Violette Field Threads :: A pattern review, two cute girls in two cute dresses, and a giveaway!

*Giveaway closed! Thanks to all who entered, and congrats to Marcy, the lucky winner!*

I was contacted a few weeks ago by Ericka and Jessica, the masterminds behind Violette Field Threads on etsy, to do a pattern review and a giveaway. 

And after taking a peek at the beautiful patterns in their shop, I couldn't type "YES!" back fast enough! Their shop is filled with absolutely beautiful sewing patterns for your little princess . . . from boutique-style dresses like the Stella One-Shoulder Dress:

. . . to fun and quirky tops like the Olive Bustle Shirt:

. . . to delicious accessories, like the Delilah Statement Necklace:

After drooling over all the lovely patterns in their shop, I decided that my two sweet nieces shouldn't go another day without wearing the darling Viola Sweetheart Dress . . . 

How cute is that? I just love the ladylike scalloped overskirt, and the sweetheart neckline is so fun. I'll admit--I was a little nervous to get started on it . . . if you've been around this ol' bloggy for a bit, you know that while I love to sew, making clothing from scratch is not my forte. But for a pattern that adorable, I was more than willing to give it a shot.

Success! Look how dang freaking cute my little nieces are in their Viola dresses! (By the way, little M on the right has a bright future in cosmetology--she gave herself and her sister haircuts the night before their family pictures were taken a week ago. The timing couldn't be more perfect, right?) 

I bought the fabric for the dresses before I had even received the pattern from Ericka and Jessica (I was that excited to get started)--it was one of the 50% off the red tag clearance fabric sales at Joann's, and you know I can't resist a deal like that, so I grabbed a couple yards and, if I had to guess, probably spent about $5 on fabric between the two dresses. 

(Fun fact: they were both still smiling while they modeled the backs of their dresses for me. Talk about cooperation!)

My main goal in sewing these dresses was to not sew any pieces on wrong--I have a real knack for sewing pieces on backwards, or with the wrong side out--and you're never going to believe it, but I (yes, I, Little Miss Seam Ripper) actually made it through two dresses without once having to tear anything apart and do it over. I'm giving all the credit to the excellent pattern . . . it was so incredibly thorough, with pictures every step of the way and detailed instructions that left me no room to sew bodices inside out or attach skirts upside down.

(Look at big A on the left! Do you want to give her kisses or what?! I totally do.)

These dresses honestly might be the most well-made things I've ever sewn, with every raw edge finished, top stitching galore, and nice straight seams. I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but . . . toot toot. These dresses rock, almost entirely because of a really, really great pattern that was smarter than I am and didn't let me make any stupid mistakes. And for how advanced the dresses came out looking, they really were not difficult to sew . . . at all.

So here's the fun part . . . do you have darling nieces or daughters or neighbors or friends or little-strangers-on-the-street that you want to prettify with the help of Violette Field Threads? Because one of you lucky ducks is going to win 3 patterns of your choice from their shop!

Here's how you can win:

(leave a separate comment for each entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you!)

1) Head over to Violette Field Threads on etsy and tell me which pattern you can't wait to get your paws on! 
2) Become a fan of Violette Field Threads on facebook! (leave a comment saying so)
3) Become (or already be) a follower of Maybe Matilda! (leave a comment saying so)

***EDITED! If you just can't wait to see if you're the winner, you can save 15% on your purchase from Violette Field Threads by entering coupon code MATILDA at checkout!

This giveaway will close a week from today--Monday, July 18th--so get cracking!