Sewing Project: Lilac & Lime Summer Dress

With the fabric that was intended for Abby's Easter dress I've constructed this summery frock! It is so hot here this is a perfect little outfit. I used the "Toddler's Dress" pattern from Making Children's Clothes by Emma Hardy. It's on the front of the book for good reason! This dress is light, but still a fully lined "real" dress.

She had to prove to me she could dance in it and so wear it to Dance Camp today.

My sewing book shopping spree has abated only a bit, just this one in the last couple of months. Quick review of Making Children's Clothes: directions are pretty straightforward, photos are pretty and inspiring if not always helpful, and diagrams are better then average. I recommend for beginners like me who already have another book that teaches the basics. Cute designs all the way through, very modern, and the shoes (fleetingly) make me want to have another baby.

I skipped the ribbons on the bottom since I thought it would be too much with the thick binding and the ruffles.  How cute are those tiny shoes??

Though not an issue with this dress, nearly none of these books ever show you how the back of a garment is supposed to look which is annoying since that is usually where the closure, (button, zipper, etc.) is placed. It isn't spiral bound but lays open and flat once you break in the binding. My only real complaint is the pattern pieces. The front of the book boasts "25 stylish step-by-step sewing projects for 0-5 years, including full size paper patterns".  Here is a photo of the "full size paper patterns":

It's like a metro map:  take the green line to Piccadilly station, cut on the fold then transfer to the pink line...

Construction wasn't difficult once you got the pattern onto the fabric.  I made a couple of changes- I attached the ruffle to the lining so that it peeks out below the dress. I also attached the green quilt binding at the bottom of the dress vs. hemming and skipped the ribbon detail that is in the instructions.

Strap before the fold and iron...

...strap after. Tip for beginners: this is why a good iron and ironing board are so important. This would be hard to impossible without them. And yes, I need to work on my cutting too.

The yo-yo beribboned badge was fun to make! I got to break out my glue gun which hasn't seen any action in years. Not even sure why I purchased one in the first place.  The lime accent idea came from the fact that I didn't have any white buttons... but I did have green! Then I found the ric-rac and the binding. I really don't plan out these projects in advance like I should.

The back. 

Cost: Technically, I had everything on hand since it was intended for another project, but I'd wager this was about $12. That's probably a little high. I do have a lot of fabric left over. In time this took about 3-4 hours.

Verdict: In love with it! My best project I've completed so far in terms of my skill level in completing it. Could be a little longer, but my daughter has inhumanly long legs (doesn't get it from me!) and while I could adjust it so the shoulder ties were lower, she has a scar on her chest (open heart surgery) that I like to keep covered in the sun.  It wouldn't be hard to adjust the pattern to make it longer next time.

Linkys!: