Wednesday 12 February 2014

Dolores's Christmas Dress


Here's some makery for you. I started this cute little dress for my little lady whilst I was still pregnant, a time that feels sooo far away now but was actually only just over 4 months ago, and picked it up again to complete and give to her for Christmas. This garment is for a baby of about 1 years old so there's still ages before it will see action. My main issue with it is that I want to wear it myself! 


Pattern:

I'm not sure if it's Burda magazine or me, but for ages now I haven't liked any of the women's patterns in it. However the above edition (9/2013) had some baby's wear patterns that I definitely felt belonged in my pattern-arsenal. I imagine I'll come back to some of these patterns again and again, tracing a bigger size each time. If you want to get hold of this dress pattern you can find it on the Burdastyle website here (along with the other baby patterns from the magazine edition). 


Fabric and Notions:

Like the majority of my makes these days, this dress is comprised of 100% stash stuff. The navy fabric is some poly/cotton bought in Shepards Bush market years ago that just won't seem to disappear despite having made several things from it now. The contrast polka dot fabric that I used for the yokes and pockets came from my last 'proper' job. The heart braid was bought from a tiny shop in the Gothic quarter in Barcelona that sold only braid (!). I really love how these randomly sourced elements look perfect together. 


Construction:

This was a relatively simple garment to whip together, although I overlocked all the raw edges inside to give it a clean finish. The only problem I encountered was my own laziness and reluctance to figure out the old school manual method of making button holes on my new (to me) sewing machine, so I cheated and stitched poppers down the back instead! To be honest, with seven sets of tiny poppers to stitch on, it probably would have taken the same amount of time to just sit down and work out how to use the machine, but at least popper stitching can be done on the sofa whilst enjoying a small vino. 


Conclusion:

Sewing baby/children's clothes is frikkin' awesome! Who knows if it'll fit (if you're making it as far in advance as this one) but when it takes as little time and fabric as this project, you're unlikely to mind so much if it doesn't work out. Plus there's not so many fit issues to consider so the likelihood of it not working out is reduced as well. So, who's up for the challenge of grading this pattern up to an adult-lady size?! I've still got some of that damn navy poly/cotton left...

25 comments:

Vicki Kate said...

Beautiful! She'll look gorgeous in it much too soon!

Anonymous said...

Awww it's so dinky. Little miss will look so chic in this dress.

Catherine said...

Oh but think of the time you will save - buttons so much slower to do up and undo when it comes to dressing a wriggling one year old... poppers all the way I say :-)
BEAUTIFUL

Anonymous said...

this is adorable! can you make me one in my size??!

Jane said...

Oh my god, this is the cutest baby girl dress ever! Now you'll have to make her that red gingham swing coat to go with it! x

Anonymous said...

This is SO adorable! The heart trim is a great touch!

Jacq C said...

That is so gorgeous - I think you need a matching outfit :)

Unknown said...

It's such fun making things for your little one. Enjoy it. xx

Kathryn said...

Oh this is just so cute! I love that heart ribbon with the polka dots! I've also just discovered how much fun sewing for wee ones is- I can't wait to do more!

robinsnc said...

That is adorable! I snapped that pattern up right away last fall. I made a dress and a shirt for my daughter who just turned two. I think they'll last the spring, but by then she'll have outgrown the pattern, unfortunately!

vintagerockchick said...

Cute dress, I think you owe it to yourself to make matching frocks!

EmSewCrazy said...

It's adorable. Love all the different elements. Baby clothes are addicting! Making it ahead just means it's ready for when she hits that size. Sometimes kids grow so quickly...

Neeno said...

I love baby clothes, so adorable!! I bought two cute Simplicity (?) vintage baby patterns last year (the envelopes were irresistible) but haven't made them because these is no motivation!

Philippa said...

Super cute dress! I love the shape of children's clothes. Quite fancy one of those dresses myself!

tialys said...

It's delightful. Was she pleased with it when you gave it to her at Christmas :) I used to do daft things like wrap up clothes for my girls when they were small - they appreciate it much more now but they aren't as cute!

Catherine said...

super cute! i honestly feel like im going to have a boy one day, but i really want a girl so i can make her pretty lil dresses like this

angela said...

Such a sweet little dress! I have been wanting to make kids clothes for my friends children.. you are inspiring me!

annanic said...

This is so cute! I agree that you should try and work out something matching for yourself. Matching outfits really are underrated I think =D I love the little pockets! I have a similar pattern I use for my daughter and may have to try adding twee little pockets.

Unknown said...

Inspired. I've had enough of dressmaking for me not working out, this gas made me think I should try making gifts for friends' new baby and christening's coming up!

Hana said...

Very cute dress! I love it :-)

Jill said...

So, so, so cute. I love how it's not too girly, but very sweet. Don't you just love sewing for babes, I know I do! It's just so quick and satisfying :-D

Brooke said...

The dress is adorable and i think it would be so cute in adult sizes too!

frk.bustad said...

So cute!

Unknown said...

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Unknown said...

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