Dakota Top and Dress by Little Lizard King
/Hey y'all, Jackie here. Any time a new girl’s dress pattern releases, my heart skips a beat. But, in the last couple of years, my daughter has decided she is dress averse. It makes my Mama heart sad. But sometimes I figure out ways to work around her aversion and still sew all the pretty things. The Dakota Top and Dress from Little Lizard King is a great example. I showed her the promo photos and she thought it was really cool, but “not as a dress, Mama.”
The top is designed to showcase faux fur, leather, suede, velvet, or any heavier weight fabric in the yoke. I wandered two fabric stores, multiple times, but never found a faux fur I liked. I take that back. I did find a beautiful faux chinchilla for around $40 a yard. Let’s go ahead and establish that I have expensive taste. Thankfully, I also have some small amount of willpower and left it on the shelves. Instead, I chose a Guatemalan striped fabric paired with chambray, both in my stash, to create an effortlessly cool top for Miss 9.
Based on her measurements, I made a size 7. This is typical for us because she is tall and thin. We often size up only to get the necessary length. That wasn’t an issue with this pattern since it’s sleeveless. The construction is very straight forward. There are tips throughout the tutorial to help if it’s your first time sewing with faux fur or other heavy fabrics. At this point in my sewing life, there’s not many firsts anymore, but I sewed my first exposed zipper with the Dakota. I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out.
I love the finished product! As you can see, Miss 9 loves it too. When I asked her to be more specific, she listed all the features. She loves the fabrics. She loves the fit. She loves the way it feels. She loves the neck. She loves the zipper. I love that she can wear it over a long sleeve tee when it’s cold out, or on it’s own as the temperatures rise. All in all, it’s a winner.
Bask to school is in full force these days. This cropped button down, The Daydreamer by Little Lizard King is an amazing transition piece for all the seasons and will complement both skirts and jeans. Rebecca paired hers with the Take 5 Skirt, another pattern by Little Lizard King.