At last- a non-f00d, non-eco topic...
I have a new hobby... though I guess it was an old hobby that I fell in love with again. I have sewn as long as I can remember... I made Barbie dresses and dresses for my dolls. When I got married, I made curtains and bedspreads. I even tried once or twice to make a dress for Caroline. I had a machine that had a terrible problem with the bobbins... so I didn't sew as much. When I got a new machine (an Elna 3500) several years ago (thanks to a birthday present from my aunt), I sewed more, but stuck with household items.
Lately, I was making nursing covers. And I was making one for my friend Sarah who was having her fourth child. When shopping for fabrics I found the Apples and Pears fabric and I felt I had to make something more than her nursing cover with it. I didn't need any more curtains, so I decided to make dresses for the girls. Claire's was first, it is tiered so it spins (she loves "spinning dresses" and she was with me when I found the fabric. Caroline's came next. Since she was turning seven, I decided to make a more grown-up dress, and copied one she already had. Then I made pants and a skirt for Claire and Emma and appliqued t-shirts (the same friend Sarah being my inspiration) to match. At this point, we were discussing flower girl dresses for my brother's upcoming wedding. His fiancee had a beautiful, simple flower girl dress in mind. Ready to order, I hesitated... I could make the dress. And so I volunteered... I found a pattern, and made a practice dress for Emma. It was too big in the bodice and she hated it. (Despite the fact that she isn't even 1 1/2 yet- she has shown an obvious preference for more colorful and bold fabrics). So, I made the last apple and pear dress in the same pattern as the flower girl dress, changing the bodice to a size 12 months and keeping the skirt in the size 24 months. And it is almost perfect. She loves it... Caroline and Claire love theirs as well. The best part- Caroline is outside sewing with a real needle, trying to make a skirt for her American doll. Maybe in 10 years, we'll be making her prom dress together.
Here are some pics...
Matching pants and skirt with appliqued t-shirts...
The too big flower girl dress...
Same dress with the sash... she really did not like it!
The girls in their "matching" dresses... 
Emma's apples and pears dress. Same dress as the flower girl dress.. just different fabric!!
3 comments:
I LOVE THEM!! Do you want to sell them? I can link you and I bet you can make some $$. They're so cute!
I bet you can sell them, too. When Claire wore it to school I wondered where you had found it!
I would SO buy some dresses from you! Emma and Erin are in the spinning dress stage too (Emma is still wearing a long sleeved dress from Christmas because it has GREAT twirl appeal!). I really like that they coordinate but are unique to each girl and Caroline's is simply lovely. You amaze me with your talent and ability to use your time so well.
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