Garnet Dress, Top, and Skirt by Tie Dye Diva
/Today we're sharing the latest release from Tie Dye Diva, the Garnet Dress, Top, and Skirt. Garnet also comes in a doll version, which makes it an automatic favorite with the little misses. Our reviewers loved this pattern so much, we convinced the designer to offer a special deal for our readers. Through 12/9/15, when you purchase the Garnet Dress, Top, and Skirt at regular price, you can also score the dolly dress for only $1 (normally $4.95) . Use Code PRGARNET at checkout. Here's Rachel with the full review, and more lovely dresses by Paige and Marnie.
I’ve used quite a few patterns from Tie Dye Diva over the past few years, and the newest release has gone right to the top of my favorites list. The Garnet Dress, with included shirt and skirt options, is a versatile pattern with both a wide range of sizes and suitable fabrics. The hardest part of the pattern by far was selecting which options to sew first and which fabrics to use. I opted for an all-knit dress and a knit shirt, and have a knit top with woven paneled skirt all cut out and ready to be sewn.
The instructions are detailed and include lots of helpful tips, especially useful when switching between woven and knit fabrics. The measurement charts are spot-on as well; based on her measurements, I sewed a size 5 with size 6 length for my 46” tall daughter (she has a 23” chest and 21.5” waist) and the outcome was great. She’s got a little room to grow but the dress and top were both well-fitting. For the dress, which Miss P wore to our family Thanksgiving (and for holiday card pics with her brother), I upcycled a mens’ slub knit tee for the bodice and used cotton/lycra for the skirt. I used scraps of a woven cotton for the collar. I love the look of the dainty collar, and Jen’s instructions are very precise. I had the best result in terms of getting everything to line up perfectly when I actually used a chalk pencil to draw in the seam allowances and make sure to follow them carefully. It’s a different method of construction than I’ve seen elsewhere (the front and back are finished separately before joining at the shoulders) and I like the end result.
For the shirt version, I used a solid red cotton/lycra from Purple Seamstress and confetti dot from Joanns for the collar. I backed the collar with the cotton/lycra, but if I’d had red woven cotton that might have been even easier and yielded a slightly stiffer collar. I absolutely adore this as a not-so-basic tee, and Miss P has worn it several times already. (Confession time: I’ve already gone back to Joanns and picked up three other colors of confetti dot fabric to make more of these for her. THREE!)
My girl recently got her first American Girl doll, so any pattern that also has a dolly version is an automatic win for me. The top sewed up nicely, although I did have to trim a little excess width off of the back where the closure went. it fit the doll well, and Miss P was thrilled to bits that she and her doll could match yet again.
There were three of us who sewed up various versions of the Garnet set for this review, and our responses were unanimous - this is a great pattern that is straightforward with thorough instructions and clear photographs, and the number of included options are truly fantastic. Our girls loved them and looked great; easy to sew and easy to wear makes Garnet a pattern that will surely be a staple in my pattern stash for a good long while.
Until next time,
Rachel
Paige's Version
Marnie's Version
