In the Sewing Room ~ Dolly and Me Dresses

When our little Anna (age 5 then) was visiting with us a few months ago, she came out of the sewing room with two pieces of fabric and asked me to make her a dress. She had chosen the fabric she wanted for the top and the one she wanted for the skirt. How could I resist?

Of course there's not much time for serious sewing while the grands are visiting, but I told Anna that I would have the dress ready for her when she visited the next time. So in anticipation of their expected visit next week, I made her dress adding a third fabric for the lining and at the waist to visually tie her two chosen fabrics together. Added a little embellishment and made a matching dolly dress. Just need to hem it when I see how much she's grown between visits. The kiddos are always inches taller with each visit!

Even though we have to postpone getting the grands for a few weeks now (distance is no friend to families), I know Anna will love the dress when she comes in a few weeks. Anna has dress love. Can't wait to see her in it!

Tutorial ~ Rosettes For A Little Girl's Dress

Finished another little dress this week and added a little rosette to this one. Thought I'd share a simple tutorial with you if you know a little girl who'd like a little rosette to match her favorite dress. Or you can make one to wear in her hair as well. They're so simple you might just not be able to stop making them! If you're familiar with making yoyos, it's pretty much the same thing.

For the 2-inch rosette I made, I began with a little larger than 4-inch square of fabric, and cut out a circle. I used a CD, which was the perfect size for my rosette. If you want to make different sizes, a good rule of thumb is to cut a circle twice the diameter of what you want your rosette to be.

Using a strong thread or doubled thread, turn under about a 1/4 inch and use a large running stitch (about 3/8-inch or so) to sew around the circle. The secret to a tight center in the rosette is the large stitches. The first time I made a rosette, I had to start over because my stitches were too small. Be sure to make a substantial knot so it won't slip through the fabric as you pull up the gathers.

Stitch all around the circle, turning under the edge and gathering as you go.

When you arrive back to where you began, adjust the gathers to your liking and put the needle and in and out through the back a couple of times to secure the stitching and knot or tack off.

I like to use a button with a shank, but you can use any button you like. The shank button fits nicely into the circle of the rosette.

Just sew the button in the center of the rosette, and voila! There's your little rosette.

 

I used a pin to attach the rosette to the dress so it can removed for laundering. To use it in the hair, simply sew a little hair clip to the back of the rosette instead.

I made the black one to match the piping on the neckline of the dress, but they're especially pretty and cute in bright little prints and solids. These were made from the same multi-colored fabric. Add a button or leave them as they are. Add a pin or a little hair clip, and there you go!

You can use yoyos lots of ways. Click here for some yoyo inspiration!

Happy Sewing!

From the Sewing Room ~ Anna's Dress

I haven't been in the sewing room much lately, but I did make our little Anna a special springtime dress. She wore it when we went to do a little shopping. I was looking for some flowers, and she chose some to take home to her mommy, too. She is a delightful little shopper, and I so much enjoy our times out together.

The dress is the same style I've been making for the other dresses for my maybe-someday-Etsy-shop, but I know Anna especially likes princessy dresses, so I added a chiffon overlay to the skirt. The fabric is actually a piece that I've had for many years. I had purchased it to make her mommy a skirt back when she was in college, but didn't get to it. She had picked out the fabric with scattered tulips back then, so I thought it would be extra special to use it for Anna's dress.

I added lace to the chiffon hem, added a dotted pink waistband and matching piping at the neck. The bodice is lined, and the back closure is matching pink dot loops for little white flower buttons.

I hope you've had the opportunity to enjoy your creative side a bit lately.... or have enjoyed some special moments with your grandchildren. Grandparents are truly blessed!

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged.

Proverbs 17:6

From the Sewing Room ~ Little Girl Dresses

I've finished a few more dresses since I last posted a picture, so thought I'd show one today. I'm enjoying working with my fabric stash that I had collected for quilt making. I haven't gone away from quilts for little ones, but I've been spending more time the past few months pulling pieces that I think would make cute little girls' dresses. Some day I may open an Etsy shop, but for now I'm just enjoying the process and stocking the closet in my spare time.

One of my goals in making dresses is to also make some for our church's next mission trip. So for each Etsy dress that I make, I'm also making a dress for a little girl over there, one that will do her for awhile as she grows. That one is on the left. Trying to be a good steward of my abilities, time, and resources as well as being involved in promoting the gospel. Maybe someday I'll be able to meet some of the little girls that have worn my dresses. :-) I do pray that they are Heaven bound. I had posted about the "Dress A Girl Around the World" campaign a few years ago that touched my heart and got me involved.

The one for the someday-Etsy shop (unless I find a local boutique) has a bound neckline and armholes with the same fabric as the lining and a little self-fabric bow and a button that matches the buttons on the back. I found a clearance sale on buttons yesterday at JoAnn's, so I stocked up—yay!!

God has given us all something we can do for the here and now and for the everlasting. I do hope you are enjoying both, dear one, and laying up treasures that are eternal.

From the Sewing Room ~ Little Girl Dresses

I've had more time to be in the sewing room this week. Showing one of the dresses I've made for my thinking-about-it Etsy shop in a few (several) months down the road. I enjoy working with fabric, the tactile feel of it, the combination of colors, and the design work. Each dress will be unique as I whittle away at my fabric stash. I'm mostly using 100% cotton that I've purchased from quilt fabric shops that I love to frequent. Each shop has a character of its own, and I like supporting small business owners.

As a start, I'm making a couple of dresses in each size for each basic style, probably focusing on sizes 3-10. I'm wanting to learn more about designing my own patterns, but for now this is a basic pattern for cutting the bodice. The directions with the pattern were too convoluted, anyway, so I just construct it more to what seems simpler to the way I think about it.

This particular dress is a size 8 classic style with gathered skirt, and I've embellished the front with a ruffle, some cotton lace, and matching buttons. The fabric is a Windham floral for the skirt and Andover mini floral tonal for the bodice. The bodice is lined with the same fabric and the skirt seams are serged, so all seams are enclosed.

The back closure is formed with self-fabric loops and buttons that match the front.

Something else I'm going to have to learn is how to take better pictures. I've signed up for a Crafty class on Product Photography, and hopefully, I'll learn how to do that before I launch. Or else I'll think about contacting a children's boutique shop here in the area and forget the photos and all the description that goes into selling on Etsy. I don't really want to put a lot of time into that aspect of it.

I hope you're enjoying doing something from your creative side, too. Being made in God's image in part means that we all have a touch of creativity simmering inside us. I don't have much, but I'm enjoying the modest measure that He endowed me with. Some of you can really shine, though! You inspire the rest of us toward new ideas. But as King Solomon once said, "There's nothing new under the sun." We all just tweak each others' ideas. So tweak on, dear one!