Candy castle Gummy Bear Dress

I had the opportunity to test for Candy Castle's latest pattern, the Gummy Bear top, tunic and dress pattern.

I made 3 in total during testing and here's 2 outfits I made!

This first one I'm showing is also the last one I made during testing. It's made with a 2 way knit that is so soft and comfy to touch. 

My girl has a unique sizing issue in that she is actually already 3 yr old but her measurements puts her in the 18mth size on the charts. 

If I were to make an outfit for her based on instructions, I might use the 18 mth size but it wouldn't fit right. Why? Because as a 3 year old, her head size is actually that of an average 3 yr old and the 18 mth neckline wld not actually fit! 

Similarly, if i try to use the 18 mth armscye, while it "fits" the measurements, in real life, it would actually be too restrictive on her. 

So, for her, after discussion with Rebecca, the designer for Candy Castle, we decided to try blending a 3 yr old size with a 4 yr old sleeve and armscye. And that, is how we got the fit of this final outfit. I just love the silhouette of the dress, the sleeves fitted beautifully and she has a great range of movement afforded by the bigger armscye. 

This, my friends, is why I sew! Because no kid is the same and making your own kids clothes that fit properly is just the best feeling! And this is also why a muslin is so impt! 

Which brings me to my next dress - my muslin piece. I love this so much! I have sufficient of this fabric i didnt mind using it as muslin. For this dress, i used straight size 3 on the chart and added a cute iron on decal. 

U can kind of tell from the photos that the sleeves are still a little tight. She loves the dress and likes wearing it, but i prefer tt it fits better. And this was the reason why my final dress had used the size 4 sleeves! 

That said, she still looks super cute in this dress and the sleeves don't bother her so she has been wearing this as is! 

Hope my makes have inspired you and also gotten u just a bit more interested in blending sizes for ur kids! Candy castle pattern has one of the most thorough blending pattern instructions i have ever seen and I have learnt so much about blending from these instructions (psst i even use the instructions when i need to blend other patterns! Hehe)

The Gummy bear pattern comes with layered projector file - a first for candy castle!! Imagine my excitement and joy!!