Sunday, February 8, 2009

Christmas Sewing Report

I was not going to make my girls fancy Christmas dresses this year. Pretty, yes. But not fancy. And then one fateful morning I opened a Pottery Barn catalog. I thought I was going to be looking at kids' furniture, and I was. Until I got to the very back, and saw this picture.

I was instantly smitten. With all of it. The blond child with the blue eyes, of course. But also with the dress; the red taffeta, the big sash, and mostly the skirt cut on the diagonal. I knew in that moment that I MUST MAKE THIS DRESS. (Which of course meant I must make two dresses like this...since most of my sewing is in duplicate.)

I took a quick trip to the fabric store where I was thrilled to find some nice red taffeta at the bargain price of 60% off. I bought all they had, since I was going to have to figure out the diagonal skirt thing on my own. In the end I had enough for dresses for both of my girls, and some to spare. I used the extra to make a dress for my favorite two year old, and it was adorable. Here she is wearing it.

My girls were sick before and after Christmas so it turned out not to matter that their dresses weren't finished in time. Isn't it nice when things work out that way? (Not that I'd wish them to be ill, of course!)

Here are some pictures of the finished dresses. As you can tell my girls nixed the puffy sleeves...it was a sad moment for me! But I thought these sleeves were nice too.



My favorite parts are the way the sash curves in front (I think I'd make it curve even more if I was doing it again) and the great big bow in back. They're such girly-girl dresses!



I'm really pleased with the results. I made all three dresses for around $30--a far cry from the $150 per dress in the catalog! Of course their dresses were silk, but really--who wants to put silk on a child?!?

9 comments:

  1. I LOVE them! So gorgeous. I think I like R&J's even more than Laura Kate's, actually. And... sorry about the puffed sleeves. ;) I remember that moment in my own life!

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  2. They are darling. I'm so excited to have another girl to sew puffy sleeves for. (at least for a while)

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  3. Oops that last comment was mine, but I didn't see I was signed in as Megan. She definitely would have nixed the puffy sleeves too, oh and the puffy skirt, and probably the plaid. Sigh. They grow up so fast.

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  4. You are so talented. Really, you are, and your girls will appreciate all the hard work when they are grown, especially when they listen to the lamenting of my children whose mom is totally LAME! LOL!

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  5. Very impressive! Price, and precision. ;)

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  6. $150 per dress!?!?????? That's outrageous! And yours are just as cute. Really, even cuter because they didn't cost you $150 A PIECE!!!!!!

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  7. I am so jealous that (a) you can sew and (b) you can dress your girls the same. Enjoy it now before they grow their own tastes in clothes!

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  8. Love the dresses, I envy your sewing talent. I tried to learn when Mandi was little and it was horrible. My 9 year old grandaughter is taking sewing lessons at a fabric store near them because no one in our family can teach her and she is really into drawing her own designs and now wants to create them. She got a sewing machine for Christmas and we all just sat there and stared at it and told her she would have to wait till the classes started. Wasn't that pitiful???

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  9. CL--really? I think LK's turned out beautifully--the sleeves could be smaller, the band higher, but I love the skirt!

    Jen--I do so feel your pain. I've enjoyed dressing my little girls, and am sad to see the end of girly clothes in sight!

    Amy--you are talented in lots of other ways. My poor kids will have to grow up knowing nothing about Turbo Jam!

    Kathleen--thanks! ;)

    InkMom--obviously some people live in a different world. One in which children would have to sit very very still so as not to muss the $150 dress!

    Andra--I am enjoying it, because I can see that the end is in sight. :(

    Sharon--sewing is definitely not for everyone. From the moment I step into my sewing area I am in my happy place--but it doesn't feel like that for most people!

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