Whoa! OOP Butterick 4243 Tilly does it again.

Do you remember Tildy's fabric choices during our latest trip to Melbourne?
She has done it again.

Tilly loves colour, she loves clothes, she has a lot of fun planning outfits.
I gave her free rein in the remnant bin at Eliza Fabrics and she picked up some wild stuff.

This fabric is a neoprene, digitally printed with a snakeskin print over aqua background...

The deal is, she chooses the funky fabric, I get to choose the patterns.
I offered her a few vintage pattern choices and she liked this one.

Tilly is all about the sleeves.
Fabulous sleeves (or 'fabbalus' if you are Trixie)
There was just over a metre of fabric but it was printed down the middle so there was a uneven white strip down each side.

I could have made it sleeveless but it is a very warm fabric, not really a sleeveless type dress choice.
Tilly was open to a contrast and I had a scrap of coral pink neoprene in my stash.
The neoprene from Eliza Fabrics was a much nicer quality than the Spotlight stuff. Much like the digital printed fabric from Tilly's last dress it is lovely stuff, I would love to know their source.

The lace collar is a cheap-y off of eBay. I had purchased them for 'Oliver Twist' costumes, they were around the $1 mark.
I felt the dress was very 'busy' around the face and was wondering what to do when I had a Tim Gunn flashback.
I remembering him telling a young designer to tone down a busy fabric with a lace over lay.
Now, how can adding more tone it down?
I have no idea but it seemed to work and Tilly loved it!

I used a scrap of the coral neoprene to ad a piping band between the dress bodice and the full, circular skirt.

It is a pretty wild dress.
Lidia helped her style it with her biker boots and black ribbed tights.

Tilly loves it!

The sleeves are fabulous.

~My Verdict~
I love the pattern, this skirt is so full and twirly and the sleeves are divine.
I very much look forward to sewing it again.
The pattern was very old, no pattern marking stamped, just some holes perforated in numbers but it was pre-cut.
The instructions were good.
It is a size 8 and a good length on Tildy (age 9) but too full through the body. She definitely has room to grow.
I do not like this dress, I just don't. I don't dislike it as much as I thought I would but it is not my thing at all.
I noticed Tilly pulls it out to wear to the city but firmly rejected it for Casual Day at school (uniform free day, usually last day of term).
The  printed material was $5, the notions and fabrics  were from my stash, so there was little outlay.
Sewing for my children can be tricky. I would love to give them full carte blanche but they can choose things that I know won't work/they won't wear/unpractical.
It is a definite collaboration most times but every now and again, you just need to sew the out there piece.
That you don't like.
But they do...

~Tilly's Verdict~
When I saw the fabric at Eliza's I thought wow I really would like that and when I saw the pattern I just said yes please!
When mum started I was so excited .
When it was finished I was just so excited.
I love wearing it to Adelaide but don't wear it so much in Tintinara.

Thank you for reading... xx N