Wowee wow!  Okay, it has been a LONG time and for that I apologize.  I have not kept up with my blogging AT ALL… I mean, can I even call myself a blogger anymore?  Probably not.  BUT I did a thing, and I wanted to share, so maybe some of you are still reading, and for that, I say thanks!

Anyway, this thing I did… I sewed something other than a Harry Potter Robe!  In fact, I sewed a dress/tunic top for a pattern designer, and it was fun and it came out pretty darn cute, too!

Whenever Beth of Sew DIY puts out the call for pattern testers, I try to respond immediately because I love her personal style, and I love that her sewing patterns are always fairly simple and so quick and easy to sew up!  It makes for some very satisfying projects!  So, when I heard she was designing a Lou Box Dress (after her famous Lou Box Top), I was ALL IN!

There are two styles to the dress, one with a cinched waist and the other a more cocoon style dress.  I decided on the cocoon dress since I envisioned it as more of a tunic length top that I could wear with leggings (I am forever looking for cute, stylish tops to wear with my vast collection of leggings hahaha).  It worked like a charm!

The pattern itself was super easy to sew up, and I only made a couple modifications to suit my personal style and how I wanted the finished garment to look.  First, I shortened the length by a couple inches so that it was more tunic length than full dress length.  Second, instead of finishing the sleeves and hem with a cuff, I simply serged the hems and turned them under (more like a traditional t-shirt hem), because of the fairly light, drapey quality of my fabric.

Cutting my size straight from the pattern resulted in a super cute top; however, the fit was a little larger than I think I like personally.  I am all for a loose, drapey fit, but I don’t think it lent itself well to this particular fabric.  I do, however, think that it will perfect for a fun summery cocoon dress in a woven fabric!  Also, I just have to mention that this is the BEST neck binding that I have ever sewn!!  Check that beauty out!

If you are interested in seeing what the other pattern testers cooked up – and I highly recommend you do! – you can check them out in the pattern tester roundup!  There are a few versions that have got me all heart eyes!!

Thank you to Beth for letting me be a pattern tester again, and thank YOU for reading!