Rowan Raglan by Made For Mermaids
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Hi there! Chris here, bringing you a review of the new Rowan Raglan Top, Tunic and Dress by Made for Mermaids. This versatile, unisex raglan pattern comes with tons of options to fill your child’s wardrobe with a variety of items!
Miss E just started kindergarten, so I decided to make her a comfy, short sleeved dress using some cotton lycra I had on hand. The pattern recommends any light to medium weight knit with at least 30% stretch (and a knit with 70% stretch for the neckband option).
The pattern pieces went together easily, and I love the layers feature for printing just the sizes I need, as well as the fact that the sizes themselves are nested. I printed Miss E’s size 5 and her brother’s size 2 together and I love the fact that when I cut her pattern pieces, I didn’t cut off anything that would later be needed for his when I’m ready for it! My daughter’s chest measurement put her in between a 4 and a 5 and I went with the larger size chest. Her height put her between a 5 and a 6, so I cut the skirt at a size 6 length. She probably would have fit well in the smaller size too, but I when making a new pattern, I tend to start with the larger size so that my time’s not wasted (figuring I can save it for later if it’s too big right now, they grow so fast!).
Sewing up this raglan dress was a breeze! If you’re new to knits, raglans are a great starting point, as their construction is much easier than a shirt with an inset sleeve. The pattern directions are clear and easy to follow. The only thing I had trouble with was sewing the ruffled skirt to the bodice, as my machine kept wanting to eat the fabric, but that’s no fault of the pattern!
With options for a top, banded or ruffled tunic or ruffled dress, short, ¾ and long sleeves (all of which can have an added optional flutter) and with a neckband or hood, you could get a ton of knit practice without getting bored of sewing the same garment multiple times. When you include the 5 animal face cut files (fox, cat, dog, bear and panda) and optional ears that come with the pattern, there are 288 different combinations you could sew! Talk about more bang for your buck!
Purchase your copy of the Rowan Raglan here and don’t forget to show the Made for Mermaids Pattern Group on facebook what you sew up!
Thanks for reading,
Chris
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