Little Sweetie Dress by Red Heart - Pattern Review

Written Instructions: 3 out of 5 stars
I find it frustrating to have to dig through instructions looking for what I need.

Video Instructions: 5 out of 5
Mikey knocks this one out of the park!

Explaining and demonstrating every stitch in a fashion that anyone can understand.

SO ... if you've been reading long enough you know that people all around me are having babies. Almost everywhere I turn, I run into another lady ready to have a small bundle of joy. But that isn't a complaint by any stretch of the imagination. I absolutely LOVE babies! 

My youngest sister is getting ready to have her second in just a few weeks, she's due sometime around my son's high school graduation date at the end of May.

I searched around a while, looked at and tried a few patterns for baby dresses (she's having another girl) but I wasn't too happy with the way they were turning out. I'm sure it's because I went and bought yarn before I decided on a pattern.

Let that be a lesson: pick a pattern THEN get your yarn. I always seem to do things the hard way. Lol.

Here's the one I finally landed on that worked out right (ie: matched the yarn I had bought). It's the Little Sweetie Dress pattern by Red Heart Yarns. I actually watched the video from Mikey at The Crochet Crowd before I started and that helped a lot. The written pattern is a bit confusing in my opinion, written for 4 different sizes without a clear path for any one size. You have to jump around in the written instructions to find the correct directions for the size you're making. That frustrates me and I usually end up tossing it instead of trying to dig through the directions looking for what I need.

The pattern calls for a size H hook and that will give you a range of sizes starting at 6 months. I wanted something smaller and used a size G hook. It's prefect for Newborn to 3 months! (Thank you Cathy from The Crochet Crowd for the recommendation I found in the comments section of the video.)

I added a flower made with ribbon and beads to the front just for a focal point. I have no idea how to make that flower, it's something I got in my button stash Christmas gift from my other sister =D.

I also changed the skirt edging. The fan type stitch used in the pattern felt heavy to me so I opted for a simple [chain 3, slip stitch] across the V-stitch of the last row. The picot edging of the neckline and arm holes worked out great so I didn't change that at all. I also kept the smaller V-stitch throughout the skirt section of the pattern. The instructions call for switching up to a "large" V-stitch for the lower portion of the skirt, but again, I felt that was a bit heavy looking.

Here's my finished piece. I think she's going to love it. I know I do!

Enjoy your holiday weekend and have a safe and happy Easter!

Peace and blessings,
~~Karen~~