I still have a few things cut out and ready to sew, will do sometime when I am looking for a quick project.
This month, I have been making toddler dresses.
This (18-24 mos I think) is the first one I did,. The pattern is McCalls 5791.
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| The dotted fabric is left from pillow cases I made for middle's class. The pink is fabric from the doll stash that my mother dishliked. So a good use for fabric that never would have been made into doll clothes. I had the jumbo black rickrack in my bins. It really ties the whole things together. The bodice is lined with white muslin. There is a zipper in the back. |
I used a (Simplicity 8197) pattern to make dresses for my niece long ago. Over twenty years ago. (I probably made some for middle too. But she does not remember them.) My niece loved them and I made a lot of them. At that time I probably did facings. Now I know to fully line the bodices. (My mother and I do not do facings. Instead we line the whole bodice. Easier to sew, easier to launder, easier to wear.)
I am not very fast making these, yet. I have not yet fully figured out the order to sew things to enclose all the seams and make things easy. At some point in every dress, I sigh and have to rip out and resew something.
These first two are in a size 4. I have multiples of the same pattern. So I can make it in a size 2, 4, 6.
All the doll clothes sewing has been good warm up for garment sewing. It has probably been 20+ years since I did garment sewing and I am rusty. Plus now I do things a different way. I line bodices, I use a serger, I add trim and lace. The original dresses I made for my niece, were very, very plain.
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| The top/red fabric is from the doll stash. Fabric that came from my friend. The strawberry fabric is leftovers from a dress my mother made for youngest. I bought the red lining fabric and the jumbo rickrack. |
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| Extremely happy to use two strawberry buttons from one of my button boxes. (I have thousands of buttons.) I made the loops instead of button holes because the pattern is made to have the bodice fabric meet in the back, not overlap. (I think the pattern calls for hooks and eyes.) I wanted to use buttons and I think the fabric loops are very sturdy and cute. |
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| You have to get very close to see it. I sew rickrack three times. Down the center and then the outsides to hold the tips in place. (If I had not showed you, probably never would have noticed.) This will allow the rickrack to launder and wear very nicely. |
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| The fabric is leftovers from another dress my mother made for youngest. My mom has made 8-10 dresses for her, I think. I found the pink rickrack, pink piping, and white eyelet in the stash of doll stuff at my mother's. |
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| Very good use for two buttons from my boxes. Another set of loops. |
I am making these simply because I want to. I am mostly starting with fabric we already have.
