Have you seen the new Blue Ridge Dress pattern by Hello Holli? It’s a sweet girl’s dress; feminine with modern details. While I was making the Blue Ridge Dress this week, Holli was busy sewing up one of my Retro Rucksacks. Be sure to look at her blog to see the finished bag!

Holli has been involved in the sewing blog community for a few years, but this is her first pattern. You might remember the gold trimmed prefontaine shorts she made for Pattern Parcel last year. (and I think that’s how we connected…) Holli’s Blue Ridge Dress has a beautiful and unique style, the photos are gorgeous, and the instructions and patterns pieces are equally impressive! The printable pieces are easy to assemble and all of the diagrams are professionally illustrated.

I chose a lightweight linen for the skirt and used quilting cotton for the top. The blue print was a fat quarter I’ve had on my shelf for a while. I’ve been saving it for the right project, and I think it’s the perfect shade of blue for a little blue-eyed girl. I love the single button on the back and the pretty gathers around the waist. My daughter usually wears a size 5, but she is slim. Based on her measurements, I cut a size 4 in the bodice and cut the skirt length at size 5. It fits perfectly.

I didn’t make any alterations to the pattern or construction. Holli gives the option to hand finish or machine finish the binding. I took the time to hand finish the binding and I am very happy with how it turned out. It takes a few extra minutes, but I think it makes a difference (especially when the machine stitching is quite as straight as you would like sometimes…). I also stitched the hem by hand. The bodice is fully lined, with all of the raw edges neatly sewn into the seams, making the inside as pretty as the outside.

My daughter loves the dress and is excited to wear it. She has asked me everyday if she can take it out of my room and go hang it in her closet. The dress is a win for both of us and I can highly recommend the pattern!

If you are interested in the pattern, Holli shared that she has a 20% off coupon code (BLUERIDGERLD20) that can be used in her etsy shop until 9/4.

And don’t forget to check out Holli’s Retro Rucksack!