I am so excited to show you what came from my studio last week.
It’s a dress for my daughter, because the little girl clearly needs more clothes. (That’s sarcasm, by the way.) Bwahahahaha!!!! The child’s closet is literally STUFFED with clothes, and yet I continue to make them for her.
Little girl clothes are just. so. much. fun. Especially when you’re sewing with a friend, which is how this dress came about.
The design was a collaboration between my friend Melissa and me. We made matching dresses for our daughters to wear. They like to coordinate their clothes for church sometimes. In a few years she’ll “just die” if someone shows up wearing the same thing as her, but for now it’s the coolest thing ever.
The shape of the dress is pretty basic. A roundneck sleeveless bodice with an A-line gored skirt. It’s made from knit fabric and bound with – you guessed it – foldover elastic. I also stitched some foldover elastic around the waist just for a little bit of “pop” there.
What’s funny is that this looks NOTHING like the design we started out making. Our initial design was a halter dress with a gathered skirt. Actually that would have been really cute, but changing it to a full bodice with no sleeves makes it where it can be worn over a t-shirt and leggings in the fall. And the pie-shaped panels on the skirt took less fabric and was a more flattering twirly shape than a straight gathered panel.
Right now I’m thinking of calling it The Garden Playdress, simply because she wore it to our community garden today and had sooo much fun playing outside in it. She ran, she climbed, she dug, she weeded, she watered, and even pushed a wheelbarrow – all while wearing the dress and looking pretty as a picture.
I’m thinking that this is going to become a go-to style for us. There are lots of possibilities for changing up the bodice or altering the skirt, but the basic shape is comfortable and works well for a growing body.
And since it’s mixy-matchy and none of the pieces are really all that big, it doesn’t take very much yardage of any one print. I’m already plotting and planning my next version.
Because the child clearly needs some more clothes. Bwahahahaha!!!
Very cute dress!!! I’m not familiar with binding with fold over elastic, but it sounds great. Can you get it at most fabric stores? I’m assuming it comes in a bunch of different colors?
Thanks!
Thanks so much!! Foldover elastic is my new best sewing friend. It’s basically what it sounds like – elastic that folds over the edge of a piece of fabric. You just fold it over and zig zag it down. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. It comes in sooo many colors and once you use it, you’ll be hooked. Sadly I’ve never been able to find it at my local fabric store. Check out this post for more on foldover elastic, including a links to a tutorial applying it and the place where I purchase my elastic: http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-the-peek-a-boo-shoulder-shirt/2011/03/09/ –Anne
Thanks Anne! I will definitely check it out. Sounds way better that the traditional bias tape binding!!!
Love this dress. The verticle pieces is really neat. Make more and upcycle those t-s… Thanks for reminding about my fold-over elastic stash.
Very cute, very versatile dress! Oh the options. I’d like one for my daughter, yes, but I think I’ll have to make myself one, too. 😀