattern great for all seasons.

The pattern comes in several size ranges: Little Joey (0-5 years) and Big Joey (6-10) and even in adult sizes as the Skippy Dress (XXS-XXL)!  The dress is simple, but has that fun pocket and a fitted waistband.  I love the gathered sleeves – I think it adds a cute touch.  There are three sleeve lengths – short, 3/4, and long.  I made the “3/4 length” sleeve, though I think “elbow length” would be a more appropriate name.  It also has a cowl neck option along with the regular neckband finish.

If I’m going to be completely honest here though, I did not have the easiest time sewing up this dress.  And I can’t even figure out why, which is the most frustrating part.  Was it me?  Was it the pattern?  Was it printing problems?  It seems like everyone else who has made it had no issues, so I’m not sure what went wrong!  But I emailed Toni and she responded so sweetly and quickly trying to help me through my issues – it made me feel a lot better.  Though I still am not entirely sure what the problem was . . .

The part that gave me the most problems was that darn pocket!  For whatever mysterious reason, my pocket was just too small and Yuki’s hands would never fit through the openings.  I couldn’t get the binding on correctly either, they weren’t wide enough.  So after trying it twice, I decided to draft my own pattern piece for the pocket and attached the bindings the way you do a neckband (not as directed in the pattern directions).  I’m seriously baffled though, because not one person who has blogged about this dress has mentioned problems with pocket size.  I’m thinking it was a printing issue?

I made this dress in size 2 based on Yuki’s chest measurement and it fits perfectly.  I probably should have gone a size up to make it last longer, but it’ll at least last this season.  I was worried a little bit about length, and also feeling too lazy to hem the dress, so I added a band at the bottom instead.  While I think the added length is good, I don’t really love how it came out.  The aqua fabric I used here is a french terry that is thick and cozy, but a little too thick for this.  Folded in half as a band basically created a hoop at the bottom of the skirt, so the shape looks a little funky.

The main fabric that I used for the dress was purchased from fabric.com after seeing this adorable tee by Erin of Hungie Gungie (unfortunately, not available anymore).  The fabric was sooo cute and soft looking, I couldn’t resist!  I hoarded it for a long time, thinking I might make something for myself, but never figuring out what.  I finally decided to use it for this and still have plenty left over.  The fabric is very soft and stretchy, but I did have some issues sewing with it because it was a bit flimsy – it would get eaten up by the machine and then it would also stretch out like crazy.  After washing it, it pilled up, so now I’m rethinking sewing something for me.  I wouldn’t be able to stand the pilling, unless it was a pajama shirt or something.  But it’s fine for a kid’s dress and still super comfy, which is what matters most for Yuki.

Despite my difficulties, I DO love the way this dress came out and it looks great on my little one.  Plus she loves it, and that’s definitely a win in my book.  I definitely think I’ll make it again and just play around a little with the shape and length of the skirt and try different sleeve lengths, etc.  It’s just such a fun style while being comfy and practical too.

Thanks Toni for giving me this pattern to try out and for being so helpful and responsive.  If you’re interested in buying the pattern, you can find it along with all the Make it Perfect patterns!