Pssst, don’t forget that the Te Aro Dress & Top is 25% off for another 2 days only!

A big shout out to the fabulous group of testers who helped with the Te Aro pattern. I had a lot of ideas with this pattern (there were so many view options!), and a fantastic testing group really helped me to refine it down, to polish off the rough bits, and to get it just right as a pattern.

Testers help ensure that a pattern fits just right on a wide range of bodies. They follow the instructions and let me know if they are clear, and will make sense to the average sewist across the world. They point out all the bits I could make better – and the patterns are better for all their input.

And they provide lots of inspiration of fabrics and notions! (so dangerous – I go away wanting a half dozen more versions to use all their ideas!)

Here are the tester makes!

Mie of @mieh1973

Mie mixed it up her Te Aro, combining the View A length, the View B sleeves, and the View C neckline, for a completely custom look.

Her thoughts on the pattern? All in all: I love it. I love the different shapes, the different possibilities to “play around” with the pattern. And it is a very quick and fun project.

Denise did the absolute cutest thing I have ever had a tester do. She made a Te Aro…and then she made a matching one for her adorable dog, Marshmallow!

She made View A. And Marshmallow’s is, of course, the very special View D for doggie!

Denise’s comments on the pattern were “super comfortable and super customizable. I am so very pleased with the sizing… I love it and will definitely make more.“

Becky of @allhandsatelier

Becky is another one who customised her Te Aro test, combining the View B length, with the View A sleeves – and then making it even more unique by adding the pockets from Views A & C!

Can we talk about how amazing the orange bindings and hem facings are?

I love her versions, and she was happy too, saying: “I really enjoyed this pattern and will probably live in it all winter! I will likely need to make several more too.”

Janet

Janet made her View A version of the Te Aro in record time, in the most deliciously comfy looking sweatershirting. Her fuchsia lining definitely influenced the black & white striped sample I made!

She reports that the Te Aro fits better than her similar RTW dress.

As soon as I sew this testers blog I knew I wanted her as part of the group: such a fun, enthusiastic approach to sewing!

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She chose View C with the View B sleeves.

She says: “Loved sewing it. It was a quick sew. An easy sew too. Loved the way the pocket was constructed. The only thing I don’t like about this dress is the fabric I choose. I used very soft and thin cotton jersey. I bought it online specifically for this make and it turned out thinner than I had in mind.” Although the fabric is thinner than she wanted, it’s still a beautiful make!

Adele of @adelebagalini

Adele made View C with View A sleeves in a lovely dark red jersey with a beautiful drape

She also had all sorts of fabulous ideas on what to do with the pattern: I really like it! It’s really versatile! You can wear it alone and it is a perfect dress to lounge around in, or you can fancy it up with some accessories and go to a nice dinner out. You can even put a belt or cincher on top… I also like the quickness! It is really a dress that you can see in one day.

Rachelle of @sewsable

Rachelle made up View C, pairing a beautiful wool jersey with a striking floral for her sleeves.

A huge thank you to all the testers for their incredible work! I so appreciate it 🦋