Our Favorite Sundress and Retro Reproduction Dress

Update:  the free pattern of the Retro Reproduction dress can now be found here

I know a pattern is a "keeper" when my daughter wants an exact replica of a dress she wore the summer before...that is the case with this red polka dot and floral sundress.  Last summer I made Simplicity 2469 out of this same floral/fruity fabric and a different red polka dot.  She wore it constantly and it has quickly become her "go-to" sundress this year as well.  We pair it with these shorts and we are good to go!

This is really a tried and true pattern for us.  I also made one in Crafty Chloe fabric by Heather Ross.  I haven't seen this fabric line featured anywhere on sewing blogs but it is super cute and based on an illustrated character drawn by Heather Ross.  You can see below the Simplicity pattern made up in Crafty Chloe fabric.  If you want to know more about the Crafty Chloe character go here.  Its an adorable blog with crafting ideas for kids.  We have this book in the collection and really enjoy it.  

It warms my little Mommy heart when I get a request for an exact replica of a dress I've sewn before and its also great when the pattern is at hand and I have yardage left over from the first time I made it!  

Now on to Bitty Girl's dress (below).  This is the dress that I'm now calling the Retro Reproduction dress since I copied it from a vintage dress that both of my children have worn.

In my last post about this dress I said it really lends itself to applique and you can see that here.  The whale applique is from an old crafting book I have and its hard to distinguish but I added water spouting from the top of it with black stitching.

Again I LOVE this shape on tiny ones, their little legs sticking out and bloomers peaking out...Love it.

I said in my last post that I would try to offer this as a free pattern and I still plan on doing that, I've got the original scanned into the computer and now to clean it up and create a pattern that is easy to use!!  It will happen soon, its just that most of the time going out for ice cream, playing in fountains and in general nurturing little human beings comes first!  Plus this week my youngest is turning two!! Two!- I tell you, so hard to fathom how the days are long but the years are short!  

So tell me, exactly how interested are some of you in making this pattern, any ideas for what you'd like to applique on the front of it?  My hope is to offer it before mid-August.  Starting with sizes 2T and 3T (with Hanni's help of course-right Hanni!?).  

Linking up to Frontier Dreams: Keep Calm and Craft On.