Maybe Matilda: 5 Berries Dresses (and pattern giveaway)

Monday, March 19, 2012

5 Berries Dresses (and pattern giveaway)

It’s official: I’m going to need a daughter someday. You got that, Universe? Message received? I sure love my little fellow, but I can’t deny that sewing for little ladies is just a lot more fun than sewing for misters.

DSC_0550a My little niece up there thinks so, too.

Tanya from 5 Berries Sewing Patterns offered me a pattern to sew up and review, as well as over $70 in patterns to give away to you guys . . . yowza!

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I chose the Eloise Dress pattern—I loved the classic shape and the playful, feminine ruffle around the keyhole . . . adorable!

DSC_0546b It was so much fun to sew, and I love the finished dresses on my pretty nieces! I think they like their new dresses, too . . . their mom reports that they refused to take them off for the rest of the day, even after a rough-and-tumble playground session in them (during an afternoon that was probably a tad chilly for sleeveless outfits). I’ll consider that a success.

DSC_0554 All right, let me tell you a little about the pattern and my thoughts on sewing with it. All of the patterns from 5 Berries are instant downloads, which is awesome—that means no waiting for the pattern to be emailed or snail-mailed to you. When I buy patterns, I’m excited to start them now, so it’s awesome to be able to get going right away without a wait!

The pattern itself was extremely detailed and well-written. I always get a little nervous sewing clothing—I love to sew, but clothing is not my forte and I don’t have tons of experience sewing clothing from start to finish. But even though the pattern I chose is rated an intermediate level, I didn’t have any major issues while working on it—the instructions were well-written and detailed, and there was a photo to help explain every step along the way. The only question I had while sewing might be obvious in the picture above—the skirt isn’t as full and gathered on the black/white dress as the pink version of the dress, because I misinterpreted the instructions and only cut the skirt half as wide as I should have—whoops! It still came out adorably cute and is plenty wide for playing in, and Tanya even changed the directions in the pattern to make it clearer so no one else will make my silly mistake again. It’s pretty near foolproof now!

DSC_0542 My favorite feature of the pattern was the plentiful photos throughout—I find that so helpful when I’m sewing! The directions themselves were clear, but there were photos for every step, making it almost impossible to mess anything up or misinterpret instructions. I loved having the photos to refer to as I sewed . . . they really helped me create a more professional-looking product and avoid unnecessary mistakes.

DSC_0555 I even learned an important sewing skill that I’ve been terrified to try until now: buttonholes! I love the look of the buttons on this dress . . . it almost reminds me of a wedding dress with buttons from the neck to the hemline. And of course I had to go with purple buttons and a purple sash for this little princess’s dress. I’ll give you three guesses on her favorite color. (Answer: “poh-pole.”)

(And if the dresses look a little short on the girls, that’s my fault . . . I didn’t measure them for sizing [naturally] and didn’t take into account how tall they both are for their age! They’re definitely above average in the height department, so I should have cut the skirts a tad longer. Next time.)

collage And despite the dressier style, these dresses also make great outfits for playtime. They have plenty of room for little ones to climb, and run, and slide, and swing.

DSC_0521 Ahem. What? I had to try it on someone before giving it away! Jeff was horrified that I would put our son in a dress, but found comfort in the fact that he was clearly not enjoying himself.  Unlike a certain photo I have of Jeff himself as a toddler in a dress and hairbow, where he’s beaming and laughing in his getup. I’ll resist posting that picture. But I can’t help but notice that Forrest looks rather darling in that dress, wouldn’t you agree?

Okay, now for the giveaway!

5 Berries is offering two prizes today—a first place winner will receive $50 in patterns of their choice, and a second place winner will receive $22 in patterns of their choice!

To enter to win:

1) Visit 5 Berries Sewing Patterns, then come back here and leave a comment telling me your favorite pattern from the shop.

2) Give this giveaway a shout-out on facebook (something like: “I’m entering to win $50 worth of children’s clothing patterns from 5 Berries on Maybe Matilda!” with a link to this giveaway page), then leave a comment telling me you did so (as well as a link, please!).

There you have it! Please leave separate comments for each entry, and make sure I have a way to reach you, either by including your email address in your comment or by enabling email on your Google account (follow the instructions here).

One last thing!  Whether you win the giveaway or not, posting a link to this giveaway on your facebook page will earn you a 30% discount to use at 5 Berries on any amount of patterns! (I forgot to discuss with Tanya how to get/use your coupon code, so I’ve sent her an email and I’ll post with details later about how to redeem your coupon! Check back soon!)  

48 comments :

  1. Such cute things! I love them all, but think the Waldorf is my favorite :)

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  2. Hahaha aw, Forrest looks so cute! You'll have to save this picture for prom night and bust it out for his date :D The Anna dress is my favorite!

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  3. ee! I NEED that eloise dress pattern for my girls easter dress!

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  4. Such pretty dresses! I absolutely love the Amelia dress--and even better that it's a beginner pattern. ;)

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  5. Hard to pick just one but really love the Maria and the Eloise. Would really love to win this one.

