I can’t tell you why exactly but I have been DYING to be able to sew a dress for a little girl.  Problem is, I don’t have one of those in my house.  A little girl, that is.  I’ve made a ton of dresses for myself and now a bunch of shirts and things for Louis, but sewing a sweet dress for one of my nieces was a must.  When Jennuine Designs put out a call for testers for her new dress, I jumped on it.  I super wanted to make a dress for my niece, Annie.  And I’m so glad that I got to!  I ADORE it.

The Verona Dress is so, so cute.

And welcome to everyone that arrived here by following the blog tour of this fabulous new pattern!

disclaimer: this post does contain some affiliate links

Here’s the rundown of the Verona Dress pattern (and why I liked stitching it up so much):

First.  It comes in a huge array of sizes: newborn – 12 years.  So anyone from a teeny little squishy to a sweet & sassy preteen could wear this and the style is suitable for that entire spread of ages.  Maybe it’s because I don’t have a little girl of my own, but I am not into the super frilly, “froo froo” dresses.  Sometimes a ruffle or two is necessary but it doesn’t always translate well across such a large span of ages, so some patterns aren’t totally usable past a certain point.  The Verona is timeless.  If it came in adult sizes, I would totally make one for myself.  No joke.

It was a relatively quick sew and was super easy.  Jenn’s directions were simple to follow and she even created a video tutorial for one of the sewing techniques.  This is one of many reasons why I love indie pattern designers.  They are crazy helpful and want to make sure people learn from their patterns…and use them too!  

The dress doesn’t involve zippers.  NO. ZIPPERS.  Yessssss.

(And yes, I still avoid zippers in clothing.  Haven’t mastered them quite yet because they intimidate me.)

The dress slides easily over the head and has an enclosed elastic at the back.  So it comes into a fitted level at the waist but still is comfy to slip on and off.  The bodice is fully lined and includes a peek-a-boo underskirt.  And the collar detail is just darling.  I haven’t seen anything like it yet.

There are a few sleeve options available: long, cap, short and sleeveless.  I chose to do a short sleeve because Annie will (maybe) be wearing this when we are in DC for Easter.  And if not, she can easily wear it the majority of the spring/summer without being super hot and stuffy.  With the short sleeve, there is also an option to make an elastic casing and have the sleeves be more fitted but I thought it’d be cute with more of a flutter sleeve.  And I was right.  It is cute.

And about Annie.  She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?  What. A. Doll.

I must admit that it was a different experience taking photos of Annie, rather than Lou.  It’s obvious that my child is a crazy ham in photos and Annie was a little more reserved.  That is, until I told her that she could make a silly face.  She’s such a goof.  This girl is a wild woman and I’m wondering if this is more her natural smile.  Ha!

The Verona Dress Pattern is on sale right now, so don’t wait to snatch it up for yourself!

You can find the Verona Dress pattern [HERE].

Or take a peek at the rest of Jennuine Design’s patterns [HERE].  They seriously all look darling.  Especially those Dressage Leggings.  :: swoon ::

And just in case you want to get your hands on that darling fabric that I used…it’s the Amy Butler ‘Love Water Bouquet Midnight’, found [HERE].

I made myself a skirt out of it last year and couldn’t resist using it for Annie’s dress.  I love it in both applications!