Wednesday, May 27, 2009

~Pink Dress~

When I was overdue, and quite sick with a cough, I convinced myself that a complicated sewing project would be just the ticket to take my mind off my worries. Well, it did for a little bit, and then I set it aside. I finally finished it last Saturday, in time for The Baby to wear it to church this Sunday. Thankfully it still fits!

I used Simplicity 2900, size XS. I made the dress, View A; and the slip, View B:



I used a sheer fabric for the dress, and kept it simple with no lace on the collar or sleeves, and no embroidery as the pattern shows.



All those little tucks took a lot of work! There are also pleats at the armhole seam, which makes the dress fit very well.



This is the closest I've come to "heirloom" sewing. The pattern didn't call for it, but the fabric easily frayed, so I used french seams and bound the armhole seams. I do have a serger, but I thought that the french seams would look neater.



I made the slip out of 100% white cotton. The pattern calls for flat lace around the neck, armholes, and hem. I used pre-gathered lace around the hem, and just bound the seams around the arms and neck. Instead of cutting out facings (on the bias) for the neck and armhole edges, I simply used bias tape. It worked well since it already had a folded edge. I also left off the embroidery, since I didn't want it showing through the dress.

Pardon the wrinkliness of the slip; as I mentioned it is 100% cotton (from my fabric bin, I think it is actually muslin, which probably isn't the best choice of fabric. Oh well!)



I enjoyed making this little outfit. Besides aprons, I haven't used any of the vintage patterns, so this was fun. My next project will be much simpler, and hopefully it won't take me 2 1/2 months to complete! :-)

11 comments:

Heather said...

Adorable dress! I'm sure she looked very sweet in it. :)

HopiQ said...

Just darling! It is so very special to sew for your daughter. For the girls' seventh birthday, I made them simple slips since we haven't found what we needed. It was simple but beautiful to work with the white batiste, flat cotton embroidered lace, and to sew French seams. I miss sewing regularly.

Melody said...

Tammy, thanks so much for posting this! I have that pattern, and that exact dress was next on my list to sew.

I really appreciate you posting that it was a lot of work. I haven't read through the instructions yet, and didn't realize it was that involved.

If you don't mind my asking, how true to size is the dress with the weight listed on the pattern? I sewed the XS size, but both dresses look considerably bigger than the 1-3 month readymade clothing I have. How does it compare?

You did an amazing job. The dress is absolutely beautiful!!!

Melody said...

Oops - just re-reading my comment. I meant to say that I sewed the XS size in a different Simplicity vintage pattern (Simplicity 3508). The sizing measurements are the same on both patterns, but I wasn't specific. Sorry about that!

Tammy said...

Melody - The Baby is about 12 pounds now (my goodness, she is growing fast!) and the dress fits her well. She is 2 1/2 months. The sizing for the XS size says "7-13 pounds". I think this dress will fit her for a little while longer (hopefully till we get her 3 month pictures!).

Jessica said...

Tammy, this is so pretty! Thank you for sharing, and I'm so glad you're back to blogging!

Amy ~ (Life's Small Treasures) said...

What a beautiful dress! You did a great job.

Time sure flies by so fast with little ones my daughter is already 12 1/2 weeks :( I can't even believe it.

Enjoy your time with your daughter
~Amy

Meredith said...

Oh, Tammy, that is adorable!

I hope you were able to get a great photograph of her wearing the dress, because I have a feeling it will be an heirloom!

Melody said...

Thanks, Tammy! The dresses I made just seem so big for a newborn. . .now I'm convinced they are.

My poor little one - the summery dresses I made her should fit her right before Christmas! *giggle* Looks like I have more sewing to do!

cfk said...

The dress is beautiful! I'm so glad you're back and congratulations on your daughter.

~~Deby said...

oh Tammy this is so beautiful....you did a beautiful job...I am sure your sweet one just looked precious in it..
deby