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  6. I posted about this on my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/kim.morrow1

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  7. i love the reversible pinafore pattern! so sweet!
    embily@gmail.com

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  8. at first it was olivia, but then i saw alexandra. ooooh so very pretty

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  9. Haha,Forrest's face is priceless!
    I think I like the Sonya pattern best.

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  10. I adore the g.Paris Romper and my granddaughter would look amazing in it!!

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  11. Shared on FB and resisted sharing the picture of Forest. https://www.facebook.com/laws.rhonda/posts/134140130049162

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  12. i love the hoodie pattern. i have a thing for hoodies! adorable dresses. i try dresses on my little guy all the time. he likes them...:)

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  13. I love the Amelia pattern - such cute dresses!!

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  14. I love the Alexandra pattern, which conveniently, is one of my niece's names! I too need a daughter some day, so until then, my nieces get all of my girly sewing projects. I'll tell them to keep their fingers crossed for me! Thanks :)

    Amy
    suzysetter(at)cox(dot)net

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  15. I think the better question would have been, which pattern don't I want?! They are all so cute. I'm in love witht he Jessica Skirts and the f. Rose Diaper. I need a little girl too!

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  16. The Jessica Skirt is one of my favorites! I laughed for a good 2 minutes over that picture of Forrest!!!! That is a great one for his future girlfriend to see. and other funny things like that.

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  17. I gave a shout out on facebook from my profile as well as my page!

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  18. I posted about it on my FB! I'm with you on convincing the universe I need a baby girl. I think I've already successfully willed my body to create a girl for our next baby. And SHE hasn't even been conceived yet. ;D
    https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=113756988755213&id=1558860009

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  19. I have four daughters. I love the Olivia pattern. I would even like it for myself :)

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  20. I love all the girly things over there! I loved the Eloise too, and the Olga hoodie, and Sonya are my favorites. skeebunny23@gmail.com

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  21. Oh my, the Maria pillowcase ruffle dress is by far my favorite! I'm a sucker for the little tie spaghetti strap sundress types for little ones! My little girl is already growing into her 12 month clothes at 7 months so this would be perfect to make for our beach trip this year!

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  22. Just gave a shout out on Facebook :) Link: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.jamieson

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  23. The therapy your child will need. He looks mighty handsome in that dress. His future sister will thank you for this picture...because I post one of my brother in a dress on facebook at least once a year.

    And I like the Amelia dress but I'm too afraid to win. ;P

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  24. I love the eloise dress too, and the f. rose diaper! Who doesn't love a ruffle butt?!

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  26. I love the Olivia pattern!!!! I love them all! :) My email is mjalfano19@gmail.com

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  27. Gave a shoutout on Facebook!! https://www.facebook.com/stacy.alfano/posts/134306456697306 My email is mjalfano19@gmail.com

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  28. So cute!! I love the Rose Diaper--would be perfect for my friend's new baby!! (michellecarbonelli@gmail.com)

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  29. You did a great job! I've just been planning some spring dresses for my girls :) I shared your giveaway on my FB page.
    http://www.facebook.com/CardboardCrafter

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  30. I love the waldorf dress! It's sooo cute and I can picture any of my friends babies in it!

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  31. Here's my facebook shoutout!! http://www.facebook.com/sarahashleytrostle

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  32. The dress is adorable, but I have to say that I bust out laughing when I saw Forrest in it. I soooo needed a giggle this morning. Thanks for brightening my day :^D

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  33. I like the Rebecca for every day and the Olivia for special occasions.

    kathryn(dot)lee79(at)gmail(dot)com

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  34. Such cute things! I love them all, but think the Waldorf is my favorite :)

    vsbelley@gmail.com

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  35. You know, long ago, boys did wear dresses until they were 3 or so. Even though Forrest is not a happy camper, he is adorable! He may never forgive you for this picture. Or at least until he has a baby of his own and takes his own picture of his little one.

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  36. I love the Olivia. I wish the Eloise had sleeves, it's cute too.

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  37. Not sure how to post the link: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.maybematilda.com%2F&h=JAQHRe0u3

    Love the pinaford! oh.judykay@yahoo.com

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  38. I really like the Alexandria dress at http://5berriessewingpatterns.com/ - I love combining fabrics, even let the child choose (guided choices - IE: This one or this one?). So cute, so wearable - for summer days in the desert.

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  39. How did I miss this post?! How could you not try it on Forrest first? I bet he wants a sister so doesn't have to wear dresses or girly things anymore.

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  40. I really like the sonya dress

    jessicarwarfield at gmail dot com

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  41. I really like Olivia,it would be cute on my older granddaughters,thank you for the chance to win.

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  42. My favorite pattern is the Alexandra.

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  44. Shared on facebook:

    https://www.facebook.com/susan.vojtik/posts/362327247145741

    email is susanmv @ comcast.net

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  45. What an awesome giveaway! My fave patterns are the Sarah pinafore and the Olivia and Alexandra dresses.
    SugarMamaShop@gmail.com

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  46. I shared on fb: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaMoutos/posts/324242977640119
    SugarMamaShop@gmail.com

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