Love the Olivia dress!!! I really need to make something with my Olivia fabric!! The bunny is adorable!!
LOVE it!!! I'm jealous of your Daisy Kingdom pattern stash. This must be a DK pattern right? It's beautiful!
Love your dresses. The one you made for yourself is especially beautiful!
Beautiful!! I saw that Plain Jane fabric and thought it was cute for DW outfits! Your outifts are stunning.
Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!
I am so thankful for all that encouraged and even pushed me to get my act together to write the Zoe pattern. Money is so tight for us that it was hard to get my mind around the idea that the time spent on writing the pattern would actually pay off in the end. Now I know that one pattern is not going to solve all our money concerns but after (obsessively) checking my author info on YCMT, I am more determined than ever to keep developing more patterns.
I showed Zoe the YCMT page for the skirt and talked a little about what that meant for us. She was excited to see her name there and loves the idea that others are seeing it too.
I also want to thank you for the great feedback I've received here about the designs I'm working on refining. I really do value all the input I get even if I can't do everything as requested. I may not be at the top of the list of posters but I really do enjoy spending time here with you all and hope I've given as much help and encouragement as I've received.
I'm so happy for you. I'm hoping to whip some more of these up soon. I found some pretty laces in New Orleans that I want to use for these.
That is so awesome that Zoe is excited about the pattern being up.
UPDATE: FINALLY came in today. I can't wait to use it. It looks like it is BRAND NEW...still has everything intact in the box. I have my little ones here for the weekend so I don't dare take it out until Monday but then I am on it!!
YAY!
Love your Zoe skirts!! They are so fun and springy.
What a cutie! You must post bigger pictures. I can't see the dress at all.
Beautiful! I admire you for sewing for 3! Goodness! That last picture is precious.
Love this!! This is more what I had in mind when making my Zoe dress. I just couldn't figure out how to do the elastic part even though you explained it to me on FB. I'm definitely for a pattern!! I can't make just the skirt part of course.. so I'd love to make dresses. This is definitely my favorite version you have done! it is soo gorgeous!!
Thank you! Is it bad that I was considering doing the dress version as a separate pattern?
Obviously someone with the skirt pattern could probably figure out how to add it to a bodice but I think some people are more comfortable with patterns that have it all shown for them so they don't have to try to 'frankenpattern' something themselves.
I don't think it is bad at all. Maybe you could just have directions for the top part of this dress and other variations without the skirt? Kinda so you aren't buying 2 patterns... or maybe make this version more expensive and the other cheaper??
Bernina machines use the ART format and only Bernina embroidery software will allow digitizers to convert to ART. I don't have that software. So, you'd have to make sure if comes with software that will allow you to convert other formats to ART!
You can convert to .exp Heather. Most bernina's will read .exp. Only problem is that exp strips out all the colors from the design and replaces them with generic colors that don't match any of the colors you started with. It will still have a color for each part.. just a wild randomly picked color. So if someone wants to use the exp format you can still do the designs you just need to print out a color sheet before the design is converted to exp.
Can you give me the name of some software that will do this? Does it usually come with the machine?
JoEllen
BERNINA INFO
The cheapest software you can buy is Explorations Lettering. Read my post above because you can do it with exp files. Make sure that machine reads that before counting on that. I wouldn't ask the dealer either. I'd read online. I was told my machine only took art, but it does take exp too. I found out on my own. Exp strips out all the color though. I bought Explorations Lettering to convert to art though. I hated having a big huge color screen that didn't display the correct colors. Explorations lettering is about 250 dollars and will convert to art format. You can get it from
www.allbrands.com if your dealer doesn't sell it. Mine did. Some dealers will try to tel you that you have to buy a more expensive software, but I promise you that this one will work! I have it. I am loving my Bernina!
Let's see...
* Yes there are 6 rows of casing for elastic. I used 1/2" elastic so it's fairly stretchy to go over the head & shoulders but still not so stretchy it will sag from the weight of the skirt (like shirring seems to do sometimes). I really like elastic for kids clothes to get a nice fit that's still flexible enough to grow some with the child.
* No the bow and sash aren't attached BUT after doing this one I would definitely make the sash sewn on in the front with the ties sewn into the side seams instead of the way I did this one. I ended up putting belt loops on the sides of this dress so the sash stays where it should be. I really don't like when Zoe (or I) have had dresses with belts and there isn't a way to keep the belt where it's supposed to be. That's why I'll be doing it differently the next one. I may even take some of my Zoe skirt samples and rework them into dresses so I can focus on the bodice and not worry about making a whole new dress each time.
* I'm not sure what you mean about "wouldn't this be cute with that back tie thing that meets in the middle and ties in a bow" or "doing that bow thing in the middle of the back".
I just tied the sash into a bow in the back.
* I like the idea of variations for the skirt. I was also thinking of options for the bodice, like more of a sweetheart neckline, halter ties, knotted ties, etc. As you might have figured out, I want a pattern to give me plenty of variations other than just being made with different fabric and trim. As such I'm trying to include at least a few variations in my patterns.
I'm excited!! I want to try the elastic.. I think I understand now. Too bad I have a couple weeks of sewing stuff I really don't want to sew before I can play.
Oh and I really love the belted sash. I'd be sad if you changed it to be inserted in the sides, but I understand. You could always just tack it down on the sides where the seams of the dress are.. or you could gather them just in that spot to create a rouched effect. I've done that before and it was cute!
Pretty please??? That skirt looks really great attached to a bodice!
It was actually fun. 
And yes, it was a DK pattern. Actually it was the one that came out with that fabric (way back when...) I had a terrible time with that one though. There were flaws in the fabric, and not enough to do it as pictured. The jacket was supposed to be from the skirt fabric, but I ended up making a last minute run to the store for the solid lavendar. And the green underdress was pictured from a coordinate they sold at the time, but I didn't have any of that. I still love the DK patterns. And Katie loves that most of them came with matching doll patterns!
Someday!
? The prices don't seem to bad but I don't want to be disappointed. I am too afraid to make on on my own and else where they are too much $$$. Thanks!
