I’ve been foiled again. Last year, I made my daughters Mary’s Fancy Sash dresses from Girl’s World by Jennifer Paganelli. They were adorable dresses but both were too large. In particular, they seemed made for a person with broader shoulders. I had measured both girls and made the appropriate sizes but really felt that they ran big. You can read about those dresses here. I thought that the trouble with the shoulders gaping on those dresses might have been due to the pull on nature of the dresses. So I thought I would try again with the Josie dress. It has a more fitted bodice with a zipper in the back.

The pattern really has lovely details. The waist band is curved and the bodice is beautifully gathered. There are nice long sashes on the waist band to tie in a bow on the back. I used fabric from Jennifer Paganelli’s Dance With Me line. This time, I was extra careful double checking my measurements and shortened the straps by an inch. However, I was foiled once again! The dress is too big. The bodice is cut with a slight angle, which I find a little bit odd for a child and it gapes. And the width across the chest from strap to strap is too big.

The good news is that I took out the Mary’s Sash Dress from last year and although it is still a little bit wide at the shoulders, it is definitely wearable this year. So, my daughter will wear that dress and I will put this one away till next year! I will hem it when it fits properly.