I have been saving a Narwhal print by Sarah Jane from the Out to Sea collection for a special occasion. I love her fabrics and designs. She brings a beautiful childlike dream quality to her work which makes me think of my own childhood. After selecting the fabric I needed a pattern. I had picked up some Simplicity patterns during a 99 cent Joann Fabrics sale during my last minute baby crafting craze but honestly they did not look that inspiring.
I had been admiring the Geranium dress pattern by Made by Rae for a long time and decided that this would be the perfect pattern to try. It was awesome! I think after trying out a pdf sewing pattern I don't know if I will ever want to go back to a traditional paper sewing pattern. With full scale color images explaining each step and a huge online community of inspiration and trouble shooting guidance it made sewing a breeze and I finished the dress in about 2.5 hours.
I made the 0-3 months size of the pattern for the bodice, but for the skirt the 24 months size. Charlotte is really long! Plus I liked the extra gathers the larger length provided and by creating a deeper hem should be able to make a new bodice to attach to the skirt once she grows out of the 0-3 month size. As you know babies grow fast! I chose not to do the hem stitching and instead blind stitched the inside lining following the pattern tutorial. As I do not have a serger I also used french seaming techniques for all the seams in the skirt to create a beautiful inside finish.
To finish the dress up I added a gold crocheted collar, which was something of a pain to design the pattern! I worked on it during dentist appointments, trips to dinner with friends and watching late night movies and I actually finished it! The last minute addition was the gold crocheted bow on her headband. Made quickly in the car it was the perfect addition.
Did I mention those pretty sequin shoes? Check back for the details on how to make those!
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| Mr. C. giving Charlotte a hug for being such a great model! |
