Dress Up Party - Pattern Review

**This is my post from the Sew Sweetness Dress Up Party Blog Hop. You can see it and the complete schedule of other posts HERE**

Hello everyone! My name is Hilary and I blog over at Young Texan Mama. I am excited to be here today to share my pattern review for Simplicity/New Look 6048. I have a strange love for big box store patterns because they are where I began my sewing journey.

I got my very first sewing machine as a Christmas gift when I was a freshman is high school. I didn't know how to sew at all, but I knew I wanted to sew and my parents indulged my desire. So I read the manual, bought a pattern and fabric from Walmart, and started sewing. I made some reallllyyy ugly things in the beginning, but I think I have finally gotten the hang of it after what is approaching 10 years of sewing.

So onto the pattern! Simplicity/New Look pattern 6048 is one that I bought on a whim because I liked the silhouette, little did I know that $4 pattern would become one of my favorite makes. I have made this same pattern 3 times, which is the most I have ever made a single pattern.

 I have only ever made View A of this pattern because I worry that the ruffle on the bottom of the skirt might read as juvenile, but I am interested in making a View A with the View B halter strap. I am thinking that will make a super cute dress for summer. 

I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to altering patterns, but I am a rebel and I cut the pattern in the size I need vs. tracing it to save for later.

If this is something you are going to do, make sure you check the finished garment measurements as well as your body measurements because there can be some discontinuity between the two.

For this dress I cut and 8 because the finished garment had a bust measurement of 34 which is my bust measurement. If I went off of just my measurements I would have needed a size 12 and that would have had a finished bust measurement of 36.5inches.

Below are my first and 3rd versions of the pattern. This top one is actually my wearable muslin that I made out of some inexpensive Hobby Lobby fabric. I have worn this dress so many times, and I am actually really surprised at how well the fabric has held up after several washes. 

Below is my 3rd version of the dress made with Alison Glass Handcrafted. For this version I cut the skirt differently than called for in the pattern so that I could make sure and utilize the border on the fabric. I love the finished look of it, and it didn't take too much extra fabric.

My favorite version of this pattern is my second one I made with my friends fabric collection Emma's Garden. I was able to get some great shots of me in this dress because my sister was nice enough to come and help me take pictures with her fancy DSLR camera.

The great thing about this pattern is that it works well with several different scales of fabrics. Often times you need to really pay attention to the scale of the pattern on your fabric when it comes to choosing what pattern to use, but (so far) I haven't found that to be an issue with this pattern. It can really work with any scale fabric.

Overall, this is a very beginner friendly pattern. This pattern was the first time I inserted an invisible zipper into a dress. The directions are very clear and walk you through every step, plus you can't beat a great pattern for only around $5!

After writing this post I am itching to go and make another version of this dress because I just love it so much, plus I can almost sew it without consulting the directions.Thank you so much for having me today Sara!

--Hilary