Dottie Angel Frock - for smalls

Instagram and the interwebs are abuzz lately with #DottieAngelFrock. Simplicity has taken Tif Fussell"s frock design and put out pattern 1080 so that all of us can make our very own Dottie Angel Frock. I must admit, I am so excited for her, but it took me awhile to get the pattern myself. I wasn't sure how I felt about how I might look in it. I love it mind you, I just didn't know if I would love it for me. So I got a little sneaky and decided to try my hand at making a version for Pony Girl.

 Before the pockets

I used some Alexander Henry fabric that I've had in my stash for a couple of years. I just love it, and it's a bit different. I started out by tracing the size small. I was going off of the waist measurement and wanted to make sure it was roomy enough. I found that I could have done the extra small and been fine. I cut out the tunic length and made a few alterations to the pattern.  I will tell you that I didn't really follow the instructions, I just followed my own weaving way, like I do.  So, this isn't an actual review of the pattern, just my take on it.

I made changes to the front tucks to gather up a bit more of the ease and sewed the arms a bit willy-nilly. The one thing I forgot to consider in my rush to make the dress, was the neck line. Next time I will cut it to better fit a small person, or add a bit of elastic 'round it. I ended up making some gathers at the shoulder seams before I added the cotton lace.

I thought that the pockets that are part of the pattern were a bit too large for the small person version, so I just whipped up a very simple version of my own. Though I would make a few more alterations next time (there is certain to be a next time), it is adorable on my girl, I love it! I am even getting up the nerve to sew one for myself and see how it goes.  This really is a great frock and quite easy to work up. If you would like to see more stunning versions of the dress, just head on over to Instagram and search the hashtag #dottieangelfrock, there are so many clever makers out there. I bet you could find quite a few on Pinterest and other parts of the world wide web as well!

We are on the tip of a long holiday weekend and headed to the ocean for a couple of days, I'll be back next week. Have a grand weekend my friends!