The summer of Helena

Growing up, my mom made tons of matching dresses for my sisters and me - and we loved wearing them! She said she did it because it was cheaper than buying dresses but I think she actually made them so she could use the fabrics and trims she liked.

As an adult who sews now, I love sewing little girl dresses too. Let me tell you, they are SO MUCH easier than adult dresses - you don't have to worry about fitting curves or darts. Lately I've been following along with all of the adorable patterns put out by Simple Life Pattern Co. So much so that I've been making quite a few of their Helena dress lately! The first two were for my niece, the third for a friend. And then the fourth for the niece again but somehow I did not get a picture yet.

When you are turning 6 years old and your favorite color is purple, everything must be purple! I love making dresses for my little niece and though I love purple as well, I had a harder time finding bigger pieces in my stash to use for dresses. Luckily it all worked out.

This first version uses an Art Gallery print by Frances Newcombe and went very will with a pink and blue crossweave linen I had on hand. The niece was particularly fond of the buttons down the back. I, on the other hand, am a little concerned they might poke her when she sits down. Time will tell I suppose. She's very tall for her age so I made a bigger size - it's a bit too big for her now but will fit her for awhile.

The bodice on the second dress gave me a little trouble. I started by using a rayon spandex for the bodice and it was difficult to work with but I made it through. I was really unhappy with the waviness of the waist seam so I threw it in the wash to see if it would go back to it's original shape. It did not. The washing also highlighted a few tiny holes in the fabric that were now much bigger. Crap.

I ended up cutting the bodice and skirt apart to redo the bodice with a heavier weight cotton lycra knit by Art Gallery. I changed the gathered skirt to be pleated instead, hoping that would make the waist seam look a little nicer. I think the final version ended up pretty cute! The skirt is a cicada print by Rashida Coleman-Hale for Cotton and Steel.

The third dress was this cute little number for my redheaded friend. I let her choose from a few fabrics I had in my stash and the pink was her favorite. It's from Amy Sinibaldi's Playground line for Art Gallery and the 1 yard I had was just barely enough to eek out the outer pieces in size 4T. I used something else for the bodice lining and embellished the front with some ruffled ribbon. Ahh, it feels good to use some of my stash!

The fourth version is a tunic for the niece our of the cutest mermaid fabric! It's a Michael Miller print but I don't know the designer - sorry. This tunic is going to be adorable with some leggings or jeans. I made the back neckline a little more modest too so it will be appropriate for back to school.

Now, let's tackle that pile of finished and nearly-finished quilt tops...

A matching dress for me

My last post was about dresses made for my niece but I actually bought that black floral print for myself. I've been muslining and experimenting with the Greenstyle Laurel dress and was finally ready to try the dress length. It was a happy coincidence that there was also enough of this print to make a little girl dress too!

I really like the Laurel pattern. It's similar to other patterns I have but so much more flattering for me with the pleats for the skirt instead of gathering. There are options for a few different sleeve lengths and a cowl neck too, but it's summer and it has been extremely hot over here in Seattle so I opted for a sleeveless scoop neck. And pockets. Mine had to have pockets too!

I don't recall what the finishing instructions were in this pattern but I went with another Coletterie recommendation and did wrapped binding to finish the arms and neck. For the hem I used a little seam binding tape to keep the bottom even, folded up twice, and finished with a twin needle right next to the fold. I think the seam tape gives it a little extra stability for the twin needle so I don't have any tunneling and the maxilock stretch thread in the bobbin gives a great stretchy seam.

The fabric came from Denver Fabrics, my first order with them. I love the print and it is sooooo soft - it's a cotton lycra. It's also survived a few washings so far in good condition and with good color retention. I would order from them again but now know they do not actually ship for a week or two after ordering. At least I know that now!

Until next time,
Allison

Uptown Downtown dresses

When I was little, my mom was always sewing my sister and I matching dresses. We are only 18 months apart so of course it was adorable to put us in the same dress, or the same dress pattern but different colors. She kept it up awhile after my younger sister came along too. Looking back, I have no idea where she found the time to make us those adorable creations with 4 little kids running around. I'll have to dig up some pictures one of these days. I'm also not sure when I stopped being a dress girl but I'm trying to get back to that a little bit these days.

Anyway. Now that I have a serger, I've started sewing some little dresses for my niece as well. I've made her a few dresses over the past year that she loves (this woven one and this knit/woven combo) and so I thought I'd whip up a few more for her 4th birthday. I mean, is there anything cuter than a small child wearing a dress you made for her and her bragging to you that YOU made it for her? This kid has a great memory!

I've been collecting some cute knit prints lately (I may or may not have been on a knit-buying binge... oops) and a few were just perfect for tiny dresses. I broke out the Uptown Downtown Dress pattern by Sew Straight and Gather to once again sew up. It's the same pattern I used for her rainbow fishy dress and I seriously love this pattern. My little niece is tall for her age so I added 2 inches to each of these and of course had to include the pockets this time. I even remembered to put a little ribbon tag in one of them to mark the back.

When she opened these up on her birthday I knew she liked them. I was so excited to get pictures of her wearing one a few days later -  so cute! Apparently she also told everyone that her auntie made her that. Awww! I wonder if she told them I had made myself a matching dress? Because I did. More on that later.

Now that they are done and gifted, I realize I should have taken some construction pictures but alas, I did not. You'll just have to take my word for it that these are finished with 2 different methods, both found in this amazing Colette guide. The white dress was finished with bands and the black one used the seam covering binding. In both cases I was silly enough to close up the underarm seam before finishing, leaving me with tiny arm holes to wrestle through a giant serger foot. I won't make that mistake again!

After attaching the bands and binding, I secured them with my trusty twin needle and maxilock stretch on the bottom. I use the stretch thread in the loopers of my serger to make the seams a little softer but I've also discovered it's wonderful in the bobbin for twin needle sewing. Woolly nylon is also great for these uses but is a little more expensive.

I have a Pinterest board I've started with great tips and tutorials like the one above if you'd like to follow along on Sew: Apparel and Sewing Tips.

 Have a great weekend!
Allison