way back in march, rae of the fantastic made by rae put out a call for people to test her various in-the-works patterns. i immediately signed up to be a pattern tester for the pierrot tunic and crossed my fingers hoping she’d pick me. she first posted it on her baby daughter over a year and a half ago here, and has posted a few versions since. each time i saw a new pierrot post pop up, i just melted (pink and chambray, for instance). i don’t know what it is, but i just die over it. something about the exaggerated shape, neck ruffle, and wide cuffs just makes me smile. it seems like a something you’d pay a ridiculous amount of money for at a high-end boutique. i could not wait to make one for Em.
when rae posted her newest plaid version last week, i again commented with lots of caps and exclamation points about how cute it was and how i hoped the pattern would be available before KCWC. apparently she had forgotten to include me in her call for pattern testers earlier that day! good thing i commented, because it meant i got to be in on the testing. wahoo!
i printed and cut out the tester pattern over my lunch break at work, and sewed it that night. i cut it on the bias because all the versions that rae had made were cut that way, and it adds to the swinginess. it’s a very roomy garment and everything is cut on the fold. this meant, for a 3T, even 1 2/3 yards of fabric wasn’t quite enough! i’ve historically bought just 1 yard of fabric for kids’ clothes, but now that Em is getting bigger, that doesn’t seem to cut it anymore.
luckily, i had this cute swiss dot from joann in my stash (i think i got it as an end-of-bolt, hence the weird 2/3 yard – either that or i got 2 yards and it shrunk like crazy). part of rae’s pattern testing request was to help her determine yardage for the various sizes, and mine still wasn’t enough (i had to piece the ruffle). can’t tell, though!
i had a super fun time making this dress, writing a small novel to rae with my thoughts (lots of gushing and suggestions, a few critiques), and getting a behind the scenes peek at what it takes to get a pattern to market. trust me, it’s a LOT of work and i only saw a brief part of it! makes me even more happy to support independent pattern-makers.
the pierrot will be available soon! keep your eyes on made by rae over the next couple weeks so you, too, can make a little french girl top for the little gals in your life! UPDATE: the pierrot pattern is now available! get it here. 🙂
skirt as top 
nice alliteration, and your pierrot is divine!
that is so divine! I love it with the tights!
ooh yay, love it!!
🙂
so stylish and sophisticated. this pattern is going on my list!
It is so adorable…and so French! She could not look cuter!
thanks!
Just want to tell you how sophisticated your version looks! Awesome pattern I can’t wait to sew some 🙂
Hi! We loved this post and mentioned it in our Pierrot costume round up https://little-quick.squarespace.com/blog/2014/10/4/halloween-costume-countdown-pierrot Lovely work!