what we wore & out and about dress review

Well, I was hoping to get this up a couple days ago and be all clever and say something like "What We Wore Wednesday", but the day got away from me, so here it is...."What We Wore" on Friday.

I had A's dress for Easter done months ago and blogged about it here. You can go back and read that post for the details on her dress. In that post I talked about not knowing if we'd actually be successful in making it to church with her in this outfit, but we did, and we were able to get a few pictures before we took it off so she could devour some yogurt.

When I made her dress and originally wrote about it, I was worried she wouldn't fit in the 2T size, but it worked out perfectly and I just love how it looked on her! The light yellow gingham was just perfect for Easter Sunday.

(please excuse the grainy photos - I only had my phone with me at the time)

After seeing her in this dress, I can definitely say I'll be making this pattern again. It's got that twirl factor that little girls love!

And now for my dress. 

I finally made my Sew Caroline Out and About Dress! I have to say, since I've just recently started sewing in the last 8 months or so, I get a little nervous when I wear something in public that I've made. However, as soon as I finished this dress, I couldn't wait to wear it. I felt super confident and comfortable. 

I bought this pattern back in December when it was on sale and I have just had it sitting around while I searched for the fabric I wanted to use. I found this Tide Pool Slub Knit at Joann about a month ago and I knew it would be perfect for this dress. It's a knit fabric that is 95% polyester / 5% spandex. I had enough to make a matching one for A, but then I remembered it's hand wash only and decided to keep it all for myself. 

I already know I'm going to be making more versions of this dress. I loved sewing it and it was so fast and easy. It's a simple pattern, but the little details like the cuffs on the sleeves and optional pockets make it extra special! 

The only change I made to the pattern on this dress was that I didn't put in the pockets and that was just from sheer laziness. I didn't feel like doing it, but I will probably put them in a future version at some point. 

In the future, I will make one change in order to get a better fit for my 5'2" frame. I plan to raise the waist line by about 4 or 5 inches to give this dress an empire waist. I'll then add those 4-5 inches of fabric back to the bottom of the skirt to keep it at knee length. I've seen some people do that with this dress as a maternity modification, but I tend to prefer an empire waist on all my dresses, pregnant or not. 

I can't wait to make more of these. I already want to make a solid black maxi length one, along with a fun summer print or bright coral! 

I would definitely recommend this as a great beginner dress pattern. It's quick, easy and it will give you a super fun dress for summer! You can sew it all on a regular sewing machine and there's no linings or closures to mess with. 

Plus, you can make it with short, 3/4, or long sleeves and you can choose to have it knee length or maxi length! I love all the options!

You can purchase the Out and About Dress Pattern here. (affiliate) The next one of Caroline's patterns I am planning to sew is the Kimono. I've already got the pattern, but again, I am trying to decide on a fabric for it! Any suggestions??

And here's just a couple more pictures from Easter, because we actually got a couple pictures with A smiling. 

Happy Friday!