Customer reviews for Once Upon A Time Patterns
| 5 star | 99% | |
| 4 star | 1% | |
| 3 star | 0% | |
| 2 star | 0% | |
| 1 star | 0% |
Verified ownerBeautiful pattern, the best I have ever purchased, amazing work, thanks
Verified ownerExcellent customer service!! USPS lost my shipment. It was promptly replaced and re-shipped. Very pleased with Once Upon a Time! My Infant Dress is just beautiful:)
Verified ownerI loved the whole vibe, from the vintage packaging to the patterns, printed on pattern tissue.
Verified ownerI’m a beginner when it comes to sewing (a true beginner, this was my first project ever!) so it took me a little while to start on this- first impression of the pattern itself was that it looked completely authentic, I love the way this company does the envelopes and it will fit right in to the rest of my collection!
Once I started on this I was able to complete it within a couple days (albeit, imperfectly, but that’s not the pattern’s fault). It’s going to be a gift for my sister who is having her first baby in July. Can’t wait to give it to her and hope her son loves it. I will definitely order from this site again!
Verified ownerI was very happy to find the pattern. My Mom made the doll years ago. All I had left of her was the bonnet and the dress. I was able to remake the doll and dress her with the cloths my mother made. I love the doll, it brought back good memories. Once Upon A Time patterns does a great job on the instructions. Their easier to understand than the original patterns were. I highly recommend them.
Verified ownerI really, really liked the pattern but the instructions are terrible and I would recommend completely rewriting them or just ignoring them as I did and figuring it out on your own. There is an error in the pattern instruction sheet where it shows a picture saying that the curved edge of the ruffle is to have a narrow hem with lace applied when in fact if you look at the pattern piece you see that it is the curved edge which is to be seemed to the arm hole.
I made several changes/ additions such as lining the pinafore and putting elastic in the front and back of the diaper panties.
It is a wonderful pattern and am so glad I bought it!
Thank you Anne! Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback — I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, and I’m so glad you loved the pattern overall! The finished dress looks adorable! I did want to clarify the ruffle construction, as I took another close look at the pattern piece and instruction sheet for McCall’s 1694. On the actual ruffle pattern piece, the curved edge is marked with notches at each end and a dot at the center for the shoulder seam, and it specifically indicates that this is the edge to be gathered. The straight edge is the one marked for hemming and lace application.
I believe the confusion may come from the illustration on the instruction sheet. In the diagram, the ruffle is shown already gathered, and once a curved edge is gathered, it visually compresses and can appear almost straight in a small vintage drawing. Because of that, it can look like the straight edge is being attached, when in fact it’s the gathered curved edge sewn into the armhole.
There is also a structural reason the gathering is on the curved edge rather than the straight one. The armhole itself is curved, so the edge being sewn into it must be shaped to match that curve. Gathering the curved edge allows the ruffle to ease smoothly into the armhole while creating soft fullness. The straight edge is meant to hang freely as the decorative edge with the hem and lace applied. If the straight edge were gathered instead, it wouldn’t match the armhole shape correctly and the ruffle would not sit properly.
The tissue markings themselves follow standard drafting conventions — notches and gathering marks indicate the seam edge — which is consistent with how vintage McCall’s patterns were written. The instructions are definitely more technical and less step-by-step than modern patterns, so I completely understand how that visual could be misleading.
If I’m misunderstanding what you meant in your comment, please feel free to let me know — I truly want to make sure I’m addressing your concern correctly.
I’m always happy to help if a step in the instructions is unclear. If you (or any customer) ever have a question during construction, please feel free to reach out — I’m more than glad to walk through it and help figure it out together.
Thank you again for your kind words about the pattern and for sharing the thoughtful modifications you made!
if you have any other questions or need help please let me know.
