Daisy Chain Patterns: The Polly Dress

I had the privilege of testing out the Polly Dress from Daisy Chain Patterns. I had been stalking and waiting like a hawk for this pattern to be available for testers. Natalie Ebaugh was one of the first sewists I ever followed in the sewing community. Her makes were always so hip, yet classic. Combined with her great sense of style and color, it’s just a magical feed. So when she started making patterns, I was first in line!

The Polly dress is a versatile pattern on the market, with so many views that you can truly tailor your dress to your style and aesthetic. For me, I'm a toddler-chic kind of gal. I'm the one who constantly looks at my 4-year-old's clothes and thinks, "Why didn't they make this for adults?!" So I made sure that my Polly would make those dreams finally come true.

For my version, I made the round neckline with the Peter Pan collar, partial button front, mini puff sleeve, and mini dress length. But be warned, there are five neckline options, three closure options, three sleeve options, three skirt options, and two bonus ruffle options. So formulating your version alone takes time. Mine was made easier by the amount of fabric I had on hand. I'm not going to lie to you, this pattern is a fabric sucker. It needs a lot of fabric. I managed to squeeze out my version out of 4 meters, but only because my fabric was wide. I had so many other fabrics I wanted to use, but I did not have enough. Be sure to check out the fabric requirements before picking from your stash or buying fabric.

Now in terms of sewing, it was a breeze. The instructions are plentiful and have you covered from every angle. It might be overwhelming at first, but I swear it’s so great to have all the answers available. And if, for some reason, it’s not covered in the instructions, the ladies at Daisy Chain are wonderful, and I know they'll answer any email you send.

I was able to be in the testing group, and I know everything was taken care of that was brought up during testing. But I figured it would be helpful to mention the areas that were brought up more than once so you can look closer into it when making your own version. Firstly, the square neckline. Nearly everyone who did that version found it too wide. This has been rectified, but in case you're like me and usually need it brought in anyway, be sure to toile the neckline for yourself. The other issue was what I encountered: the Peter Pan collar placement. There wasn’t a notch on where the beginning and end of the collar should go, so I had to fiddle with it a bit. I'm sure there's a notch there now, but just in case you're fussy with collars like me, be sure to pay a little extra attention when attaching and baste, baste, baste!

I truly loved being part of the test for this pattern. I have so many more versions I want to make, but I need to sort out my fabric first. It’s not a pick-from-the-stash kind of pattern if you don't have decent meterage on hand. Be sure to check out the hashtag on Instagram to see all the lovely versions.