Twirly Froggy Dress

 Three times is a charm, they say. It may be true as my third try at sewing up the First Day Dress, by Made, resulted in the best fit, so far, for Lula.

 Searching for a fabric that had a polka dot look, but a little something different, I decided on the cute little froggy fabric, called Hopping Along, from the Lotus Pond designs by Rae Hoekstra. The organic fabric is made by Cloud 9 Fabrics. For lining, a little cotton floral, found on the clearance table at Joanne's, seemed the perfect contrast as well as price!

 Cutting the neckline down about a half an inch and using the next size larger pattern made the dress a lot more comfortable for Lula to wear. It would fit a bit better with a little tapering at the waistline but would require a zipper in the back, I think, to make it easy to put on. A belt at the waist might do the trick, too, and look pretty cute.

 Lula loved the large turquoise flower shaped button at the neck. Again, I made a self fabric loop closure rather than the suggested elastic cording.

 When the weather turns cooler, later this week, Lula can pair the dress with leggings and a cardigan for a different look. She'd really like to turn the fully lined dress wrong-side-out and wear it that way as the lining fabric is her favorite part! I might have to think about how to do that next time!

 The best thing about this dress, really though, is how twirly the skirt is!

 And twirling is pretty important stuff when you are in kindergarten, you know.

Okay, I guess I better slow down on the Little Girl Wardrobe and get a bit of quilting done now. More on that soon!

Take 2, Etc.

My second try at making the First Day Dress resulted in a better fit around the neck. Besides making a size 6 rather than 5 like last time, I also used the cutting line for a different size neckline to enlarge the opening.

Next time I might leave the back neckline alone and only cut the front piece with a lower opening. For summer, though, the lower back makes for a breezier top!

It was so toasty outside that my lens fogged up while I was shooting these photos of Lula in her tunic top.... sorry about that!

I added a little ruffle to the front and used the cap sleeve version this time. The pattern called for treating the lining and the top as one when hemming but I chose to hem them separately for fear that after washing there would be some puckering. I think we are maybe ready to try the dress pattern next!

Size 2 summer outfits are as much fun to sew as size 6, I've found!

I've been wanting to try out this Burda sundress pattern 9551. The Posey print by Aneela Hoey is so sweet.... I just adore it! I also love tiny piping on little girl's dresses for some reason. Fortunately, I had some on hand left over from my hand-smocking days.

Lois has been wearing size two clothing for quite awhile now. The length of the skirt was perfect on her but it was a bit wide through the torso with this pattern. 

A back zipper makes for easy off and on. I added buttonholes to the bodice so that the straps can easily be adjusted by just moving the buttons up or down.

Lois, like her girl cousins, loves wearing a cute little dress whenever she can!

Of course, her Lolly, is happy to accommodate! Here's the Burda skirt pattern made up in her size using Heather Ross's strawberry fabric. 

I left off the big bow and did not line the skirt this time.

It seems to me that Lois likes it that way just fine. She even came up with a name for her skirt: The Birthday Skirt!

She must be planning ahead though because she's got a few months to go before her birthday rolls around!

First Day Dress and Top Pattern Review

Today, I am excited to share a new pattern with you called First Day Dress designed by danamadeit. (I hope you like orange, because what follows is a ton of orange flowered photos!)

The downloadable pattern features 5 style options, each made with or without sleeves. I chose the summery sleeveless peplum top to try out this cute pattern. The fabric is Sunnydays by Kate Spain, which I had on hand.

All of the style options are lined. I chose to do a half lining for this first try. A Briar Rose print by Heather Ross made the perfect combo for the lining.

The peplum style is so flattering and Lula couldn't wait to try it out! (That's a disc golf game she's leaning on in case you are wondering what in the world it is!)

Really, the style is just as darling viewed from the back as it is from the front!

There are 46 pages to this pattern set so it take a little while to print it all off. Printed on regular 8"x11" paper, the pattern pieces are made to be taped together and cut out for whatever size you are going to sew. 

 At $10, the pattern includes sizes 2 through 10 and has lots of how-to photos plus very detailed and clear instructions. After you download the pattern, you can go back and print off just the pieces you need for whatever view you are wanting to make. I found a clear plastic bag to store the pattern pieces and a notebook to hold the instructions.

According to the size chart, Lula, who just turned six, measured at a size 4. I couldn't bring myself to sew that small of a pattern for her, so settled on the size 5.There were only 2 pattern pieces for the peplum top so cutting it out went quickly. The lining technique used was different from anything I've lined before. Instructions called for pressing under 3/8" all around the armholes on both the outer fabric and lining. Thinking that it might lend a more professional result, I first sewed 3/8" from the edge to create a fold line. 

I would definitely recommend that added step as the edges folded in like magic, as I'd hoped, and topstitching the lining and top together at the armhole made for a nice finish. 

One other change that I made was to create my own button loop using a 1" bias strip of fabric and folding the raw edges into the inside. (The pattern calls for using elastic cord, which I didn't have and am not fond of.) 

Just be sure that you cut the fabric loop long enough to go around the button you choose. I found a fun antique button in my collection to dress up the back.

Okay, here's where I get to the disappointment part of this adorable pattern. The fit. I wondered as I was cutting out the pattern just how it was going to work to use the same pattern piece for both the front and the back of the top. As you can see in the photo below, indeed, maybe it didn't work very well at all.

 The neckline in the front is very high. So high, in fact, that Lula immediately began tugging on the top to pull it down from around her neck. She is very slender, so a larger boned child would be even more uncomfortable, perhaps.

 Also, the armhole openings hike up at the top on Lula. I'm so thankful that I chose to make the larger size or it would not have fit at all.

When I make the pattern again, besides cutting the front neck opening larger, I will also make the back opening slit longer. Lula had a bit of a struggle getting the fitted top over her head and down over her arms.

 The top could also stand to be a little longer, but then Lula is also tall for her age. I will definitely be using the size 6 or even 7 the next time I sew up this style.

Although disappointed with the fit, Lula and I both liked the top and think it is worth it to keep tweaking it till we get the shape right. We are anxious to try one of the dresses next. Doesn't Felicity looked cute in her matching tunic! (For Lula's birthday, we took Felicity to the beauty shop in the American Girl Store for a new hair do. Fancy, huh!! Felicity, a retired American Girl Doll, was purchased for $3.99 at a thrift store last month. What a find!)

Well, after all of this "fitting of the top" stuff, we decided to have Jane try it on for size. Jane, who will be four in August, is small for her age. You can see that the proportions of the size 5 are all wrong on Jane, but the neckline fits great.

Pearl..........doesn't really care a hoot about what fits who!!

Have a happy weekend! Hope it includes sewing.