If you've seen the Raven dress, you'll recognize the Rhubarb. Or vice versa??? Long ago now, when I first started dreaming this pattern up, it was this knit sweater dress style that was first in my mind. Then things just kept going, I thought about woven versions and the Raven was born and released first. Now I'm SO excited to finally have this version, the Rhubarb, also available and it is everything I dreamed of! Here's a few tips and pictures from our testers. And THIS is where you find it.

Photo: Sarah @laceandpine

The yoke and ruffle are still the main feature. I haven't stopped loving the dropped shoulder and the way it scoops down low in the back. I wouldn't want to lose that feature! The Rhubarb keeps this and most of the yoke options. There is one big difference that we would want you to know about. The ruffle option.

The options for short or long ruffle remain. You can hem it up nice and neat or with most knit, you can leave the edges raw. You can see here how it looks with a rolled hem using a serger. This can be a nice way to add an accent colour.

Photo: Genevieve

While the Raven can be sewn with or without ruffle, the knit fabrics don't always work well without the ruffle. You can see here that it CAN work and looks super cute, but be sure you use the right fabric. With bulkier fabrics the seam around the shoulder can appear kinda strange. So omit the ruffle with caution.

Photo: Kiaraleigh @chooknduck

Another cool idea that we saw in the test group was using actual hem bands for the top and giving a real sporty look. There is something about this that brings back fond memories of clothes my mom made for me. I would probably wear this a LOT!!

Photo: Amanda @derivingmommyhood

Different fabrics, of course, take a pattern in many directions. I would encourage people to try out all sorts of fabrics keeping just a few things in mind.

• The neckline and band do work best with a fabric that has good recovery. Without it, you'll notice the neckline will appear wider and the back band may stretch out too much. If you have another fabric that you really love, maybe choose something with recovery for the lining to help keep the shape.
• While the hems and cuffs should all have a good stretch factor, the waistline hem on the top and the long sleeve cuff really need it the most and should have about 60% stretch. These two spots are stretched out the most to give that fitted look at the wrists and waist without compromising the fullness of the sleeves and top. Make adjustments for this if you need to accommodate for other fabrics.

Here you see the top in a beautiful velvet. I've been told it was a real patience tester to work with, but the result was worth it!

Photo: Kyla Inspired by Kyla

I'm always a fan of Art Gallery Fabrics and their knits are my choice for the tunic and dress lengths. The weight of the fabric is really good in that it doesn't give a weird, bulky ruffle and yet doesn't feel too thin for the longer versions. But that's also my preference. I do prefer my tunics/dresses to have a bit of a cozy factor.

Photo: Trisha @5littledoodles

I think that's it! Oh, wait! One more thing! This is available in the store as a bundle purchase with the Raven! Get both patterns at a discount and then tack on more discount with the release week sale. Go get it!!

 \My first wearable Rhubarb muslin. Still fitting though she's technically 2 sizes above this now! :)