An Elowen for my Éowyn

Trying out new skills in a bite sized form

Dear friend,

It’s been a little while since I’ve written, and there is a reason behind that. Up until recently, our family has been limping along with technology, which is difficult considering my husband is a full-time freelance writer, and I am a photographer. I have a 2008 iMac that has slowly been losing functionality (I can upload my photos to Lightroom, make my edits using only my mouse, and export to a hard drive to then upload to my galleries at the library), a Mac book that my husband was using for his writing until it finally gave up the ghost back in the fall, leaving us with only an iPad and our phones. We value a debt-free lifestyle and don’t use credit cards, so we were making do while we saved up for a replacement. That meant that I had access to a typing device in the margins of his work. Thankfully we picked up a beautiful new iMac last week and I will have technology more freely available and I can find a rhythm for writing to you all.

The Elowen Dress - Tiny Folk Patterns

I am excited to share something I worked on in my absence! Florentina, of Tiny Folk Patterns put out a tester call on Instagram for a new dress pattern named “Elowen” - a sweet romantic tunic dress with drop shoulders, puff sleeves, pin-tucks, and a ruffle collar. It charmed me, and the similarity to my baby girl’s name (Éowyn) pushed me to apply. I have never done pin-tucks before, but always wanted to, and I’m now obsessed.

Elowen is designed for woven fabrics with some light structure to give those delicious pin-tucks definition. I chose a chambray, as the grey blue would emphasize the fact that my youngest seems to be keeping her father’s eyes.

At first it may have been a lazy move, but I liked the contrast that the white thread gave. I felt it added a preppy tone to the otherwise romantic piece.

I must say that I had my reservations about the ruffle neckline, especially on a baby. However, Florentina was very deliberate in tweaking the width of it, so that it didn’t overwhelm the wearer. When it came together, it was a more natural neckline than I expected, one that Éowyn wore happily, and didn’t seem to notice.

For the back closure, my second youngest picked out a delicate flower button that complimented the design perfectly.

The 9-12 month size took less than a yard of fabric, and I spread the project out over two days. I printed, assembled and cut the pattern, then pressed and cut the fabric on the first day. The second day was my sewing day. It took a couple of hours, with the most time dedicated to figuring out how to mark and sew the pin-tucks.

It’s a darling pattern perfect for a confident beginner who wants to try out some new skills in a pint size form. Sizes range from 0-3 months to 5-6 years. If you’re reading this soon after publication, it’s on sale in her Etsy shop. The digital PDF file comes in three formats: Layered A4, US Letter, A0/Projector. I’m looking forward to making this in cotton for my 3-year-old’s spring/summer wardrobe.

Next week, I’ll share more making plans, as we are a little over a month away from #memademay.

Much love,

Briana