Making dresses ...

Last year when I started stashing fabric (to my husband's gentle frustration) I found a lovely fabric from Alexander Henry called Baby Berry.

I ordered a yard (along with a bunch of other yard cuts) with the intention to make something for our kitchen from it. Like a table runner or a tea cosy or something like that.
The fabric was way too thin for that though and at the time I was more into collecting fabric than actually making something from it.

But a year later my fabric stash is growing at an alarming rate and I really need to get started on using it.
Don't get me wrong I love fabric fondling and I could content myself on doing that, but I fear my husband will stop feeling gentle frustration and move onto something else if I don't start using it.

So lately I've been on a sewing binge. I bought a bunch of patterns from different designers' and I've been keeping busy.

I've been off work for a week starting last Monday and I definitely caught the sewing bug.
I traced the pattern for Patty Young's Frida one evening and picked out the Baby Berry and a green/white seersucker fabric I've had lying around (they were gonna be curtains) for a few months.
I took time out during the day to sew up the bodice for the Frida but had to put it aside since we were going to dinner at a friend's house.

We came home again late last night and I was fondling the fabrics and looking at the pattern pieces I had cut out. And then I thought - I can sew the pocket on. So I did. Then I thought sewing the ruffle strip together wouldn't take that long or serging the edges.
Then I might as well sew the gathering seams too.

And before I knew it the dress was done and the time was ... way past my bed time. At least the birds hadn't started singing again ...



I made the dress for Sofia who turned two last month. But since I have a taller-than-average-husband she needed the 4T/5T size ... no point in making a dress for her if she's not gonna be able to use it for at least a few months (which is the reason I prefer to put my time and effort into making dresses for Isabel - then Sofia will be able to inherit them and I'll get more mileage out of them)



I thought the dress would be too long and that I would have to make some pleats in the skirt ... after trying it on her I don't think so anymore.

Now - I have already picked out a fabric combo for a Frida for Isabel. But the pattern doesn't come in a big enough size for her so I will have to grade it myself.
I'm still working on that.

Twirlyness

Today was my final day on my own. The rest of the family left for the in-law's cabin on Monday and I hadn't seen them for almost a week.

I had fully intended to start sewing in the morning but it was still too hot and the thought of sitting down at the machine with a hot iron right next to me wasn't tempting.



But after they had arrived home, eaten lunch and Sofia had napped they headed for the public pool and I could get a few moments to myself again and since Sofia had been presented with a cami and panties right before they left I wanted to make Isabel something too.

I had decided on using some of my Freshcut-fabric from Heather Bailey. And I had decided on making a circle skirt.



I measured Isabel's waist (or the place on her body that has to double as waist since she wants to have all her pants and skirts fall on her hips) and the approximate length of the skirt.

I couldn't make the skirt longer than 12" because of the width of the fabric so I had to add a hem band and I think the dress looks a lot more finished than if I had gone without it. I considered doing the hem band ruffled but decided against it mostly cause I hate to gather fabric.

A circle skirt is the epitome of twirlyness and when you're almost 5 years old that is important.



It also makes your hips dance ...