Made by Laura!

I'm so happy for the opportunity to try and review the Athina Kakou Samantha Dress! If you've been following me long, you might have picked up on my love for wrap dresses. I've made quite a few, and have really loved them all for different reasons! So... this is just my latest wrap dress addition to my closet, and yep, I love it too! 😃 The Samantha Dress is very nice, and has several differences from other wrap dress patterns that I own. Let's talk about what sets this pattern apart! The BIG difference between this dress and other wrap dress patterns I own is the sleeves! This pattern does not have regular set in sleeves. It uses dolman style (grown-on) sleeves. Another difference in this pattern and others I own is the darts at the waistline at the front and back. This gives the bodice some shape and pulls it in slightly at the waist. In this pattern , there is also a choice for your neckline - do you want just the regular band, or would you prefer ...

"Take that dress off mommy... that's a princess dress, and you are NOT a princess," my four year old told me when I tried the dress on for the first time. According to him, I am JUST a mommy. I'll take it though - I like being his mommy, although, I WILL wear my new dress! "Princess Dress" is absolutely not what came to my mind when I saw this pattern... when I think "Princess Dress," frills, ruffles, and lace comes to my mind, and those things just don't really suit me, but this one does. Let's talk about this pattern! 😉 **Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to the patterns used. If you choose to purchase a pattern using an affiliate link, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no additional cost to you.** I participated in the "Dressed Up" Blog Tour hosted by Winter Wear Designs. I chose to make the Satara Shirt Dress for the first time for this tour. I love a lot of things about this p...

The pleats, the drape, the crossover neckline, the dropped waist dress option... all the reasons I was drawn to test the Lauren . I initially started out sewing the Lauren with a super light weight, very drapey fabric that I got somewhere really cheap. It was a mystery knit. I would assume it was some combination of rayon and polyester, and who knows what else. But it wouldn't cooperate and I was getting super frustrated, so I decided that I needed to put it down and cut the pattern out again. I reached for a liverpool that I have had in my stash for a little bit. It was from a Knitpop auction. I love liverpool and got a great deal on it! I was excited to recut, because the print is so pretty. I had two yards of this gorgeous print, and had to decide whether I would sew a top length with long sleeves or a dress length with short sleeves. I loved EVERY Lauren I saw in the testing group, but was really drawn to the waist on the dress. Most of the patterns I own have either an e...

Have you ever had a favorite dress? You know the one that is so comfortable, but practical. It is perfect for wearing everyday, but also appropriate for wearing to church. It definitely would be an office staple, because you can look professional, but you feel like you might also be wearing your favorite nightgown. The second I put on my new Sinclair Dakota , I knew that this was that dress for me. I LOVE it! Let me tell you all about this pattern! You have quite a few options to make this your perfect dress . The length: You can choose between dress length or tunic length. Dress length hits at about knee length. Tunic length is about mid-thigh length and is perfect for wearing with leggings or skinny jeans (maybe even opaque tights). This is the dress length  And here is Tunic Length! The bodice options: You can sew the dress using two different bodice options. There is either a solid front bodice (cut on fold), or a front bodice with a placket. You can either...

Every girl needs a little black dress (or a few) hanging in her closet, right? Well, I decided that for my day on the Winter Wear Designs "Deck the Closet" blog tour, I would go ahead and add a new dress to my closet. The fabulous thing about a basic black dress is the ability to dress it up or down depending on how you accessorize it. I am blogging on how to use a Winter Wear Designs pattern for formal/dressy wear. She has a couple of patterns that are actually intended for formal wear, and I do intend to try them, but things have been crazy for me lately, and I didn't feel like I had time for a super time-consuming project this month. As you have probably gathered, I'm a fan of sewing knit fabrics. They just go together so quickly and easily. Since they're stretchy, you can avoid the need for closures (which are nice, but take more time). So, because I love fairly quick, satisfying projects, I chose to use a pattern I've actually blogged on before ...