I have spent the last week or so doing a lot of sewing. Several projects had been lagging around for a while in my sewing bin and if I didn't finish some of them soon Greta would grow out of them before she ever got to wear them! The less exciting items on my todo list were: fixing the hem in 2 pairs of pants, fusing down facings in an outfit for Ethan, sewing on a button on a romper Greta wore last year, putting new leg elastic in a Bum Genius diaper.
The more exciting items on my todo list:
This was a pretty straightforward pattern although it did encompass about 10 yards of double fold bias tape. I used Michael Miller fabric coordinates for all the fabrics (including the bias tape). I also put the bib of the apron together differently than the pattern suggested because of bulk where all the bias tape came together. If you are interested in making this and want to know the specifics, let me know.
This top probably looks familiar. I made it last fall for Greta to wear this spring but was never satisfied with the ribbon shoulder straps. They came untied so easily and that annoyed me & Greta. I redid the straps to have hook & eye closures and a bow tacked on top. I also added pants to the ensemble as the dress was now a little short on her. It will now serve her several years as a swing top. The dress is made with fabric finders ladybug pique and black gingham. The pants are solid black pique. I made the pants identical to the pattern except for adding the rick-rack trim.
This dress was made identical to the pattern (including fabrics (Pink, Blue, Green Mosaic & Blue Stripe) except for the same change to the straps as above. I loved the pattern for the bloomers. It was very straightforward and easy to follow. I'm going to try some more Bonnie Blue patterns to see if they are designed as nicely.
This dress is a gift for a cousin who is having a baby this fall. I wanted to give something for a little down the road vs. the usual first year clothing. This was a fun dress to sew and I was able to make the entire garment with notions & fabric I had in my stash. The fabric I bought at Hobby Lobby last year, lining was leftover white broadcloth from a blouse I made for Greta, ribbon was also a leftover, and the zipper was bought for making bags as gifts for my bridesmaids. Just goes to show you shouldn't throw away stuff you don't use in a sewing project. Never know when it'll come in handy....7 years later! I made extensive changes to this pattern based upon comments on pattern review.
1) The original pattern had the ribbon ties sewn into the side seam of the bodice but otherwise not tacked down. I opted to wait until the garment was done except for zipper & hem and sewed the ribbon to the dress centering it on the seam between bodice and skirt. Doing so at this point allowed the ends of the ribbon to be caught in the seam for the zipper. Once the dress was complete I tacked the bow to the front. The ribbon is not functional in the original pattern and not tacking it down allows it to come untied which I imagine would be frustrating to mom and child.
2) I sewed the sleeves in flat vs. in the round. I've sewn in sleeves both ways and really prefer putting them in flat, particularly in a childs garment where the completed sleeve is so small and may not fit around the arm of the machine.
3) Because I sewed the sleeves in flat I changed the side seams of the bodice to be french seams. I felt like this gave the inside a much cleaner look.
