Once upon a time, I had the opportunity try a new designer, Candy Castle Patterns. Today, I am going share all of the sweet confections she has available for instant download in her Pattern Shop.
My first experience with Candy Castle Patterns was very enjoyable! And I quickly realized that each and every pattern contained the same level of detail and organization. Here's a brief rundown of what to expect from these patterns:
- All pattern pieces are nested and color-coded for each size.
- There is a diagram at the beginning of the tutorial to show you how to tape the pattern together.
- Measurement chart at the beginning of each pattern to ensure the best fit.
- Cutting charts for straight cuts given in both imperial (inches) and metric (centimeters).
- Step-by-step instructions with clear photos and lots of helpful tips.
- All patterns are thoroughly tested in each size.
- Extra support and help available in the Candy Castle Patterns Group on Facebook.
First up, with the debut pattern to the Castle is the Bubblegum Dress. It is a cute little wrap dress that can be made in either knit or woven fabrics or a mix of both. It features an A-line shape, puffy sleeves and a non-gathered skirt. The tie on the side allows for easy size adjustment that grows with your daughter. The sizes range from 6m to a girls 12. I was lucky enough to review this pattern in June. I took a lot of time (probably too much time) choosing my fabrics and deciding whether or not to do a bias trim or the hemmed option and also whether or not to do a ruffle at the neck. In the end, I chose a Riley Blake chevron and a coordinating navy solid and hemmed the entire outline. At the encouragement of another designer friend, Stacey and my sister-in-law, Emily, I added a pop of red with a red ruffle and sleeve trim.
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| So serene |
In the Candy Castle Pattern Group, there was a sew-along using the Bubblegum Dress pattern and turning it into a Swing Version with lots of extra twirl! This add-on pattern has all the measurements figured for you and walks you through step-by-step. It also ranges in sizes 6m - girls 12. For this dress, I made it for my 2 year old who loves Minnie Mouse and all things twirly. Since I had hemmed my original Bubblegum Dress, I decided to use bias tape to finish this dress. For a bit of interest, I added in yellow piping (I'm addicted to adding piping into my creations!) and I used a solid black grosgrain ribbon for the side tie. I appliqued 9 Mickey Mouse silhouettes (with regular sewing machine) on the skirt portion and outlined with yellow ric rac. I love, love, love how the dress turned out and so does my 2 year old!
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| Perfectly sweet |
Next is the Jellybean Skirt. This is a playful skirt outlined with ruffles. It falls right at the knee for modest, everyday wear but with such a fun look! The size range is from 6m - girls 14 so you'll get many years of use out of the one pattern. I've seen it made to be reversible as well if you can sew the waistband on very precisely and use snaps. For this skirt, I used sailboat seersucker with vertical stripes. I, actually, was warned against using the vertical stripes, but being as adventurous as I am, I decided not to heed the advice :). Then I outlined it in a hot pink swiss dot ruffle. Pink and green are a great combination! (For the shirt, I modified the Hailey Bugs Closet Kaleidoscope Peasant Dress into a drawstring-waist shirt.) I was lucky enough to test this pattern and as an added bonus, my baby made the cover of the pattern!!
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| Great for running ;) |
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| Close up of skirt detail |
The next pattern is the Magic Gumdrop Dress and Tunic. It is a fun sleeveless top with an attached bubble skirt in either a longer length for a dress or a shorter bubble skirt to create a tunic length. The magic comes in to play with the faux wrap top outlined in a lettuce edge (no serger required!). This is a pattern exclusively for knits and covers sizes NEWBORN (yes, I said newborn!!) all the way to girls 14! Amazing size range, wouldn't you agree?! I really wanted to test this pattern (like really badly!!!), but my mom was visiting (so I put away my sewing to spend some much needed bonding time) during the testing time-frame so I had to wait for the release. I admit I was apprehensive on this pattern since my first knit project was not a pleasant experience (think lots of tears and a few choice words), BUT knowing how easy to follow Candy Castle Patterns are to follow, I decided to trust in the pattern and oh my, what a different experience! Everything came together beautifully and the knit is so comfortable for my daughter. And she chose to wear it on her first day of school!! WIN!! For this pattern, my daughter chose the tunic length and I chose a pink/black/white flower combo from Hobby Lobby's knit jersey selection.
