Lemon Dress

I've made yet another building block dress.

This again is one of the basic versions of the block dress from the Oliver and S book, this time complete with collars and sleeve cuffs.  The only thing I did differently was just over-locking the sleeves instead of using the sleeve cuff facing.  I wasn't in the mood for fiddly sewing that night.

I toyed with the idea of using a white contrast fabric but I'm glad I ended up going with the yellow. The fabric is some Cotton and Steel with gorgeous little lemons on it.

It looks as good as ever, the book was definitely worth every penny.  I've already had a go at drafting yet another dress.

 Still twirling!

Striped Tinny Dress

I'm kind of proud of this one!

This is a gathered skirt version of the Tinny dress by Straightgrain, a pattern I come back to again and again.

I loved this fabric when I saw one of my local fabric stores post a picture of it on Instagram.  Freya saw the picture and asked for that please, please, please.  She also picked out some orange with diamonds on from the same range. When I'd finished making it, she was very proud that she'd picked the fabric.

I've made this pattern so many times I used the cheat sheet instead of each instruction.  I knew I wanted the stripes to go different ways on the bodice and skirt.  It took quite a bit of work to get that zipper to line up, but I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

This is the first time I'd ever done a blind hem too. I think it's something I'll be using a lot more.

Don't you love a four year old's style?! She's got new shoes and now she won't wear anything else :) 

Pleatie dress in the Sunshine

I took advantage of a slight break in the pretty miserable weather we've been having to photograph a project I actually finished quite a while ago now.

 This is the Pleatie dress from Tadah patterns.  I'd made the short-suit version last year but wasn't thrilled with the fit so I played it safe this year with a dress.  Plus I have a dress crazy girl, so at least I know this will get worn! I love dungarees and pants but it's not worth making lots of them as she will always, always choose to wear a dress!

This was one of those times when I had the idea of making this dress but just couldn't find the right fabric.  I remember looking around and around my local fabric shop one day and nothing was really leaping out at me.  I think it was around my third time round the store that day when I spotted this lovely Tilda fabric and knew it would be perfect.  It's actually a very pale green with blue spots in the flowers but it's a bit tricky to see on the photos.  I found the perfect blue to pair with it, and that was that!

This isn't the quickest dress I've ever made but it did go together nicely, with everything lining up perfectly. I remembered to be very careful with the facing and paid close attention to when and where you fold things too, as I became a bit unstuck there last time. The instructions and diagrams are pretty clear, just make sure you read them carefully.

 I went for sleeveless as I did make it while the weather was cooler (not that it's really warmed up yet!) so it could be easily layered and still work well for Summer.

I love the details of this pattern!  The pleats are just lovely and I really love a good collar.   You have plenty of options with this pattern including sleeves, pants or a skirt, pleats or no pleats, 2 collars to choose from and whether you put the placket on the front or the back.  As you can see I went with a pointed collar and a front button placket.

 It's been a hit with Little Miss and she quite regularly chooses to wear it.  I swear she must be the most overdressed kid at Kinder sometimes, but I figure she may as well wear what she wants.  I've given up trying to save things for going out as I have done in the past, and then some things were grown out of and barely worn. Not chance of that happening with this dress anyway.

Pembridge Pinafore

You can't go wrong with a pinafore dress and knee high socks!

This is the Pembridge Pinafore from Lil Luxe Collection.  I used a simple blue and white stripe I've had in my stash for ages but just never really known what to do with it.  It's great for layering with long or short sleeves so I hope she'll get a lot of use out if it.

The PDF itself wasn't very big and was very quick to go together with everything lining up nicely.  There are two views, one with a button down back or a crossover strap.  I went for the crossover as you can see and it was a seriously quick sew! 

I made a straight size four but I''m wondering if I'll use a slightly bigger piece of elastic in the back as it does seem to be pulling a bit over the chest.  I do like how it has a high back though, that's a lovely design feature.

All in all I like how it's turned out and will probably make another one some day.  I was worried this might look a bit school uniform-ish in this fabric so I might try something a bit bolder and more colourful next time.