Sunday, June 3, 2012

Summer Sewing

Even though it doesn't feel much like summer (yet), I have done a little bit of Summer Sewing.

My little girl loves to wear dresses, and so I finally decided to try making one for her. I had a copy of Absolutely A-Line by Wendi Gratz waiting for me to get over my fear of zippers and facings find just the right fabric. This wonderful large-scale print from IKEA fit the bill.

A-Line Dress Collage
See the blue Bandaid on her chin? Monkey Bars: 1, G: 0.

I tackled just one fear in making this dress - the zipper. Which looks pretty great considering it's my first time installing a zipper in a garment. I chickened out and opted for the pattern option that doesn't have a facing; rather, it uses bias binding to finish the arm holes (and hem). I love how the black and white ginghamy check works here (I used the same fabric to bind the Rainbow I Spy quilt). Buoyed by my zipper success, I will tackle the facing in due course.

The dress ended up a touch long. G's tall for her age (gets that from Dad) so I cut out the pattern using the length for the next size up. But she was In A Mood when it came time to hem the dress, so I just sort of held it up to her and guesstimated. Since the fabric is a home-dec weight, I figure she can grow over the summer and wear it well into the Fall and Winter. I hope.

I'm happily linking up to {Sew} Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations, Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story, and entering this project into the Clothing category for Ellison Lane's Summer Sewing Contest when the linky time happens (June 10-17).

14 comments:

  1. Very cute! Nice fabric too. Does IKEA still sell fabric? I heard that at least some locations have stopped selling it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What great fabric! And I love that binding - just as nice as facings for a summer dress.

    ReplyDelete
  3. How adorable! The dress, the fabric, and the model!!!

    What pattern is it? I have a couple of granddaughters that age...

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. She's adorable as is the dress. The check is the perfect accent Felicity! So glad you are entering this in the contest!
    Sorry about the monkey bars!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Really cute! I love it a little long. Good job trying your hand at the zip!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh so cute - both the dress and of course the model :-) Love the fabric and the dress is great, she will get lots of wear from it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. It sure doesn't feel like summer today, does it? G's dress is right cute. she looks quite pleased with herself in it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. So cute! I bet she will be able to wear it for a long time, so the length is great! Pair it with a long sleeve white t and leggings in the fall, and she'll still look adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your girl is precious, and so is the dress! I hope she shows the monkey bars who's boss next time.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Way to tackle your zippers-in-clothing fears Felicity. Just think of all the possibilities this opens up for you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very pretty dress! It is at a good length and I have a scar to prove the monkey bars also won on my playground.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This looks so cute!! Great job.

    Bandaids are a rite of passage. I lost my wind once falling off the monkey bars. It was years before I dared to try them again.... Hope your girl is braver than I!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Felicity, what an adorable dress and I think the length is cute. Congrats on the zipper!!

    ReplyDelete

I *love* comments, and I try to respond to every one by email (but I can't if you're a no-reply blogger!). So go on, don't be shy - leave one to let me know you've stopped by!