Tag: Dress

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A Birthday Dress…Ice Cream Style!

Somebody turned 1! How in the world did time fly by sooo fast?

I of course had to make a birthday dress for Miss Faye. I bought fabric a few months ago that I just loved and knew I had to use (the one on the right is the main fabric, I also got the blue to go with it…the red was for a different project).

 I just never really found a pattern I liked. Then I got busy with life and almost decided to not make a dress at all. Well, I decided the day before her party that I was going to make a dress and that I would again make the Ice Cream dress from Oliver + S. I just made one a couple of weeks ago that turned out GREAT! There are a couple of different style options for this dress. I decided this time to go with the color blocking option. I added a top layer again (I really wanted to show off the fabric that I got a few months ago. I had the royal blue fabric that I had picked up at JoAnn’s, and I also had a beautiful light teal that I had picked up at Hobby Lobby. I still needed 1 more color to pull off the color blocking so I dragged all 3 kids to a local quilt shop after I picked the boys up from school. There, I picked up a great jewel tone royal purple by Michael Miller from the Krystal collection.

I got home and tossed my new fabric in the wash at around 4:30 pm. Then it was dinner and bed time for all the kids…by the time I sat down to start the dress it was 11:30 pm. The party was at 11:00 am the next day. I knew I was going to not be sleeping much if I wanted to pull this off.

I cut and pieced and sewed and altered the pattern to suit my vision…then I sewed some more. I had to go crash around 2 am. Faye woke up at 5:30 to nurse so I got back up after a much too short nap. I fed her and then went back to sewing. The house started waking up around 7:45 or so. I had to pause to wake up Mr. Cassie so he could take care of the kids…the dress was not done. I also called my mom to come over and help with the kids and party set up. I went back to sewing. Around 10:30 I stopped to go jump in the shower so I could sort of look presentable for the party. I got out of the shower, got dressed and then still had to finish the dress. I was sewing the button on as the first guest arrived. And what a lovely button it was!

I kept the little ‘V’ notch in the collar this time

 …and the color blocking with the overlay turned out adorable!

 The party was great…the weather was perfect, and Miss Faye looked awesome in her new Ice Cream Dress.

We of course took it off of her for cake…we don’t want to mess up such a cute dress!

All in all, it was worth it. I would stay up late again working my butt off for her. She is totally worth it. She fits into the madness that is our family sooo well!

Happy First Birthday Miss Faye.

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The Ice Cream Dress

 This was my first go at an Oliver + S pattern…well a paid for one anyway. I am very fond of the Lazy Days Skirt, free pattern on their site. 
My niece is getting married so Miss Faye needed a party dress. I already had the material…a pale yellow broadcloth from Hobby Lobby and a pair of white eyelet pajama pants from the back of my drawer; they just never fit quite right….so I was on the lookout for a pattern. Gail from over at Probably Actually just made another Ice Cream top and I knew that the dress version would be perfect for what I had in mind.
The pattern was easy to follow. They give great tip for making each step a bit easier. Overall, I’m totally in love with the dress I made! I made the 12-18 month size which turned out to be way too long…but fit great everywhere else. I kept all the extra material and just folded it into the hem. This way, as long as the head and sleeves still fit; I have 4 inches I can let the dress out at the bottom. I also modified the dress as well. I wanted the eyelet as an overlay and the pattern called for color blocking. The color blocking just was not what I had in mind for a party dress. I also didn’t add the pockets or the ‘v’ notch that should have been on the collar. I also added some ribbon on the bottom to sort of mimic the color blocking.
Here is the completed dress (well, maybe not…I think I want to add something up near the top).
  
I created the split by folding the eyelet in half after I already cut out the pattern piece. I marked in 2.5 inches (knowing that would double when I unfolded the dress) and around 12 inches up. I cut out the ‘V’ shape that I had created and then I unfolded the dress and continued cutting the front piece in half. I put in a 1/4″ hem going down each side and then I used my surger to sew the two halves back together.
I made the main part of the dress out of a pale yellow material that I picked up at Hobby Lobby. It was one of those purchases just because I loved the color. It was also only a $2 purchase…I mean, how could you pass something like that up! I just knew I would find a reason to use it.

I also picked out a fun button with the help of Miss Faye’s big brothers.

She looks adorable in the dress! As you can see, I added white ribbon on the yellow fabric and yellow ribbon on the eyelet. I choose three different ribbons to add some visual interest.

And someday my 11 month old will get some hair!

ETA….I did add some daisies! This dress is just perfect!

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The Harper Reversible Dress

I really have a thing for Sew Sweet Patterns. They have so many cute patterns out there! I made The Harper Reversible Dress and not only is it cute but it was super easy to make as well. I found this fabric at Jo Anne Fabrics (I really need to start paying attention to the designers for the fabrics). It is a soft cream background with the blue birds and yellow and blue flowers. I am just loving bird fabrics lately.
I love the pleats at the top, and then the classic A-Line silhouette is just perfect for a little girl. The sizing was perfect for this dress though. I was a bit upset that the directions said to get 1/2 yard of each fabric and that was not enough. When I went to cut out the pattern, the fabric was a good 3 inches too short and I needed to make another trip to the fabric store.
 

 For the reverse side I found a subtle yellow tone plaid.

 The best part….the model! It is soooo hard to get a clear shot of her. She is a mover and a shaker and this was the best I could do.

 And the back.

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The Sabrina Dress

Here is the Sabrina Dress from Sew Sweet Patterns I love the material that I picked for the dress but I’m not completely satisfied with the fit. I made the 6 to 9 month size (Miss Faye was 9 months in these pictures) and it is HUGE on her (around, not in length). Usually, she is true to size…she is right below the 50th %. I love the dress though, so I will make it again with some alterations to the pattern first. I like how there is a button and loop in the back…I think I will just add another one to stop the gaping. I also like how the bodice is lined. I also like that I will just be able to add another “tier” to the skirt to make it longer. She will be able to wear this dress for a good couple of years (without having to make another one).
  

Here she is standing up. You can see how HUGE it is. The neck is just way too big and the dress falls off one shoulder all the time.  I may be able to add a pleat in the front to help with that. Maybe take the sides in a couple of inches as well. I followed the pattern exactly…the other patterns from Sew Sweet Patterns have fit beautifully. I’m quite disappointed that this one is just so ‘off’.