Candy Castle Box of Chocolate and Jawbreaker Joggers

Every month, as Candy Castle's brand ambassador, I get to sew up one of their patterns and this month's pattern is the unisex Jawbreaker Jogger pattern. I find that Candy Castle Pattern's drafting block is well suited for slimmer children (u will need to grade/blend between sizes for children who fit in different sizes) 

My girl has many Candy Castle dresses that I made and she's average size though much smaller than her age (She's almost 4 years old but still in the 2 year old size!), my boy doesn't have many candy castle outfits but so far the outfits that I made for him fits him beautifully. This time round, since the pattern of the month is unisex, I really wanted to make him an outfit this time, so i did!

In the photo above, you can see 2 of Candy Castle's patterns: The top is Box of Chocolate in top length with the sleeves lengthened by about 2 inches (The original sleeves were shorter and he preferred longer short sleeves - this is an easy hack!)

The bottoms are Jawbreaker joggers (which is this month's pattern of the month!). This jogger pattern has many many options included in the pattern and I selected the in set pockets - his preferred type of pockets and for a fun detail, i chose to follow the tutorial instructions on how to add a 'reverse applique' where i added a cute spaceman onto the insides of the joggers then cut away the main fabric to reveal the spaceman applique. So fun and easy! 

Doesn't it look cute? To be honest, i was a little scared when i started cutting the fabric away to reveal the spaceman. But I'm glad I tried this cos it elevated the otherwise boring black pair of joggers! 

There's also instructions on how to make knee patches (moto-style), slashed pants, contrast patch pockets etc etc. And Candy Castle instructions are always so so thorough so any beginner will be a great hands!. 

This boy is pretty proud of his new set of spaceman outing wear =)

Candy Castle's Box of Chocolates Pattern

 Here's yet another Yummy Candy Castle pattern for little ones - Box of Chocolates Crop top, shirt, dress and high-low tunic.

This pattern is chock full of options and perfect for the absolute beginner to knit patterns. She has thorough blending instructions - my go-to instructions for blending! 

My first version of this pattern is a cute crop top made with remnants from my previous sew and it's perfect to pair with a poofy pettiskirt for an ultra sassy outfit complete with an adorable toddler belly 😍

Just look at that happy face. She can't help do a little twirl in her new outfit!

And for the little ones who prefer something sweet and demure, how about the simple yet twirltastic circle skirt version of Box of Chocolates dress? I made this version with an extra sparkly gold speckled cotton lycra and it's stylist comfort at its best =)

There's also the hi-low skirt which I have plans for once she is older - that one is absolutely beautiful especially on the other tester girls. U shld check it out at the link here.

Candy Castle Snickerdoodle Sweater and Tunic

Did you know that while Candy Castle is well known for their whimsical dresses for girls, they also have some lovely unisex patterns including this lovely sweater pattern that you can make for your boy?

I made the Candy Castle Snickerdoodle Sweater for my boy and he couldn't be more pleased. 

This pattern comes with projector file - a must for me these days. And the short sleeved option comes with an extra tall cuff that makes it unique and super cute!

The fact that this doesn't need hemming also meant that it came together incredibly fast and I'm SO SO happy whenever i can get a shirt done in a short time - cos that gives me more time for more sewing! 

The fit is comfortable and there's blending instructions for those who needs it. The pattern also comes with kangeroo pockets and long sleeves with cuffs. 

Because every little girl NEEDS a full tulle dress =)

I hacked the recently released Sugar Ruche dress by Candy Castle Designs into a very full tulle dress and lived to tell the tale! 

If you are looking into making a georgeous tulle dress for a little one that is simple (at least as simple as tulle dresses can be =p ) then read on!

So this is the ruched version of the pattern in dress length. The outer fabric is very soft tulle and the inner fabric is slinky and soft rayon.

I'm going to tell you how I hacked the pattern to achieve this look! But first, you need to purchase the pattern here!

Now that you have the pattern, here's what you do:

You are going to need 1 front ruched piece in tulle (This version i made is using the exact dimensions provided. But seeing as it is tulle and therefore very light, my suggestion for an even prettier ruched look in the front bodice is to double or even triple the height of the bodice front)

You also need 2 front linings. Preferably in something really soft and thin. Rayon works great or thin cotton lawn wld be perfect (and easier to sew too) 

For the back, you are going to need 1 back bodice piece in tulle and 2 back bodice lining pieces.

I skipped the strap pieces, choosing to instead use 2 pieces of lace that is cut to the length indicated on the pattern cut chart.  

For the skirt piece, you will need skirt pieces in both tulle and lining (the number depends on the size you chose to make, for my girl who is a 12m/18m blend, she needs 2 pieces in tulle and 2 in rayon) You will also want to follow the height for the skirt pieces but use the entire WOF. For bigger sizes, I would make sure to at least double the width of the skirt pieces for the tulle. For ease of gathering, I also added additional seam allowance at the top of the tulle skirt so that i can gather further in from the edge of the tulle. This is optional if you are really good at gathering tulle!

You will follow the original instructions for the bodice exactly with 1 exception: sew the back bodice tulle piece to one of the back bodice lining piece together on all four sides with a seam allowance of 1/4 inch. Treat that as ur "back bodice main". 

Now that your bodice is done, let's talk about gathering tulle. (This is not as bad as you may think!) 

Candy Castle Designs has very clear instructions on how to gather ur skirts and there's not just 1 or 2 methods, but a total of 3! My preference was to use the dental floss/zigzag method that was described in her instructions. Here's a photo of how that looks like... 

What I liked about this method is the ease at which i can adjust the gathers without worrying about the thread breaking which frequently happens for the normal long stitches, high tension gathering method (especially when u have long long pieces to gather!) 

After gathering both tulle and rayon skirt pieces to the correct length, u can simply sew/serge them together at the top first, then attach the skirt to ur bodice. (go slow here, The skirt is BULKY!) 

You hem the rayon skirt lining but not the tulle so the tulle will be longer than the lining at the end. And that's it! 

A beautiful tulle dress perfect for the Ball. She's looking for her glass slippers here 😆

Now who wants to give this tulle dress a try? =)

More photos =)