Sundresses for Grand daughters

Last summer, I happened across a great deal on cute fabric for summer dresses!   I tend to buy fabric that I like without a plan.  Other trips to the fabric store yielded 4 or 5 patterns; so I was ready to go!  Since I finished was “between” things, I decided to make a couple of sundresses for my little grand daughters; ages 1 and 3.  They are moving to  a warm climate, summer year round, or as it’s been said – “the land of the eternal sundress!”

Started with the size 4 (they need to grow into these dresses); worked through all the complexities of a Simplicity pattern, #1673.   Of course, since I had the pattern and the fabric, all I needed were the notions….and THAT I never buy ahead of time.  I finished the size 4 on Saturday, but needed buttons and rick rack.  So a trip to Walmart after church was in order.  I was going for WHITE rick rack, but tripped over the right “blue”.  I put the white away for the next time….save the trip to the store.

I finished it up on Sunday evening, just in time to “show” at Quilt Guild on Monday. (Yea, it’s not a quilt, but they are ok with that!  My quilt is still on the hanger – pin basted….waiting for me to machine quilt it…….I needed a bit of a break before tackling it).  On Monday after quilt guild,  I traced the smaller pattern onto newprint and cut out the size 2.  Finished it up today.

I counted 39 pins on the facing when I was attaching to the main body of the dress and the cap sleeves!

Truthfully, the hardest part for me was making “sense” of the pattern instructions.  I remember when pattern instructions were “easy” to understand.  For me, not so much anymore.  (My mother would NEVER buy a Butterick pattern because they were “too hard”).  I figured once I finished the size 4, I better do the size 2 right away, while my head was still clear on what the instructions were trying to convey. Honestly,  there were a couple of points where I decided to do it “my way”, and I ended up with the same result as they were trying to convey!

I love the buttons I found at Walmart –

and the rick rack was perfect….picked up the darkest of the turquoise!

No, the orange is not blood, it is transfer paper…I had forgotton

to remove the marks from the pattern….have to read the package on proper method; water, eraser, washing etc.

(Note to self…the WRONG side of the fabric next time you transfer the marks from the pattern to the fabric…..duh….)

Size 4 all ready to take to quilt guild

Matching dresses

Now I need to plan out a matchbox car caddy for the big brother….picked out the fabric….need to think it through before I cut into my fabulous fabric!!

Until next time, stitch straight!