Lady Skater Blog Tour. Indian Summer.

The Lady Skater. This is my kind of dress.

View fullsize

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links.  And while I did get the pattern for free, all the opinions are completely my own.

It's not fussy, it's very form fitting, and quite versatile.  I almost never wear dresses.  I'm a shirt and jeans kind of girl. It's an old habit that dies pretty hard with me. 

Amanda, from Kitschy Coo, one of my bloggy BFF's and one of the coolest funniest ladies I know, made a pretty badass pattern called the {affiliate link} Skater Dress for little girls.  It's one of those patterns that is a must for any avid little girl sew-er out there!  Between that being such a successful pattern and the coercing of friends and people like me, we twisted her arm enough to make a big girl version of the dress.  I was gnawing at the bit to test and fell in love not only the result, but the fact that it only took two and a half hours to cut out and sew!  Who doesn't love a quick project like that!?  And for me, it always me to mix match fabrics so that is another win.

The pattern is really easy to follow and she goes into detail with lots of pics for visual learners or just a crib sheet for advance sew-ers. And since all ladies were not created equal, Amanda has gone so far as to do a whole post/list of ways to custom fit your Lady Skater on her blog!!!  Luckily, I didn't have to use them, but it's great knowing that they are out there!

I made mine in a size 3.  The sizing is numerical so as to not make one feel self-conscience of fitting into a XXS or an XXL.  Nice.  

View fullsize

I could definitely see this being a fantastic transition from the little girl {affiliate links} Skater Dress to Lady Skater, given the smaller sizing.  So, SKATER ALL THE THINGS, LADIES!!!!!!

My dress.  

First I found this cozy, dreamy dark teal tribal print sweater knit material and then a few bolts down from it, I found this magical, drool-worthy metallic rust stretchy knit.  Man oh, man, do they look great together.  The metallic stretch is like looking at flints from a bonfire.  Hence the name Indian Summer: those last cool summer sunsets before fall...  Too bad I feel a little uneasy about calling it by an un-P.C. term, it really encompasses how the dress feels to me.

I used the teal sweater knit for the skirt and bindings and the metallic stretch for the bodice.  I highly recommend using the clear elastic suggestion in the pattern, but for my lameo machine, I had to increase the stitch a bit more... and gave myself sufficient thread trails to tug a little to help guide those first few stitches through evenly.  A little cheat that I recommend if you are using a knit that doesn't stay pressed closed, is to insert some stitch witchery between the layers (for the binding and possibly the hem) and then press.  That way, I didn't have to shoot my brains out if I had gaps in my serging/sewing.  That can be sooooo maddening.  I also topstitched the seam down towards the skirt (where the bodice meets the skirts) so as to keep all the lines smooth.

Oh!  I almost forgot!  Since some of you know that I don't believe in purses or handbags (comeon, we all know I'm weird), I decided that inseam pockets were a must.  

here's a pic of my perpetual "bitch, please" face.   I just couldn't leave this one out!

So, there you have it.  

I am friggin in love with this pattern... I could stitch it on to a body pillow and kiss it goodnight every day if there was any room in our co-sleeping bed.  Oh well.

Not only did Jon take pictures, but Azy did too!  And some of them are so good they ended up in this post!  This is a pic of her giving me direction for some shots. hahahhaha.

So go on over and {affiliate link} buy the pattern here and then pop on over to Kitschy Coo's blog to get all the inspiring looks from the rest of the rad line up of ladies on the blog tour!  

Thanks so much Amanda!!!  I send you virtual hugs and kisses and am so jealous that you and Sarah are chillaxing with cocktails without me!!!!  Make sure you both take lots of pics!  

View fullsize

Until next time, (very soon actually)...