Easter Dress Makeover, plus DOLL DRESS!!

Wow so it's been a little while since I've blogged! Well I'm back and I wanted to share my latest make and talk about some future plans.

First, I'm gonna go backwards a bit in time. Last year, after the rush of Christmas was done and I had a little space to breathe, I started dreaming of making a bunch of girls' dresses for Easter. I made a plan and hoped that over the 6 weeks of Lent I'd be able to crank out 6 dresses.

I did the first, S8306, with an adorable cropped jacket.

I did the second, B6046, with a sweet bow.

I did the third (bodice NL6205) with some gorgeous floral fabric and a lovely large self drafted pleated circle skirt.

I started the fourth, S1508,  and got most of the way....and then ran out of time.

So that fourth Easter dress has been sitting for a year waiting to be finished, but I kept looking at it and thinking it was just too much skirt. So, I decided to pull it out and hack off some length!



I also felt like it needed something to make it pop and decided to create a bolero to go with it, so I used S8103 and left off the collar.  I just love a cropped jacket!!





But it gets even better. With the length I chopped off of the skirt, I decided to indulge my latest obsession...MATCHING DOLL DRESSES!!! And a matching bolero of course, both courtesy of B6265.

I can't tell you how excited this makes my inner child. Why is everything tiny so irresistible? I don't know but I can tell you I want to make every human sized dress I ever make in doll size too now. I won't don't worry...I mean I probably won't.

Anyway, so I got the Fourth Easter Dress FINALLY finished with a little bit of a refashion, and a matching doll dress for 18" dolls (American Girl size or any of the equivalent store brands.) They're both available in my Etsy shop now! Girls Dress and Doll Dress



I hope to be making a lot more doll clothes in the future, whether with matching girl clothes or not, as it's the perfect scrap-buster for me and they are so quick and satisfying to make. Hopefully this is just the beginning of many more to come!

Chinese Tea Party Dress - Simplicity 8244

I've had Simplicity 8244 on my short list to sew for a while, so when I was invited to a friends tea party with a Chinese theme, I figured it was the perfect excuse! I dug through my stash and decided on a lovely berry pink floral print cotton.

Since I tend to sew garments with full skirts mostly, I'm always a little bit nervous when tackling a skirt or dress with a slimmer fit. I went with the size 22, no FBA, but after measuring the pattern pieces at the hips (I couldn't find garment measurements for them on the pattern) I decided to add a few inches just to be safe. I'm always worried about busting a seam when I sit down, lol!

The dress went together fairly easily! My one big mistake, a common one for me when I'm cutting out anything that isn't just on the fold or doubled, is I cut the front piece backwards, oops! I realized it when I was checking to make sure I didn't cut out the shoulder piece wrong, lol. Ah well, I figure most people won't know it attaches the wrong way at the shoulder.

It was my first time using frogs, I just love what a statement they make, and I was impressed with how well they worked (I'm always worried things will just pop out!)

Though I don't like facings, I went ahead and followed the pattern using them since I didn't want to fully line it (it's SO hot outside, we've had a 100+ streak lately that I'm ready to leave behind). I did, however, make a slip using Gertie's Butterick 6031. It was very simple to make and was exactly what I needed, I'll likely make more soon.

I was very happy with the final result, it was comfortable, and not too hot (even with the high neck, I was a little worried it would suffocate me but I was fine), and bonus I got a couple compliments from strangers when I stopped at the store on the way home, always a boost!

36th Birthday "May Flowers" Dress

This was a very fun and pretty quick make! I always like to make myself a birthday dress, this year I was in the mood for something flowery and spring-like. (Ok honestly when am I not in the mood for that?) I had this lovely yellow and pink rose Gertie fabric that I'd been hoarding for a while, and decided it was time to use it. I pulled out Butterick 5748 since I wanted a fairly simple pattern that would just let the fabric speak for itself.

I also decided to make up a matching bolero using Butterick 6354. It was my first time using it and I'll definitely be using it again, simple and quick and exactly what I wanted!

As luck would have it, Mccall's was having a Royal Wedding Sew Along and I decided to slap on a fascinator and join in the fun. :-)

I've been sort of stuck in a rut of not finishing things lately, so it was nice to work on a simple project and finish it. Hoping that will motivate me to get all the other stuff done!

A special thanks to my hubby for helping me with some outside pics! I always want to get some but it's much easier to use the remote function on my camera inside where there's a table, lol.

Valentine's Day Dress - Gertie Princess Seam Bodice

Well it has been a little while since I last posted, but I've been pretty busy sewing! My latest make for myself was for Valentine's Day. I used some red/pink gingham shirting I'd had in my closet for a while, and decided to use the princess seam bodice from Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book, and one of my favorite skirt shapes, the overskirt from the Walkaway Dress Pattern B4790 (with pockets added of course), just like I used for one of my first franken-patterns. 

I decided to take the time to get a really great fit for the bodice, and followed the instructions in the book to do a Full Bust Adjustment on a princess seam. I also added length to the bodice, and added width to the 3/4 sleeves. I was extremely happy with the result! I think this is the first time a princess seam bodice didn't squish my bust, and I love that it fits and yet is also very comfortable to wear. 

I will definitely be using this bodice again now that I've altered it to fit me, I already have a couple other dresses to make in mind, and want to experiment with different skirts (gathered, pleated, circle). So stay tuned!