One of my goals for 2021 has been to say yes to a few less collaboration projects – while I love them SO much, I often feel like I’m letting people down if I don’t complete my projects quickly enough, and then I feel stressed out about something that is normally my favorite mechanism for relaxation! That being said, I’m simply trying to be more mindful about the projects I do take on overall… Will it fill a gap in my wardrobe? Can I use it to make something I already wanted / planned to make? Is it different from what I already have on hand? Is the company one I’m excited to support? And lastly… Is it so extra special that I just can’t pass it up? This project, though, was a combination of 2 things that I was VERY excited to add to my list of collaborations this year!
Between proactively preparing this pattern, a slight delay in delivery, and another bit of a delay in actual sewing, this dress turned into a cute tunic top! Once I’d finally sewn it, I went to get my girl dressed in her cute new dress and it turns out the coordinating leggings I’d sewn at the last moment were an excellent decision. In the months since I cut and pasted my pattern, this girl had GROWN! While the 2T still fit her perfectly width-wise, she had shot up like a weed recently and what was intended to be a dress is instead a very cute little tunic! It is crazy how quickly time passes. To be fair, she is pretty regularly in size 3T these days, but my brain hadn’t quite put all of that together when cutting out this dress. I was just happy to be so prepared!
Back in January / February, I had the pleasure of choosing this fun, romantic, ruffly top pattern from the lineup of patterns offered in Issue 13 of Fibre Mood magazine, in exchange for promoting the pattern on launch day! I had participated with Fibre Mood launches before, and I was more than thrilled to jump in on this one. My baby bump was just beginning to show, and I knew this pattern would see me through pregnancy and nursing, between the lovely ruffled bodice and button-down front. I had the most romantic, dusky pink Liberty London cotton lawn just waiting on my shelf for the perfect pattern to come along, and the Rozan Top was the answer. It was all falling into place!
This fabric was designed a few years ago by Dana Willard, as part of her Day Trip collection inspired by road tripping through Texas. I have always loved the fun, whimsical prints and colors in this collection, and actually purchased a cut of this same fabric to sew myself a dress in May 2018 (the photos we used to announce that I had a bun in the oven!). My little one LOVES tacos (they are second place as her favorite dinner food, topped only by chicken and “cha wise” – aka french fries!), and always comments on the tacos on that dress when I wear it. So when I had the opportunity to sew with it again with Minerva, I jumped on it!
