The Peggy Dress by My Childhood Treasures

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The peasant dress is an iconic silhouette that I think will always stand the test of time where handmade clothing is concerned. It's a great style for beginners, it's easy to wear, there are more variations than Baskin Robbins has flavors, and it's generally a very quick sew for instant gratification. Today we have a new spin on the peasant dress, the Peggy Dress, from My Childhood Treasures. Keep reading to see Sarah and Gloria's reviews of this pattern, and then head over to MCT and use the code PEGGY for 20% off this pattern for the entire month of February..

Hello Everyone! This is Sarah and I am back today with a review of the Peggy Dress by My Childhood Treasures.

The Peggy Dress is a peasant dress with a cute yoke feature in the front that I have not seen on a peasant before. It also features an extra wide, double ruffle on the hem that gives it a little flair and makes it not-your-average-peasant-dress. It also has both long sleeves and short sleeves as an option. 

I am busy sewing up items to take on our Disney Cruise coming up this spring and I thought the Peggy Dress would be a great little play dress for the girls while they are out and about on some shore excursions. I chose short sleeves so they would stay nice and cool and, of course, used some Frozen fabric to give them a little Disney flair! The Peggy Dress has optional trim along the bottom edge of the yoke and I added a miniature chenille ball trim that reminded me of the trim on Anna's cape and added a little button on the top of the yoke. I think it turned out adorable!

This pattern covers sizes 2 through 10, so it has a great size range. It features a measurement chart for chest size only and both fabric requirements charts and a cutting layout. The pattern pieces are 18 pages to tape together and they include a pattern piece for the ruffle pieces. I personally like having a pattern piece for rectangular pieces, but if you are someone looking for just the cutting dimensions, this pattern does not have them. 

The pattern instructions are very detailed and show full color pictures at each step of the pattern. I really liked the chart type organization of the instructions; the written instructions were in one column and the pictures were in the adjacent column. I felt it kept the flow of the instructions very clear.

One thing that I felt was missing from this pattern was a height in the size chart and/or a finished length. I have a very tall 8 year old and I like to be able to check against a finished length or size chart to make sure dresses will be long enough on her.

Overall I felt this was a solid pattern with great instructions and a bit of detail that sets it aside from other peasant dresses. The size 5 was a great fit on my size 5 RTW daughter. I thought the results were very cute and she looks adorable. I think her poses tell the story of how much she likes it as well!

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time...
Sarah
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When I think about my childhood, I remember the box of treasured fabrics handed down by my great-grandmother to my mother, stored in a wooden box made by my grandfather. I received the box about 5 years ago, and now most of the fabrics of yesteryear have been sewn up and given to little girls who love dresses. 

Along comes the Peggy Dress by My Childhood Treasures and I wish I had some of those fabrics and lace! Fortunately, last year I won a prize of vintage-style fabrics from Fine Stitchery. . . there it is: 

Imperial Tartan Batiste and lace. Just what I had in mind! And perfect for Emma Rose, my petite niece at 6 months, in a size 3-6 month, with long sleeves. A few touches with a vintage inspired Picmonkey photo enhancement . . .

And it is perfect! The Peggy Dress, with three sleeve options and two size ranges, begins with a peasant style and adds a contoured yoke and ruffles and opportunities to embellish to your liking. This is a great pattern for beginners!

  • $7.95 purchased at designer’s website here in either Girls sizes 2-10 or Baby sizes 0-24 months (a graphic showing size measurements and fabric yardage required is included on the purchase page);
  •  Child’s chest measurements are used to determine size, fabric recommendations & yardage chart are provided in the eBook, and a glossary of sewing terms used are included – a bonus for beginners;
  • 12 pattern pages to print, sizes are nested, 6 pattern pieces to cut (for baby sizes); and
  • Sewing instructions are numbered by step and include photos & graphics to guide you through construction.

I enjoyed a trip back to the basics of constructing a garment with ½” seams, preparing elastic casings, creating closed hems along the bottom of long strips of fabric, and creating ruffles. The suggestion to add lace (or other embellishments) satisfied my desire to create a vintage look. 
It has been a long time since I ironed and hemmed long strips of fabric. I have hoarded so much fabric that I can double the amount used and cut strips twice as long and just fold them over to avoid stitching a hem all the way around ruffles. Honestly, I was a little taken aback by having to stitch all those hemlines, ironing and folding . . . yet as I started to work on the ruffle strips, I could see my skills improve: measuring and maintaining a ¼” fold line, pressing properly with my iron, folding over a second time and maintaining another straight line to create an enclosed, no-fray hemline; then stitching consistently and catching the hemline as I paid close attention to my sewing. It was worth it. Sometimes we get so far ahead that we can’t remember how we got to our skill level and what it takes to maintain and utilize all that we have learned. 

The only modification I made to the pattern is based on a personal preference – and that is to stitch not only the casing line to enclose the elastic, but to also stitch along the fold (or at the top) of the casing. 

I will make more of these! With three sleeve options, this pattern can be used throughout the year. And, if I actually use my smocking pleater, I envision inserts with cute summer or Easter designs for Emma Rose! 

Happy Sewing,
Gloria June