Baby dresses

I’m going to need to start posting some sewing projects or rename my blog! Apparently I like sewing in my spare time more than I like writing about it. Anyway, to get me started, here are some baby dresses I made as a commission for a friend in the early autumn. My friend used to be a fashion buyer and sent me a whole spreadsheet with details of the fabrics she wanted, the sizes and the patterns 🙂The middle and left ones are the Lucy dress from Peekaboo patterns. The one on the right is self-drafted using this tutorial but without the bow (which is very easy and a lovely introduction to sewing dresses). The Lucy dress is also a nice gentle make; the only slightly fiddly bit really is putting bias tape or ribbon around the armholes. I almost didn’t do that because it’s a little baby dress, but then my liking for a nice finish on the inside won out. I’m glad I did as my friend (who loved them all, luckily), commented on how much she liked the seam finish. I might have guessed I couldn’t pull a fast one on an ex-fashion buyer!

Here are the Lucys close up. They’re designed with a bow on the front but my friend preferred them plainer and actually liked the one with no elastic at all the best (the top one):They were all 6-9 and 9-12 months.

And, just to keep the ball rolling, here is a dress which I hated making but which I loved in the end. It’s the Pinafore Kitty Cat dress by Sew Like a Pro. I hated making it because the back fastening and collar are fiddly, but mainly because the instructions, I’m sorry to say, are almost impossible to follow. Luckily, the designer has made a youtube video to talk you through it, and I’d recommend going straight there (google it). Seriously, I’m pretty used to following sewing instructions and the written directions had me tearing my hair out. The video tutorial is much better though and has some nice tips.

Having finished it though, I love the details and the shape (you can’t see it but the back is fastened with three buttons). It’s exactly the sort of dress I’d put a daughter of mine in – but having (and adoring having I should add) a male flavour munchkin, I get vicarious pleasure out of sewing for other people’s daughters 🙂 This one was a secret-santa type birthday present for a two-year old and she looked very cute in it indeed. I was pleased to have enough of the fabric left to make myself a cover for my tablet too.