Emmaline: my first adventure in the world of pattern testing

It was in my inbox.

An e-mail about Phase 3 testing for Bella Sunshine Designs.

I opened it and I saw this:

"Hello, lovely testers. Thank you for applying. We would like to invite you to join the group"

It took a few seconds to sink in. "Oh my god! I'm in!!!!!"

I was happy and I was scared to death. How on earth was I going to fit a test into my schedule?

"Yikes! I have to get fabric! I have no time to do this!"

I even thought about e-mailing right back saying: "I can't do this". But since I might as well be my only chance ever ... I decided to squeeze in the test (and stress about it all week).

Looking back, I'm so glad I did not write that e-mail. I freaked out at the start, but as the test week passed, I calmed down. I tried to get go fabric shopping before I had seen the pattern and the yardage did not make any sense, so I panicked. 4,5 meters for an 9 year old? That could not be right!

When I saw the pattern it all started to make sense. I could have saved myself a lot of stress by waiting for that. The maxidress eats a lot of fabric. She can completely disappear in her "butterfly puddle" and even sleep in her dress. But just look at that face: it's so worth it!

Whenever I had doubts or questions I posted them in the group and got help. I really needed that to calm down. Thank you to all the lovely ladies that were so very patient in responding to my questions. I really feel like I have learned a lot in this test. With help from Danielle, I managed to get a pattern that blends parts of the 6, 7 and 8y. It' s a bit of work, but the fit is spot on!

Emmaline comes with different sleeve lengths or sleeveless like the one I made. There is a top, dress and maxi dress version, each in a wide range of sizes. You could fill an entire wardrobe with just this one pattern.
The Bella Sunshine Designs Size Chart starts at 6 months and goes up to 12 years for girls.
After that you need the ladies pattern (Size 0 to 30). A FBA is included.

In even better news: RELEASE SALE!

This week the girls pattern can be bought for $6, the ladies for $7 or the mommy and me bundle for only $12! For the very early birds in this facebookgroup there is a 24 hour couponcode for a little extra.

My daughter had her favorite options picked in about half a second: 
sleeveless, maxi and with a chevron. 

Fabric shopping went about the same way: "I want that one!" and a simple "no" for every single option after that. Butterflies it is. The tiny lines in the background made pattern matching a challenge, but it turned out ok at the center back and front seams.

The Megan Blue fabric is a light weight cotton-lycra blend. I was worried about one layer of that fabric holding up the entire skirt. The clear elastic at the waistline is a lifesaver on that part. The bodice holds its shape nicely.

The weather did not allow any outdoor pictures in testing week. It was either raining or windy, so I asked a friend to use her photo studio. I got her photography expertise as a bonus. My daughter magically transformed into a princess. Maybe the golden shoes had something to do with that?

And what do princesses do? They dance and twirl and twirl and twirl.
The maxi version has loads of twirl potential, just waiting to be discovered!

For my G.U.T.A. challenge this dress gets the best result ever: I made the dress BEFORE I could buy the pattern. That is like time traveling. You are still welcome to join in the G.U.T.A fun. Just click the link on top for more information.

Do you want to try pattern testing yourself? 

Sign up for a free account at SewingPortfolios.com. Bella Sunshine Designs contacted me for their testers group because they had a look at my portfolio there! I could happen to you too ;-)

disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to Bella Sunshine Designs. That means I get a little commission if you buy a pattern after clicking the link. The price does not go up for you, but you can help sponsor my sewing projects ;-)