Rebel Dress and Tunic by Ellie and Mac Patterns

Hello, Rachel here today with a review of the Rebel dress from Ellie and Mac. it’s a t-shirt style dress designed for knits with a full paneled skirt that is great for showcasing a variety of fabrics - this style is always a hit with my 7-year-old daughter, so I knew it would be a good one for me to try out.

I sewed the dress version, but there’s a tunic cut line on the pattern pieces in case you want to shorten it. The body measurement and finished measurement charts are very helpful when deciding what size to make. The seam allowance is only ¼” for Ellie and Mac patterns, so be mindful of that as well. I went by my daughter’s chest measurement and decided to make a size 5, which fit perfectly. I should have lengthened it a bit based on her height (she’s 48.5”) but she prefers to wear leggings with everything and wear her casual dresses more like super long tunics (or mini dresses?!).

We’re headed to Disney World for a family vacation in January and I’ve been stockpiling Disney-themed fabrics and t-shirts for upcycling; this pattern is perfect for featuring a panel (or in this case, a graphic tee from Target) and for mixing and matching a variety of colors and prints. I let Miss P loose in the fabric stash and she had a blast with this one! It’s got a lot going on with quite a few coordinates, but she absolutely loves it. The shaped panels on the skirt get pieced together and then gathered to fit the bodice - the tee-shirt I used was a bit flimsy and the next time I sew this pattern, I’ll probably use a piece of clear elastic to help stabilize that seam a bit. The finished shape of the skirt is really cute and had a lot of twirl, though!

I’ll be sewing this pattern again, and with the large size range it would make a cute gift for Miss P’s little cousin, too. It would also be easy to gather the skirt panels and add a yoga waistband for a cute skirt instead of attaching to the bodice. I love a pattern with options - which ones will you choose first?!

Until next time,

Rachel

Rebekah's Version