Heidi & Finn – The Finished Garment

Sunshine in the Snow

My latest project was a mistake. I ordered french terry to make a sweatshirt, thinking it was the same fabric I had seen in the store, but I was wrong. Ordering fabric online is hard.

Cowl Neck Dress and Sweater by Heidi & Finn, available in sizes 12m-12Y.

Instead of soft and fluffy bamboo, it was structured cotton but with stretch – almost like ponte. It was never going to make a good sweatshirt.

The fabric is great, of course. It just wasn’t the one in my head. lol.

But it was exactly the right colour. And I had been looking for dusty rose ponte de roma for ages at Kid No. 4’s request, with no luck – it’s a bit late in the season and the spring fabrics are all coming out now.

So I found a new project – the Heidi and Finn Cowl Neck Jumper Dress and Sweater. I have sewn this dress many times before, but in smaller sizes – three times in ponte for a structured look, and three times in ITY (interlock twist yarn) for really soft stretchy tops.

The size is just right – there is a little room to grow.

The cotton french terry worked out really well for the dress. It gives enough shape that the neckline looks good, but the cotton will be a bit cooler in spring and summer. I went with short sleeves because of the fabric.

I finished the hem with a double needle.

This time I made the dress in a size 12. The sizing is really close to a retail size 12. It fits really well, with just a little room to grow.

I don’t have a serger – I used the jersey stitch on my regular machine, and a double needle for the hem.

And yes, that means it’s my last kid in the largest size that this pattern offers. I’m a bit sad that it will need to be retired soon.

I made the short sleeved version since I think the fabric is more suited for spring more than winter.

Summary

Pattern Review: Cowl Neck Dress and Sweater by Heidi & Finn, available in sizes 12m-12Y.
Fabric: French terry (95% cotton, 5% spandex).

Size: 12.
Cost: Pattern: 0$. Fabric: About $30.
Sewing Level: Confident beginner.
Modifications: None
Results: Great, as always. This is a reliable pattern and quick to sew.

Disclaimer: The pattern was generously provided by Heidi & Finn several years ago, in return for testing the pattern. As always, my opinions are my own.

A Quick Summer Dress

It’s been a really, really busy summer. I haven’t had much time to sew and even less to blog. And yet, I still managed to have a blogging backlog.

This is the Sugar n’ Spice Romper and Dress by Heidi & Finn, which I made earlier this summer. I wanted a nice quick project that would get my daughter something fun and comfortable to wear in hot weather, and this definitely fit the bill.

Sugar n' Spice Romper and Dress sewing pattern as sewn by The Finished Garment — I really like the length of the dress.

I used ITY (Interlock twist yarn), a synthetic knit for the dress. The bright print was something I had left over for a dress for myself, and the pink was a remnant that just happened to match perfectly. Both are from one of the local chain stores.

The pattern was really quick and easy to sew. My only complaint has to do with the fabric I chose. The ITY doesn’t have a lot of structure, so in the bodice it tends to curl a little. Next time, I’d use a fabric with a bit more structure (even cotton jersey) for the bodice, or make a bit more effort to make the outer layer of the crossover bodice a bit more snug.

The dress has been a big hit and gets lots of wear. So I will count this one as a belatedly blogged success.

Summary

Pattern: Sugar n’ Spice Romper and Dress by Heidi & Finn available in sizes 12m-12y.
Fabric: ITY.
Size: 7.
Cost: Pattern: $11. Fabric: About $10.
Sewing Level: Beginner.
Modifications: none.
Results: Good, but next time I will make the outer layer of the crossover bodice a bit more snug, or use fabric with a bit more structure.

Blue Cowl Neck Dress

Back in the fall, I did a round of pattern testing for the Cowl Neck Dress and Sweater by Heidi & Finn. Unfortunately, Kid No 4 did a great job of evading the photo shoot. You can’t reschedule nap time!

