Tallulah Dress by Izzy & Ivy Designs

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There are certain times in life where the stars align, the clouds part, and golden sunshine opens your eyes to something new and beautiful that you can't believe you didn't previously know about.  I'll admit it, I had no clue who or what Izzy&Ivy were until one day I stumbled upon a picture of a beautiful little girl in a jacket with a caption saying 'Coming Soon'.  Be Still My Heart.  You see, I didn't know these fabulous pattern designers, because up until this year they only designed paper patterns.  All of my sewing for children has been with PDF patterns and thus my ignorance of their existence.   I am so stinking excited that they decided to make the leap and start producing their gorgeous designs for the PDF world - Woot Woot!!!

Here are Becca and Katie to show off their gorgeous creations - don't forget to enter to win bellow!!!

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I'm fairly certain all my reviews up to this point have involved working with knit... Which is totally unfair to my extensive collection of woven prints!  So today my two loves come together in this absolutely adorable new release from Izzy and Ivy Designs:

Ah, Tallulah, with your knit bodice and woven skirt, you really are a beaut'!

Why love a knit bodice? For starters, it feels like most store bought clothes. Comfortable, with a super flexible fit. Thank you, Stretch! (Knit tips included in the pattern! Yay!!)

And woven skirt? Well let's face it. No other fabric provides the kind of creative freedom as woven cotton. The possibilities are quite literally infinite. 

And the Tallulah? She combines those features with the extra scrumptious details of POCKETS and BUTTONS.

So I splurged on some super cute ones...

Let's talk details: 

This pattern offer tunic and dress lengths, in sizes 2T - girls 12. (K's is a 2T Tunic)

It has one sleeve length (long), which is perfect for cool weather wear. I'd love to see an add-on for 3/4 and short sleeves - but given the "polar vortex" activity outside my home, I'm in no rush!

I love.love.love. that this pattern prints by size range. Thank you, Izzy & Ivy, for saving me time and paper! 

Assembly was a breeze, and instructions exceptionally helpful. There were step-by-step photos, each labeled and referenced within the written instructions. I even learned a new trick to getting "perfect points" on my waist ties! 

The most time-consuming parts were the skirt and pocket gathers, but that's certainly to be expected in the world of dress making, yes??

My only real hang-up was on the pockets. Topstitching was a doozy! Topstitching in a straight line is a task in an of itself, but over those gathers? phew. I'm thankful those poofy pockets are forgiving and hide my less-than-expert skills there!

What wonky pocket topstitch?? 

My next Tallulah will be a dress version. Having seen no example of the dress in the product description or the pattern itself, I was a bit thrown as to what it should look like. (For those wondering: it's equally adorable.) I'd like to see images of both tunic and dress variations represented in the pattern.

Reasons I love having a 2T: I can use these patterns FOR TEN MORE YEARS. 

In short, Tallulah, I'm a mega-fan. Your design is simply perfect. I look forward to seeing more of you on my cutting mat soon <3

Happy Sewing!

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I love sewing with knits - quick to sew and comfortable to wear! Even still, I always gravitate towards woven patterns, and rarely get to my knit patterns. Why is that? Because I, like most of you, am a fabric hoarder. I can't go into a fabric store without walking out with at least 3 more yards than I intended. And they are always woven, because there is SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM! It's like being a kid in a candy shop. Knits, not so much. Yes, occasionally I get lucky with red tags at Joann's, but the assortment just isn't there for me, locally. I'm not as comfortable buying knits online as I am with woven fabrics. So, when a pattern mixes the ease and functionality of knits with the available variety of beautiful wovens, I am sold. And when they mix in such a cute and girly way as in the Tallulah by Izzy and Ivy? She's sold...


There are lots of choices with this pattern, but the first is fabric, of course. You don't have to use knits for this dress, it can be made out of all woven fabrics and be equally as cute. In the recent past, I would have avoided knits at all costs, because my sewing machine eats them (user error, I am sure). Once I learned about the differential feed on my serger, I overcame my fear of stretchy fabric. So, I picked the tunic version of the Tallulah with a knit bodice. The neck binding, sash, and skirt are all cotton woven fabrics. 


I was so happy to see measurements for many of the pattern pieces, as a lot of them are rectangles. The sleeves and bodice are printed on 12 pages. I didn't read ahead before printing and got myself confused with the taping. There is a handy dandy taping guide at the end of the the pattern that I eventually found to sort myself out (and they have since made sure this area is super clear so no one else will get confused!). Once I got everything taped and cut, this top went together surprisingly quickly, about 40 minutes of sewing time (though I did leave the pockets off).



The end result is a top that looks more dressy than play clothes, but is still comfortable enough for her to run and play with her brothers on the playground. She learned to climb all the way across the monkey bars just after this, then they had a dirt war...which didn't end well.  At least we got lots of compliments!!

Alright, here's the nitty-gritty:
  • Includes sizes 2-12!
  • Like I said, lots of choices. Knit vs. woven, tunic top vs. dress, pockets or not.  The dress version includes a trim at the bottom, which I liked and added to my tunic.
  • Sizing and fabric requirement charts are included.
  • Measurements are provided for rectangular pieces, and 12 pages of printed pattern pieces for the bodice and sleeves. The taping guide is at the end of the pattern.
  • Easy to understand instructions are also shown with clear pictures.
  • Advanced beginner - intermediate pattern. There is a bit of a learning curve with knits, and the sleeve curves might be a bit tricky for a beginner.