it’s a difficult thing to design a unique children’s dress these days. super difficult. the market is flooded with patterns, and now that i’ve been sewing dresses for this little gal for about 5 years, i’ve gotten to the point where i’m able to sew a lot of things with only a quick glance at the instructions. a lot of it just becomes intuitive. that’s all well and good, but it’s also very refreshing to sew something that feels new and different!
this dress, the Fawn Lily by Rebecca of rock the stitch (for willow + co) is new. different. fresh. crisp.
also, i gotta say, i’ve turned into a bit of a curmudgeon about my precious sewing time these days. i want certain features in a pattern, especially a pattern with lots of curves. two things in particular that Oliver + S has spoiled me on and made me expect – i want notches to help me line things up along a curve, and i do NOT want to turn a seam allowance under and topstitch except in very small doses. i also look for little clues that show me the patternmaker knows technique (understitching? jagged looking pattern pieces that turn into lovely pleats? clean finishes?) i want to be guided, not frustrated. i was so pleased to see this pattern fulfilled my crotchety demands!
anyway, it was so satisfying to sew a dress with a unique, modern design and i really enjoyed sewing it! i started out skeptical (first pattern from a blogger i wasn’t too familiar with? hmmmmm) but Rebecca quickly earned my trust and i really loved sewing this dress. the only technique changes i made were adding a bit of interfacing to the pressure point before i carefully pulled the dress through the sleeve tube – Jess and Jane both mentioned theirs ripping and i wanted to avoid that – and hand stitching the inner sleeves to finish them instead of topstitching for a cleaner look.
i sewed a size 4, with the skirt cut to a size 6 length (long skirt option). the fit is really nice on E. there are no closures but it pulls over her head easily with the overlapping bodice. it’s what i’d call an “intermediate” pattern – those sleeves are a bit fiddly and tricky, but worth it.
you may have noticed, both from the title of this post and the photos here, that this is a mustangs in FRONT dress only. haha. WELL. the fawn lily has a quite a few options (tunic, shorter dress, or longer dress/gathered or pleated skirt/button or crossover yoke/pleated or cap sleeve) and i, of course, went with the skirt option that ate up the most fabric.
i love me a full skirt as does E, but the pattern piece gobbled up the yard of cotton + steel mustang gallop that my buddy Tara had sent me from Finch. only after cutting the front skirt did i realize it was nowhere near enough to cut the back skirt too. the gold mustangs are still available online (even on sale here right now) but of course i left the sewing to the last minute and could only shop locally. three stores that i knew carried C+S were out of this print in this colorway! it’s a popular one i guess.
i loved the mustangs on the front so much and had chosen the rest of my fabrics based on it – this stretch chambray (right and wrong sides like with the shorts) plus gold bias tape (affiliate link) as flat piping. i couldn’t imagine another fabric on the front. thank heavens i had plenty of my old standby, kona olive, to step in for the back skirt. KONA OLIVE GOES WITH EVERYTHING!
i did have enough mustang fabric left for the pockets. phew!
you can see the little gold metallic plusses on the fabric, right? that’s what lead me to the gold flat piping. i just love the neckline on this dress so much, i had to accentuate it. oh and be sure to use a pressing cloth if you try that bias tape – it’ll stick to your iron otherwise.
despite my fabric wild goose chase, i think it all turned out well in the end. after wearing this dress for blog photos, E decided she wanted to wear it for school photos the next day, which made me super happy. it’s the perfect face-framer!
the Fawn Lily pattern is 20% off through September 20 with the code SHOWCASE20, and there’s also a mega giveaway hosted by frances suzanne that you can enter right here.
this post is a part of the September Showcase hosted by Frances Suzanne, which is a series featuring pattern designers with fewer than 5 patterns on the market. i was invited by the pattern designer Rebecca to sew her Fawn Lily pattern, a compliment i couldn’t pass up, especially since i’d had my eye on the pattern for a while! i received the pattern for free in exchange for blogging about it. i always try my best to give honest and helpful pattern reviews.
skirt as top 
This is so good. Em is such a sweet ballerina model and I love how unique this dress is. Also I stocked up on some kona olive based on all your blogging about it. 🙂
The details on that dress are beautiful! And the fabrics that you chose go fantastic together! And I so agree with your crotchety sewing rules!
I think it is simply strunning!!
Love your version of the Fawn Lily and you already know I love that Mustang fabric! The color block on the back works so well. Oh and your photos are just lovely.
Love your version! I actually think the mustangs on front make them stand out more. Interfacing is a good idea.
The gold piping was geeeeenius.
I think the color blocking was meant to be! I love it! For whatever reason, this was one pattern that didn’t really speak to me – but I LOVE what you did with it. It’s amazing! It’s just so interesting how someone’s ‘interpretation’ (not to sound too artiste about it) of a pattern can really change the way I view a pattern.
It’s amazing how “mess-ups” can sometime become your favorite feature! I love, love, LOVE the plain back. It is such a great way to showcase a print fabric without it being overwhelming! I may just have to imitate you 🙂
This is such a stunning version of the Fawn Lily! The gold bias tape is the perfect addition.
YES!! I’m a fan!! I love the gold bias. Excited to try this pattern!
Fabulous! I love the mustangs, I LOVE the gold piping, I love the color blocking. It’s all so beautiful, and it came together wonderfully! Also, I am giddy that I was able to please your crotchety demands in a pattern :). It’s funny you mention it, I was just wondering why I didn’t include the option to hand sewing the sleeves closed the other day. I love the clean look it gives. Thank you so much for sewing this up!
Those mustangs look so great! And I love that gold piping, fantastic! I’m glad to hear that the addition of interfacing helped with the sleeves. And you are right it is a great “face framer” wonder if that’s what Violet will choose for pictures…hmmm?
This dress is so cute. I’ve had my eye on this pattern for a while, but I don’t think it will look as good on my sons as it does on your daughter! I would like to make it for myself, actually. I love the color combination– it sort of reminds me of a modern Snow White dress.
It’s very fun 🙂
Okay…..while I LOVE the front with the Mustangs, the back is GORGEOUS!!! And, I agree with the comment above – definitely a modern Snow White “vibe”. Your photos are {as always} lovely, and I find myself jealous of your serene background….
Super cute, as always! And how awesome to have pockets on a little girl’s dress! I’m only guessing that they need places to stash precious rocks as much as the boys 🙂
I’m days late in telling you how much I heart this… I LOVE IT. So cool.
SO so good, K. I love the blocking of all the fabrics-and the gorgeous gold trim-LOVE it. I just made Sadie a top with that EXACT mustang fabric! haha!
HEY IT LET ME COMMENT FINALLY!!
The horses and that gold piping – amazing! The whole dress is to-die-for. I couldn’t agree more with your sewing rules…I have often wondered at what point “notches” became optional to patterns. 🙂
love your color choices for this dress. gold bias! olive kona! it all works so well. And thanks for the honest pattern review – I’ve been so impressed by the patterns from Willow and Co, and it’s nice to know this one is also top notch quality. I have to confess I was a bit jealous for read you have THREE local fabric stores that carry Cotton and Steel (when they’re not out of stock). That’s unimaginable to me, living as I do in the Midwest wasteland of modern fabric! Lucky you:)