Heidi & Finn Cowl Neck Dress sewing pattern, sewn by The Finished Garment. — This is the Heidi & Finn Cowl Neck Dress.

So here are the pics I finally managed to wrangle this fall, just before the weather turned cold and snowy.

This is a really quick pattern to sew and the results are cute and trendy. This was my sixth time sewing this pattern, so for detailed information, please read my original review.

Summary

Pattern Review: Cowl Neck Dress and Sweater by Heidi & Finn, available in sizes 12m-12Y.
Fabric: Ponte de roma.

Ponte de roma in dark teal – (medium-weight knit, 50% Polyester/45% Rayon/5% Lycra).

Sizes: 2T.
Cost: Pattern: 0$. Fabric: About $16.
Sewing Level: Confident beginner.
Modifications: None
Results: Great. This was fast, and I love the trendy look.

Disclaimer: The pattern was generously provided by Heidi & Finn, in return for testing the pattern. As always, my opinions are my own.

Pattern Testing the Heidi & Finn Cowl Neck Dress

Have you seen the Cowl Neck Dress and Sweater by Heidi & Finn? It is super cute, and oh so trendy.

So I was very excited to be a pattern tester for the newest version of the pattern, which now includes a sweater, a short-sleeved version, and an expanded size range from 12m to 12Y.

Heidi & Finn Cowl Neck Sweater, sewn by The Finished Garment — The kids really like the tops and they are very comfortable.

And is it ever easy to sew! I finished about one project per nap. I love one-nap projects!

In the end, I made this pattern six times: three tops and three dresses, in three different sizes.

This project calls for knit fabric, and obviously a sweater knit would be ideal, but sadly the choices were limited at my local fabric shops and I had no time to order online.

The smallest kids chose the fabric for the tops (ack! so cute to watch them choose fabrics) – a slinky rayon jersey. In that fabric, the tops have a retro 70s vibe.

The pattern changed slightly during testing, and now has a banded waist, but these tops were made before the change.

For the dresses, I chose a ponte de roma that has a bit of a soft, sweater-knit texture. This fabric gave better results than the jersey. It’s a stable knit that is still very stretchy and has great recovery.

Heidi & Finn Cowl Neck Dress,, sewn by The Finished Garment — This is my favourite fabric for this pattern. It’s a ponte de roma, and has just the right amount of structure, without being stiff.

I only made two changes. First, I shortened the sleeves by 1-2″, depending on the fabric and dress size. Second, I attached the cowl neck first, before starting the sleeves. I find it easier to work this way, but it’s just my preference. See a discussion on sewing flat versus in the round, here.

I didn’t use a serger – I don’t have one. I just used my regular machine, which has a faux overlock stitch and I hemmed everything using a double needle. This worked very well.

The results were great. These tops and dresses are cute, cute, cute and the kids love wearing them. Yay!

Summary

Pattern Review: Cowl Neck Dress and Sweater by Heidi & Finn, available in sizes 12m-12Y.
Fabric: Rayon jersey for the tops and ponte de roma for the dresses.

Dakota stretch rayon jersey knit Hearts in navy, pink and teal (medium-weight knit, 95% Rayon/5% Lycra, 4-way stretch, 25% vertical stretch and 50% stretch across the grain).
Ponte de roma in grey, (medium- to heavy-weight knit, 80% Polyester/15% Rayon/5% Lycra, 30% stretch across the grain), magenta, and dark teal – not shown – (medium-weight knit, 50% Polyester/45% Rayon/5% Lycra).

Sizes: 2T, 5T and 7Y.
Cost: Pattern: 0$. Fabric: About $12 per top and about $16 per dress.
Sewing Level: Confident beginner.
Modifications: I shortened the sleeves, by 1-2″, depending on the fabric and dress size.
Results: Great. This was fast, and I love the trendy look.

Disclaimer: The pattern was generously provided by Heidi & Finn, in return for testing the pattern. As always, my opinions are my own.