The Everywhere Dress (Ellie and Mac)

I'm not kidding when I told you that my sew-jo is back. I am on a roll! Freya was in need of more all-weather dresses, and I even tried out a new pattern designer this time. 

This is the Everywhere Dress by Ellie and Mac, and it is so so adorable! 

I only discovered Ellie and Mac (EAM) recently, and they are a PDF only designer. I must admit that I was first drawn in by their Wacky Wednesday offer, where selected patterns go on sale for the grand total of $1 every Wednesday! Yep, you read that right! They are practically free!! I took a gamble, and am so pleased that I did. The rest, as they say, is history. Nowadays, waiting for Wacky Wednesday has become a bit of a ritual, and I'm a proud owner of a few EAM patterns now! 

During the "lockdown" period, EAM is running Wacky Wednesday all week long! Check out the $1 patterns that are currently on, and the selection changes each Monday. 

The Everywhere Dress was a no-brainer when it came on sale one Wednesday. I loved everything about it: the colour blocking, the pockets, and even different sleeve length. The sizing also covers a whopping 12 months to 14 years (which will actually be too big for me, though there is a matching adult version available in any case). I see opportunities for more twinning :D

I chose the curved bodice, 3/4 sleeves (any opportunity to show off the rolls), and heart-shaped pockets. Since Freya is almost 20 months (and heading well and truly towards the Terrible Two), I made a size 2T.

Feel free to swoon over the seaming here ;) I was pretty pleased with myself!  

I went for muted tones here. I used the beautiful Nordic Forest jersey from my stash (from Flamingo Fabrics, sold out online) and contrasted it with some dusty mauve jersey that I bought especially for this purpose. 

I made 3 small changes to the pattern. First, I fully lined the bodice instead of making a facing, because I prefer the neater finish, and the incremental fabric usage was not huge. Facing or lining, I love the neat neckline. Whilst I don't mind the band that most often features knit patterns, this alternative woven-like finish does look less casual. 

Secondly, I widened the neck opening slightly by simply trimming off a slightly wider seam allowance on the overlocker after stay stitching with the sewing machine first. This is based on some of the reviews that I read, and to avoid stretching the neckline out of shape during dressing and undressing. It worked a treat, though I think you would also be ok to sew the pattern up as it is.   

Thirdly, I skipped the interfacing for the pockets. I didn't have any knit interfacing to hand, so didn't bother! 

Despite all the details, this dress was surprisingly quick to make. The instructions were great, and there is even a video on Youtube walking you through all the steps if you are a virtual learner. 

As a final remark, the Everyday Dress really does live up to its name -- a comfortable and chic dress that can literally be worn everywhere. I see many more of these dresses for Freya in the future!