If you've been reading this blog for any length of time you know that
as a rule I don't sew clothes. I think the bad memories from Home Ec.
class of the teacher yelling at me for cutting the pattern out
incorrectly and then me getting a C- on the resulting Bermuda shorts that
I never wore left me so discouraged.
But recently I've begun to feel that, hey, things have changed. I sew
a lot now, nearly every day in fact, and I've experimented on my own
for so many years. I can do this. I can sew simple dresses for my
daughters.
So I took the plunge and bought what seemed to me to be the simplest of
all little girl dress patterns, Burda 3026. This is a dress with no
zipper, no sleeves, nothing complicated. I cut out the size 2 and
picked some vintage fabric that Mimi Kirchner recently gave me and got
started last night. And an hour and a half from opening the envelope I
had the finished dress.
Originally this was intended for Stella, my two-year-old, but it
seemed a bit wide. I think the length would be perfect, though.
Fortunately, I have a four-year-old, too, and she put it on first thing
this morning and wore it to camp today. The width is perfect for her,
but it is more of a tunic length. But paired with some leggings I have
to say it was pretty cute.
More than anything, though, is the feeling now that I can do this.
I have SO much fabric and I have adorable little girls running around
me all day and I can make them clothes. So I've changed my slogan. Mostly I sew soft sculptures but on occasion I sew dresses for my daughters.
julia says
congrats abby! what a great feeling and accomplishment. it looks so adorable. when you get a little more practice, i would recommend checking out the ottobre magazine (from finland) they have the most adorable kids clothing patterns (and some adult ones too, but i haven’t tried those yet). some are pretty complex, but some are fairly basic. nice work!
federal way flowers says
nice work!
Amanda says
Beautiful! And very sweet. I have many memories of clothes my mom sewed for me when I was your daughters’ ages (well, maybe more like Roxanne than Stella), it’s a very special thing.
shula says
I hear you.
I got an F for Sewing in High School.
The only fail I ever received.
Go figure.
Mama Urchin says
Simple dresses are so great to sew for little girls. When Katrina’s get short she wears them with legginings or jeans too.
Shannon (shannylee.com) says
I think it’s absolutely adorable!
Mimi K says
Fantastic! I am so happy the fabric is getting some use- you realize it is almost certainly older then you, right?!! My mom would be pleased 🙂
meg says
I recently took the plunge too. And damn if it isn’t easy! sewing three dimentional stuffed objects is much harder. I’m starting to think I could sew my kids’ whole wardrobe, but I might be getting ahead of myself.
Maritza says
You did a fabulous job! It is adorable.
Jennifer says
I love the fabric, and the pattern looks totally reasonable. I’m envisioning dresses for my 2 year old that she can still wear at 4…
Very inspiring. You do fine work.
Jhoanna says
Way to go Abby! It is a super cute dress (and even cuter is the model!) and the fabric is perfect. Hope to see more!
ernabeytut says
wow nice job!! especially when you have girls it’s so nice to sew them clothes!
Wendy says
Darling – great fabric choice. This is why I stock up when I see leggings on clearance. What was last year’s dress can be this year’s smock top!
Wendy says
Darling – great fabric choice. This is why I stock up when I see leggings on clearance. What was last year’s dress can be this year’s smock top!
rachel says
That is so cute!! Now you can sew me one!
sulu-design says
I can’t wait to see what happens now that you’ve crossed the garment line! It was only a matter of time…
Natalie says
I have a two year old – I would love to make her some clothes, but I keep chickening out! – My mum made all my clothes as a girl – I look forward to seeing what else you make – Natalie x