All About the Village Frock (and a Frock to Share - Giveaway Closed)

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Image: Sugar City Journal

This is another dress pattern that I get asked about frequently.  If you check out the Sugar City Dresses Flickr page, it's got a cult following like no other dress. 

It's such a classy and unique design, don't you think?

I contacted the creator, Melissa, from Sugar City Journal and she told me this about the pattern:  She created the dress itself in a three-hour stint, but creating the saleable pattern and sizing took hundreds of hours.  The pattern is out of print and Sugar City has relocated to another continent which would make shipping it difficult, so she has no plans to re-release it.  There are comments on the Flickr page where people can try to borrow other people's copies if you want to try to obtain a copy that way.  My own copy of the pattern has been all the way to Australia and back.

The pattern comes in sizes 2 to 6 in paper format only.  All the bindings are handmade and can be machine stitched, but I find it them easier to do by hand which means this dress takes some time to make.  Call it an artform.  Or a labour of love.

I have made a Village Frock to give away.  This is a size 3T in two-tone linen with wooden buttons.  It is a short dress by design.  I have handstitched the neck and sleeve bindings, so it has more of a handmade look than some of my other garments.  I also did an oops - I have the buttons running down the left side of the dress rather than the right which means my gathered neck (the darker purple) is a little less than perfectly centred.  Crap, here I was trying to make it *perfect* for this giveaway. 

To be entered in the giveaway for this slightly wonky but still loveable frock, simply leave a comment below.  Followers may enter twice; just leave a second comment saying you are a follower.

Giveaway open to anyone in North America.  (I'd like to say anywhere in the world, but I always have this fear that I'll get to the post office and the clerk will tell me "That will be $103 to ship to Timbuktu".  If you live outside of North America and would really like to enter the giveaway, please do so.  I'm sure we can work out some reasonable way to ship it.)
I will choose a winner on February 28th, 2011.

My pattern review co-conspirator, Brown Paper Packages is reviewing a new Heidi & Finn jersey dress pattern today: