Two Dresses

Today I would like to share two dresses I sewed for my daughter. They aren't exactly seasonally appropriate, but I knew if I waited until fall to share them I may forget!

The first is my favorite dress, perhaps even my favorite sewing project of all that I've made. The pattern was a perfect canvas for embellishments, and it was a pleasure to select the fabrics and trims to sew this special dress.

The yoke is sewn from a fine wale corduroy in navy blue. I enjoyed being able to add a little hand embroidery that picked up on the colors in the calico portion of the dress. It was a hard decision when it came time to select a ric-rac, I had a few that coordinated with the calico. 

I loved adding crocheted lace trim to the waist and faux button placket!

The pattern included a hem panel that allowed for a neat lace border. The sleeves are sewn from batiste and also edged in lace. The dress was meant to include a back zipper, but I substituted buttons for the zipper.

Here is a picture of the pattern I used. It is a Gunne Sax pattern from the 1980's. I love finding old Gunne Sax patterns on Ebay. The detailing makes them extra special!

 

The next dress is one that I sewed last fall for my daughter's birthday. I loved this beautiful brown calico! It seemed to compliment the design of the dress and added to the old-fashioned appearance.

 

The shoulder ruffles look so sweet when worn! And I couldn't resist adding a little embroidery to the collar.

The most challenging aspect of sewing this dress were the pintucks. I had to sew the pintucks a few times before they were all straight and even, but I was pleased with the end results.

 

This dress was sewn using a Cinderella pattern from 1980's. I loved the cover art on this pattern. The illustration on the far left was my inspiration when sewing this dress. 

It is always bring me so much joy to sew dresses for my little girl! I have a couple of pretty spring time fabrics sitting in my sewing basket just waiting to be sewn into new dresses and skirts for her. 

I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful springtime season! I hope to share a post soon with some pictures of all of the lovely birds, blossoms, and blooms around here.

"And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." Psalm 90:17