Pattern Review: Marissa Dress by Sis Boom Patterns

When you are a quilter with small children, you inevitably hear the question, “When are you going to make something for me?” And being the loving and generous quilter mama that I am, most of the quilts I have made have been for them (and for a few of their dolls). But other than a couple easy skirts, I have yet to attempt to sew them any clothing. This has not been a big deal for my oldest child, who wears her tomboy badge with pride and doesn’t particularly like clothes that she can’t climb trees in. My youngest, on the other hand, is like a mini Vera Wang; she can take a small blanket and make an entire fashion show out of it just by tying it around her body in different ways. She loves clothes, especially dresses, and her dearest wish is to have her servant—um, mother—make a special dress just for her.

I had recently made myself the Patricia Tunic from SisBoom Patterns and found it incredibly easy (though not very flattering on my particular body type—Humpty Dumpty—which is why I’m not reviewing that). But of course when my little one saw what I had accomplished, she knew she had me. It was time to make her a dress, so I decided to revisit SisBoom and see what they had.

She picked out the Marissa Dress as well as a cute butterfly fabric from Fat Quarter Shop (they seem to be sold out of the color we picked but here is another). Then I realized the dress had a zipper. A ZIPPER. Zippers are on my list of things that I know I shouldn’t be scared of, but I am anyway, so I warned my daughter that the dress might not work out and she should be prepared to be disappointed. Yes, I am this gloom and doom most of the time. It’s part of my charm.

Silly me. This pattern is a prime example of what makes SisBoom so great. The patterns are sold as PDF downloads, and a handy chart tells you exactly which pattern pages to print for the size garment you wish to make. After printing, you cut out, and occasionally assemble, the pattern pieces. The instructions included in the PDF are outstanding. Each step is described clearly, with excellent photographs or illustrations to help you along. There are very few assumptions here about what you know how to do, so if you’ve never made gathers or sewn in a zipper, you’ll have your hand held the whole way. And if you are a gadget freak like me and have an iPad (or a laptop), you can keep the instructions right next to you without having to waste a lot of paper.

The dress has a cute cummerbund detail at the waistline and an elasticized neckline for easy on and off. You can make the skirt in a variety of lengths. And the zipper? It was a complete success thanks to the incredibly clear directions. The dress fits perfectly, looks amazing, and both Little Miss Vera Wang and I are thrilled.

And Number One Daughter? Well, she ultimately decided she had to have one too.

I definitely recommend this pattern, particularly if you are a garment newbie and get the heebie jeebies at the thought of trying to sew anything more complicated than squares and rectangles. Not only will you increase your confidence and your skills, the little fashion mavens in your life will love you for it.