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| Ready for an afternoon of errands! |
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| Cool and comfy! |
The Butterscotch Bloomers are these sweet, knit shorts to accompany any cute shirt or dress. The bottom of the legs are slightly gathered before being capped off by comfortable, knit bands. These bloomers are for NEWBORN to girls size 4. This was actually my 2nd knit project (and gave me the confidence to tackle the Magic Gumdrop) and are quick to sew! I was also chosen to test this pattern and the timing was perfect as I was also testing the BeBop Top and Dress for Scientific Seamstress. The combination of solid black Butterscotch Bloomers with just hints of accents from the top are perfect for the bright, vibrant bumblebee top. This pattern also takes you through instruction of adding ruffles on the back of the bloomers which can be a cute addition. You could also applique something, but choose wisely! I originally had a flower appliqued on the rear of mine and a quick consensus resulted in immediate seam ripping. (I'll spare you the details!)
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| Perfect addition to complete an outfit! |
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| Close up of just the Butterscotch Bloomers. I have added a faux bow at the waist and a matching button on the outside of each leg. |
The Triple Layered Cake Tunic was inspired by a fluffy cake and is a great pattern to really push you to choose fabrics outside of your comfort zone. The pattern covers sizes 3m - girls 14 and it's recommended to choose fabric with some flow to it. It's tunic length with 3 ruffles and a looser bodice to allow layering for the chillier months we're getting ready to enter. I originally set out with a regular woven cotton - a leopard print, but I decided that I really wanted to try my hand at some fabric with beautiful flow. I found a gorgeous slippery polyester in a raspberry color with a black floral design. I just couldn't put it down so I went for it! It made for such a fancy, fluffy Triple Layered Cake; my daughter will be all set for her Christmas party at school with the addition of a little black sweater. I named my flavor Raspberry Fudge Swirl Delight! After our pictures, we stopped to play for a bit at the playground for the fanciest trip to the playground yet :)
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| Raspberry Fudge Swirl Delight Triple Layered Cake |
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| Little diva watching a dog walk by. |
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| Back view - can you see the pop of pink on the buttons? |
Last, but certainly not least, with the newest pattern for Candy Castle Patterns is the most divine dress ever! The Candy Castle Princess Dress is gorgeous with its full double layer skirt, fitted bodice and multiple embellishments! There are FOUR sleeve choices in this pattern (sleeveless, puffy, elbow length and slim long sleeve), TWO underskirt options (hemmed or ruffled) , TWO top skirt options (one fabric or panelled), TWO bodice options (slim or regular), THREE bow sizes, and TWO yoyo flower sizes. Not including the embellishment choices, you could make 210 dresses before you repeat a combination! Will you ever need another dress pattern?! The size ranges from 6m to girls 10. I do recommend a proper measurement before starting!
So, for this pattern test (I just love testing!), I showed my 4 year old a picture of a finished dress. After she finished squealing, she
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| Sofia the First inspired dress with full pettiskirt underneath |
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| Fit for a princess - back detail shown as well as the smallest bow embellishment included in the pattern. |
Of course, I cannot leave my 2 year old without a Candy Castle Princess Dress (especially since she walks around saying she's a princess all day) so she will be getting a Minnie Mouse inspired version first and then I will create their Christmas dresses from this pattern! I'll be sure to blog about those dresses as well!
UPDATE: Since this post, I have created 2 additional Candy Castle Princess Dresses - Cinderella for a customer and Minnie Mouse for my 2 year old.
Here's a recap of my creations from the Candy Castle Patterns Collection!
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| The Collection |
And now, for a sweet treat, Candy Castle Patterns has graciously donated a copy of the Candy Castle Princess Dress to one lucky reader! Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the luckiest of them all?
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