Once Upon a Pattern

I have never had so much fun working on a pattern or been so excited for a pattern release as I was with the Once Upon a Pattern! It was such a fun process from planning all the options and sewing up test versions, to watching my daughter’s face light up when she saw them, and seeing all the amazing creations the testers made. And now I look forward to seeing what all of  you make with it.

Here’s a bit more info: The pdf pattern comes in sizes 12mo (19″ chest) to 12yrs (30″ chest) and has so many options; from different necklines to sleeves, different skirts and lengths, and harem pants. Then it also includes a boat load of add ons like seashell and leaf overlays, bertha and Medici collars, swags, split front, peplum, and more! You can create so many costumes, not just princesses, but witches, super heroes, tv characters, etc. You can also bundle with the Imagine pattern. This set includes a bunch of fun accessories like gloves, boot covers, capes, fairy wings, witch hat, and petticoat. The Imagine PDF can also be purchased separately.

 

I made a few versions during testing and bought fabric to make a few more that I haven’t finished yet. It’s just so fun! The Elsa dress is probably my favorite, or maybe it’s tied with Rapunzel. All of the fabrics came from Joann Fabrics with the exception of the back bodice which came from Purpleseamstress Fabric. The bodice is the sweetheart with knit top style and the skirt is the A line version. The front is a woven fabric and the back is cotton Lycra. The skirt is satin, the cape is a mesh with snowflake detail with a second layer of tulle underneath.

 

The sleeves and top bodice are a blue power mesh with stretch and enough support to hold up the weight of the dress. I used fabric glue and hand stitching to add the snowflake and crystal details to the bottom of the sleeve and the neckline. My favorite part is adding the details at the end that bring it all together.

 

I added length to the cape, which is totally impractical, but gorgeous and fun for running around in. She loved it and my four-year-old self is jealous of her super awesome dress up wardrobe!

 

Ah Rapunzel! I loved this book when I was little and the movie is super cute. Maximus is my favorite Disney character and I love to go around singing “Mooooother knows best!” My kids aren’t impressed. This dress is the square neckline with center bodice panel, puff long sleeve and gathered split front skirt. I added a ton of layers to the dress; there’s a lining layer, a few layers of tulle and then a heavy satin. This all made it super heavy and is what inspired the petticoat pattern.

The front bodice is all woven and the sleeves are a light weight knit. Again, everything is from Joann Fabrics. They have a nice selection of special occasion/cosplay fabric and it’s a decent price, especially with the coupons they offer.

 

And then I thought, I can’t have a princess pattern without my favorite of all time, Ariel! So along came the mermaid skirt and seashell overlay. This was my first time using reversible sequins and we have a love/hate relationship. They are so fun and before I sewed them up I had them sitting in the hallway and everyone loved to make the sequins change color. It’s a bit addicting. But then came sewing them on and removing the sequins within the seam allowance. I gave up halfway through and just sewed them up. I didn’t break any needles and it only looked a bit worse with the sequins sticking straight out of the seam. Plus it saved me years some time and a lot of vacuuming of sequins. They were everywhere!

 

The bodice is the sweetheart with knit top and the seashell overlay. The shells are made from satin, the lighter purple was a light weight knit (also used for the back) and the top was swim lining, which worked fine since there wasn’t an attached skirt. There is also an overlay of a purple netting. I sewed on the seaweed vines and used fabric glue for the pearls and water beads.

 

The skirt as mentioned is a reversible sequin for the top, a spandex knit for the yoga band and a satin/chiffon type fabric for the fins. I also added a few extra pieces of green netting. Everything was from Joann Fabrics except for the sequins, which I found on Etsy.

This was such a fun photo shoot. We happened to be going on vacation to the Cape that weekend and got up early to be on the beach for sunrise. It was gorgeous and peaceful and such a good memory!

 

Then, we have Wonder Woman because who doesn’t want to be a super hero? She loved doing all of these photo shoots (even asked to take photos), but she really got into the persona of Wonder Woman. This is the sweetheart with knit bodice and A line short skirt. The top is swim lining, which would have worked better with a power mesh since the dress was actually pretty heavy and it sagged a bit. I ended up adding clear elastic over the shoulders. The bodice is red pleather and the skirt is nylon spandex. For the armbands I used the gloves from the Imagine pattern and just took off length and they are made with a gold pleather. Everything was from Joann Fabrics. The appliques were an Etsy find.

I love her little boot toppers, also from the Imagine pattern. They are made with the same red pleather as the top and are lined with a lightweight cotton.

And last, but not least (this was her favorite), we have Jasmine. This is the sweetheart with straps bodice and the harem pants with the split front skirt attached. The front of the bodice and the pants are a woven in the special occasion section of Joann’s. The back of the bodice is a Cotton Lycra from Purpleseamstress, which happened to match perfectly! The bertha collar and the split front skirt are organza. The trims were all from Etsy.

And that’s it for now. I have fabric for Aurora, Snow White, and Cinderella, so I’ll be posting those after I get the boy’s version out! And she wants to be a witch for Halloween, so that’s on the agenda as well. I hope you like the pattern and I would love to see your versions. Please share them in the Facebook group!