A Stitching Odyssey: Lotta Dress - Compagnie M.

Remember the Louisa Dress I made and declared as my favourite little girls' pattern ever? Well, there's a close contender and it's another Compagnie M. pattern...the Lotta Dress. My friend's little girl recently turned one, so I decided it was high time I used this bold Amy Butler fabric I've had in my stash for years. 

My favourite thing about the Lotta Dress pattern definitely has to be the contrast collar and pockets, as well as all the different variations you can play around with (three back closures, three pocket options and the chance to add longer sleeves). 

I only had a fat quarter of fabric, so I had to think hard about the placement of such a large-scale pattern. At the risk of sounding big-headed, I really feel I've outdone myself in that department! My inner perfectionist is ecstatic that everything's so symmetrical. Due to my lack of fabric though, I did end up with the back pattern slightly off-centre, but I matched it up perfectly to make up for it. Can I get a 'whoop whoop' for my chevron stripe matching on the lining please?

You can find out a little bit more about Compagnie M. patterns and how I found using one here. The only thing I'm disappointed about is investing in the paper patterns. I thought this would eliminate tracing and save me a shed load of time, but I was wrong. The paper pattern comes on one sheet with overlapped pieces, just like the PDF. It also doesn't include instructions, as you get online access to them when you place an order. 

Needles to say I was pretty annoyed to have spent unnecessary money - the paper pattern provided nothing the PDF didn't already. But it's down to personal preference I guess and all griping aside, I absolutely adore Compagnie M.'s children's patterns. They're the perfect mix of contemporary and retro for my liking, and make such thoughtful and memorable gifts for little ones!

What do you think to Compagnie M. patterns?

*****

As an aside, the randomly-picked winner of my Fabrics for Sale giveaway is...What Katie Sews! Congratulations Katie! You chose this Liberty jersey, but I'll be in touch in case you've changed your mind :o)