Easter Dress #2 and My "Go to" Outfit

This is my 6 year old's Easter dress.  Its the same dress that I made her last Easter, the Oliver and S Fairytale Dress.   Actually this dress was mostly completely constructed because last year I started sewing a size 6 for her by accident and when I was just almost done I realized my mistake, she needed a size 5! Wah so I was pretty frustrated but put everything in a bag and threw it up on a high shelf out of sight until this year.  So this Easter I was excited that I was just almost done when I started= happy Mom.  

Pattern:  Like last year, I added piping to the peter pan collar.  We decided to forgo a sash or any waist details, mostly because some how I had used up all the coordinating coral fabric and couldn't find any more to match.  I added the called for layer of tulle under the skirt, this fabric needed the support.  This is one of the best written patterns I think I've ever used and it just looks adorable on.  I need to make another for her because she loves wearing it.  Most of what I have to say about this pattern I've said previously here.  But this is such an awesome little pattern, fussy- but the result is always good.  

 

Fabric:  The fabric is a seersucker from Hancocks fabrics purchased last year.  This girl loves rainbows and chose the fabric.  Its a pretty thin seersucker and when I laundered it before sewing, the hot pink stripe bled on the fabric..arghhh.  It was faint but enough that I could see it, of course my daughter still loved the fabric.  The dress is lined with a coral cotton poly/cotton fabric from my stash.   

 

Will she wear it?  Yes, she loves it and wears it willingly.  

Now on to my new "go to" outfit.  

Pattern: 

The top is the free Kirsten Kimono pattern by Maria Denmark.  

You can receive the pattern for free when you sign up for the newsletter.  Its a very fast sew since there are no sleeves to set in and with knits, no seams to finish.  I used the size small in the shoulders and graded out to a medium at the waist.  The pattern doesn't include seam allowances so you have to add those, I added 3/8  inch seams all around and I probably should've read the instructions because there are specifications for the seam allowances.   As far as finishing the edges I simply turned under the sleeves and neck by 1/4 and straight stitched them down.  I left the hem unfinished.  There are instructions for a neck binding but I didn't really want to fiddle with it.   

The skirt is McCalls 7096.  I made the size 14 but probably could go down to a size 12, luckily this skirt is not hard to alter.   I also chopped about 3 1/2 inches off the bottom.  It has a side zipper and a contoured waistband (again, why why why don't all skirts have contoured waistbands?).  I am hoping to do some color blocking on this skirt down the road because why not?  I didn't have any problems with construction.

 

Fabric:

For the Tee I used a remnant piece of jersey with one way stretch leftover from another project.  It was a value fabric at Hancock fabrics and the skirt is rayon challis from Hancocks as well.  I love it when they clear out last summer's fabrics and you can get them for a steal on the spot the bolt table.  I love rayon challis because it is so breathable in the summer and so soft on the skin.  I serged all the raw edges because rayon challis likes to fray.     

Styling: These two pieces are easy to wear and here I have on birkenstocks but for work (going back to work in a few weeks after 6 years of being a SAHM!)  I'll probably wear flats.  I call this my new "go to" outfit because of the comfort and ease of it and because I will be able to translate it into work wear very easily.  Also these two patterns are relatively simple to whip out and since I start work soon I'm trying to crank out as many separates as possilble.  So my question for anyone reading is, do you have any tried and true patterns that are easy to whip out and also move seamlessly between work and home?   

Linking up to Gray All Day Sew Chic in a Week. 

When Easter Dresses are done early!

What do you do when your Easter dresses are done early?  You stuff a bunch of plastic eggs with marshmallows, drag your children out into the cold drizzly rain, plop them down in the middle of a wildflower nature preserve (aka your unmown lawn) and do a photo shoot of course!

For the five year old...
I used the Oliver and S Fairy Tale Dress Pattern in a size 5.  It fit perfectly and she loved it...two wins! I used a cream colored cotton eyelet and a hot pink voile for the lining.  The eyelet I bought at Joann's ages ago and the hot pink voile I picked up at Hancock fabrics.  They worked perfectly together with little flashes of hot pink under the tulip sleeves and peeking out of the eyelet pattern.  The instructions for the dress were impeccable.  I don't think I've ever worked with a set of pattern instructions that incredible.  I did not have to reference any other sources when making this dress and it had an invisible zipper (which I'd never previously done) and I had no invisible zipper foot.  I can't say enough about how wonderful the instructions were, so thorough.  This was my first Oliver and S pattern and I highly recommend them! I did fudge the pink piping on the back a bit but I'm sure it was because it was cut on the bias and stretched as I applied it to the dress.  you can see the uneveness on the back at the zipper line but no where else.

For the 21 month old...
I used McCalls 6015 and it worked great.  I used the option with tulip sleeves and added yellow grosgrain ribbon around the bodice.  I used a yellow seersucker from Hancock fabrics and for the lining I used cotton in the bodice and some leftover lining for the skirt.  I had originally planned on using cotton for the skirt lining but that would have been way too bulky.  I'm not sure about the specifics of the lining, just that its lining fabric, meaning its thinner and it gave a floaty quality to the skirt.  The pattern was super simple to work with and it was interesting to contrast the methods used to construct this garment versus the construction of the Oliver and S dress.  The O and S dress tulip sleeves were cut from one pattern piece while the McCalls pattern had two pattern pieces...(are you thinking boring sewer detail?- it fascinates me!).  I used the size XL and it was kind of roomy around the chest.  My daughter is tall and trim so a little hard to get the fit just right.

A small detail I did for this dress was to finish the hemline with lace hem tape.  I got the idea from a hand-me-down Lilly Pulitzer dress we have on hand.  Here's the Lilly Pulitzer version:

And here's my version:

And since you asked about the details...oh what you don't want the details?  Well anyway, I'm telling and guess what, you're still reading...The hem is first ironed up the desired finished length. next the edge is serged. Then the hem tape is sewn on top of the serged edge (this would be the right side of the turned up fabric)- the top of the tape being even with the serged edge and sewn at the top and bottom of the tape.  Finally you slipstitch the hem down to the dress hiding the stitching in the lace hem tape.  I love picking up fussy details like this from ready-to-wear garments.  If anyone ever wants a tutorial (please no on inundate me with messages ha ha) on this method I'd be happy to do a picture tutorial.  It provides a beautiful finish.  So what do you sew or do when your Easter dresses get done early?      

Linking up to Sew Much Ado, Frontier Dreams, and Peekaboo Pattern Shop.