Today we have Shae and Larissa sharing their reviews of the Astra Dress by 5 Berries. I love seeing this all sewn up, it is such a great twist on the the classic peasant dress. With an empire cinched waist, tiered skirt, and options of short or long sleeves, this is certainly a pattern that you can get a lot of use out of. Oh, and did I mention in comes in sizes 12m-12y, what a great size range!!! Make sure to enter the awesome 5 Berries giveaway (5 winners will win 3 patterns of their choice!!!) using the rafflecopter at the bottom of the review.

This review was completed by a 3rd party objective reviewer who received a complimentary copy of the pattern in order to complete the review. Neither Pattern Revolution nor the reviewer received any additional compensation for this review.

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Hey everyone!! I'm Shae from Saflower Photography and Saflower Designs. I specialize in making one of a kind crowns and more recently, boutique style dresses and such. I mostly sew for my 5 year old twins when they aren't taking up all my time.

So, I have actually had the Astra dress pattern in my cart for awhile now so when it came up for review, I jumped at the opportunity. 5Berries is a new designer to me. I have heard the name around, but have never really looked into the patterns until I started searching for long sleeve peasant dresses. I was pleasantly surprised. The directions are very clear and the photos are clear. The pattern pieces are nested and there were 12 pages to print. As much as I hate taping together patterns, I really do like when there are actual pattern pieces for the bodice rather than a rectangle with arm holes cut out. I just feel like they fit nicer and have a more professional feel. Another huge plus for this pattern is that it had a measurement chart for the skirt pieces.

My original intention with this dress was to do an ombre pattern where each tier got a little darker as it went down. Well, two things happened that derailed my plan. First, I was only able to find 3 shades of purple at my local store instead of 4. Second, I saw this beautiful flannel as I was looking for the purple. It just felt like fall and reminded me of all the flannel shirts my dad wears during the fall and winter months. I also had to add lace to the bottom since I have a slight lace addiction.

The bodice is pretty much like any other peasant dress, except it has a neat little casing added to it for the nice little ribbon detail. Since my daughter is so skinny, this is a nice touch because I can make it as tight or as loose as I need.

If you plan on making this dress out of a heavier fabric such as flannel or corduroy, I would take out about 1/2 - 1 inch of the neckline elastic. Because of the weight, it really tugs on the neck.

I really love the look of a tiered skirt! This one was pretty straight forward and easy to do. I like that it is not super full so when my daughter is twirling around I don't have to worry about her undies showing.

When I make my daughter a dress I almost always do a 3t width and a 4t length. I did that with this one and I feel like it ended up being on the long side, so you may want to keep that in mind when you make it. Usually a 3t bodice fits her really well, but this one was a little loose.

This is a great pattern for a beginner. You will encounter some gathering and you will have to make some elastic casings and that is about as hard as it gets.

The dress goes together pretty fast and can be done in a couple of hours. For me, the thing that took the longest was doing the casings.

I still have big plans to make a purple ombre version, but I think I'll make the short sleeve dress for spring. I'll be going down a size and possibly adding elastic into the waist casing with a permanent bow in the front since little miss can't tie a bow yet, and she has a tendency fiddle with things.

I'm also realizing that my daughter really needs her bangs cut before I take anymore pictures of her. Sheesh!!

I hope you all have fun making your very own version of the 5berries Astra Dress!!

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Hi! I'm Larissa, owner of Ellie's Trunk and mom to a 10.5 year old and a 4 month old! I pretty much only sew for my own kids and the occasional custom order these days while we figure out this whole infant in the house thing again!

Excuse the crazy hair, she spent all day running around a farm!

One of the most difficult aspects of sewing for a tween is finding patterns that do not look too babyish or grown up. Anyone who has tried to sew for a tween girl lately can agree that they are picky about every detail -- from the pattern to the fabric! When I saw this dress, the first thing I did was call over my 10.5 year old and ask her if she would wear it. I was so happy when she got very excited about it! Then it came to fabric selection......She wanted a short sleeve dress and I needed a long sleeve version! We compromised that we would do both, the long sleeve one in a nice fall theme and then she could pick a "fun" fabric for her short sleeve version. I am absolutely in love with this pattern! There are a few different ways to place the fabric in this dress that will make it a fun staple in my daughters wardrobe!

Love the ribbon bow! She actually asked for it to be tied in a "Cinderella bow!"

Some quick Details:

Skill Level - Beginner- the casing is different, but is explained very clearly (with pictures too!)
Printing: The pattern Pieces print in black and white on 12 pages. The sizes are all nested together, and there is a key telling you which dash dot line to cut for each size.
Size Range: 12 months - 12
Instructions - Clear and easy to follow with step by step written instructions and clear photographs to walk you through each stage of construction. The instructions are only 11 pages and is broken up into 9 steps!
Fit - I made the size 8 for my daughter (She is in 8-10/12 in RTW stuff) and I love the fit... a little bit of growing room to last through the fall and winter.
Options: Short or long sleeves and elastic in the wrist for the long sleeve. This can also be made into a top (directions are included)