I am so grateful to everyone who shared their favourite sewing patterns! In the end I did not go with one of the patterns recommended, but that is not because I didn’t love them. The opposite is true in fact. I had too much of a hard time choosing! And although I did not sew with one of your favourites this time, I have bookmarked them all and will be saving them for future projects.
This means that everyone had an equal chance of winning the nani IRO fabric prize so one person was randomly chosen as the winner.
And that person is : Diana.
Congratulations Diana! I will be in touch with you shortly.
Thank you very much to everyone who particpated. xo.
Hello, fellow sewists! I need your help. There is a prize involved too, so please read on.
I want to make a dress for my 3 year old for a semi-special occasion. Not too formal but nothing too plain either.
What is your favourite dress pattern for little girls?
I’d love to hear your recommendations and there is something in it for you too!
I will send 1/2 yard of nani IRO AW fabric to the person who recommends the pattern I end up using for the dress. Yay! Woot! Best prize ever!
The small print :
- The pattern needs to be available in PDF form only. Sewing deadline is looming!
- Entries will close on Wednesday 21st November, 9am Tokyo time.
- Please comment here to be eligible for entry.
- If more than one person recommends the pattern I use for the dress I will randomly choose a winner from within that group of people.
- If for some reason I do not choose one of the recommended patterns I will randomly pick a winner from all entrants.
- The winner can choose any 1/2 yard of fabric from the nani IRO AW section as long as it is in stock at the time you notify me of your choice.
- It would be extra warm and fuzzy if entrants would also “like” Miss Matatabi facebook page, but it’s not really my thing to beg for/demand that so that’s totally up to you.
- Please share this! Unless you want to keep the entrant pool small. I totally get it.
Thank you and good luck to us all!
Thank you so much everyone for your wonderful suggestions! I’m going to have a good look at each one and try to come to a decision soon. I will announce the winner on Sunday 25th November.
Wiksten Tova and tank patterns + nani IRO double gauze = my summer uniform. 
The Saaaa Saaa grey stripes tank is indeed the one I made last year. I love it to pieces but I did often wonder whether the vertical stripes made me look like I was wearing pajamas.
This summer I made another in a smaller size and I am much happier with the fit. I used nani IRO Melody Sketch for this one and I think it is one of my favourite prints ever.
I was not expecting to make a Tova dress until the weather cooled down but I was so inspired by some of the sleeveless versions I saw here I knew I wanted a summer version too.
Melody Sketch makes an appearance again because it is awesome and I gotta tell you, I am crazy about this dress. Already planning the next and the next and the next…
I should also note that I have the paper version of the Tova pattern and have, like a fool, somehow misplaced most of the instructions so when it got to sewing the inset I needed some guidance. I turned to the internet and came across the Tova Sew-a-long by Kerry, which is wonderful and saved the day. Thank you, Kerry!
I have been doing a little sewing for me.
This is the Wiksten tank top pattern and Nani Iro Saaaa Saaa in grey.
Love this pattern. Love this fabric.
makes me smile.
We do not have a garden, but this gem greets me every morning when I open the curtains.
Inspired by all the quilty goodness Melanie has been posting about recently over at A Sewing Journal* I decided to make a larger version of this blanket. And when I say make I actually mean choose fabric, wash fabric, fold fabric, admire fabric, and lovingly place in pile with other fabrics waiting to magically transform into sweet things.
It will happen soon though. That is what I am telling myself. No doubt with some help from the owner of that little hand you can see there.
The fabric is nani IRO Japanese Fuccra 2011 (top) and nani IRO Fuwari fuwari 2007 (bottom).
*In the spirit of full disclosure, I am an advertiser on A Sewing Journal.
As it started to cool down last year I made A her second hat from Simple Sewing for Baby. I omitted the ties and made pom poms instead, which I love. It was just about too small when this photo was taken but it was a staple there for a while, for sure.
The outer is fabric from a sweater I no longer wore. Why yes, I did once rock a pink velour sweater. What was I thinking.
I recently made A a summer dress with miriporun hanatane by illustrator Yoshie. I love her work and I am so happy to see her whimsical illustrations on fabric.
This was originally going to be a onesie dress like the cupcake dress from Toni Coward’s book, Make It Perfect, but I soon remembered it is way too hot here in summer for the onesie part of the dress. I also wanted to make the most of this beautiful fabric and the way to do that was to leave it just as it is. As you may have figured out I am all for simple sewing projects and it doesn’t get much more simple than this. The dress is hemmed, has a back seam, an elastic casing at the top, and pom pom straps.
The straps are forever sliding off so I need to make some adjustments.
There was something about this dress in the beginning that would send A into a rage and I thought it would end up being something she would never wear but she has finally made peace with it and it looks like it might be a summer staple. Fingers crossed.
One of my favourite moments while working, right after I cut the fabric and before it is packed for shipping, is looking over at the piles of fabric and feeling incredibly inspired. There is also something about the neat, orderly stacks that appeals to myﾂ (dare I admit it) innerﾂ control freak.
This particular work day took place right after the first delivery of Far Far Away III, hence it looking like a whole lot of,ﾂ well,ﾂﾂ Far Far Away III 
See the pretty bunting in the background? I made that for A’s first birthday from a lovely tutorial by Sweet Jessie. The fabric was little bits and pieces I had been hoarding for way too long. Now I love being able to see it there every day.
Oh, it has certainly been a while! Things have mostly settled down here and I am feeling like I am ready to start blogging again. Thank you so much to those who emailed and left comments. Your kindness was overwhelming and I will forever be grateful to you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
I have been looking through my photos of A and am feeling really nostalgic. I cannot understand how quickly she went from being this tiny baby to now, almost 21 months old and acting more and more like a kid every day. I am simultaneously sobbing and rejoicing. I know you know what I am talking about.
One of the photos I came across was this one.
This is A at almost 5 months old wearing a vest I made her using this I Think Sew pattern. The fabric is Lecien Color Basic Plus and I’m glad I chose that. As well as being pretty lovely to look at it is perfectly soft for a baby and washes really well.
We have gotten so much use out of this vest I wish I had made more.
Here it is again when she was 10 months old.
And again at 15 months, looking a tiny bit cranky.
Here’s to more sewing for my little one!
