Yeah! I just finished Heather's new "Cheetah Girl" dress. I made view B:
Here's Simplicity's attempt to attract little fans of popular tv characters that include Hannah Montana, That's So Raven, Lizzie MacGuire,and here, The Cheetah Girls!
Pattern Description
Girls' knit dress top, and shorts in two lengths. I made the view B dress (unruffled front).
Size
Girls' size 8,10,12,14,16.
I redrafted the entire pattern to achieve an equivalent of a "6".
I used gift tissue paper that I also use to trace Burda WOF pattern pieces. Party supplies store sell them cheaply by the bunch.
Fabric
Blue/black striped knit from Lucy's Fabrics.
Likes
*The sweetheart neckline
*The front band/placket with options. This was the first time I created and attached a knit placket (curved y-shaped piece or referred to as the "front band". I sewed the upper edge of the placket (right/correct side) to the top of the dress (wrong side), clipped curves and turned the band to the outside.
*The flounced bottom
*Easy to wear (no zipper, which makes putting and removing a breeze)
*Easy to construct
Dislikes
*The low-cut neckline
*Thin shoulder straps
Directions
The directions were sufficiently clear and the accompanying illustrations, in my opinion, provided further clarity and facilitated the construction. For instance, I found the illustrations for attaching the shoulder straps helpful. I forgot to mark the dot where the stitching of a shoulder strap's (folded lengthwise, wrong sides together)seam ended, just above the upper edge of the neckline, before turning it inside out.
Modifications
* I stay-stitched the interfaced placket (a curved-y shape piece)at the bottom edges to make it easy to fold and press under before I topstitched it to the top edge of the dress.
* Widened the shoulder strap 1" (Heather's dress school code specified "no spaghetti straps"). Just one change affected the construction logistics! I should have also increased the length of the back of the dress to accommodate for the increase in the straps. I noticed this when I sewed the sides of the front and the back. I became persistent! I was resolute to discover a way to make something work before I resort to re-cut the back section of the dress. I made a discreet tuck gradually leading to the upper edge of the back elastic casing at each side seam. I securely tacked the ends where the strap met the each end of the casing at the side seams.
*I used elastic thread to gather the upper edge of the bottom ruffle! I wound the elastic thread to a plastic bobbin, lowered the thread tension about a notch and lengthened the stitches to the longest possible on my machine. Wow! The edge of the fabric intrinsically self-curls! Just one gentle tug and voila, instant ruching that was so easy to adjust! Why haven't used this notion sooner? I have had this spool for many months now!
*I omitted the criss-cross top stitching at the bottom of the front placket/band. I added a fifth button
Conclusion
This pattern would make a stylish and easy to wear dress for any little girl. Just a note of caution that the chest area might run slightly roomy. If I had not resized the pattern and redrafted the shoulder straps, this really would have been a "quick and easy" project!
