A Girl in White

Girls' 1914 Dress by Sense and Sensibility Patterns

Pattern Description: Girls' dress based on shapes and styles of the late Edwardian Era. Dress features a slightly raised waist with gathers, back closure, and has options for short puffed sleeves, capped sleeves, and long sleeves.

Pattern Sizing: Pattern includes sizes 1-10

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Aside from my changes, yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, they were. But I adapted the pattern to use heirloom techniques so I didn't follow them strictly.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the wide range of sizes available and the thick paper used for printing the pattern. Also, it's quite rare to find patterns like this. If you want to sew historically accurate-ish clothing for children, your primary option is to use the patterns of the era. If they aren't laid out and crisscrossed all over each other crammed into a dusty old text, they still come with the expectation that you've been sewing since you were short and can turn out a gown like Ma Ingalls before Laura's wedding. So it's nice to have historical patterns for the modern sewist.

Fabric Used: Swiss dot from Hancock's for the main body. The laces came from Martha Pullen Company, most acquired during their recent warehouse sale. I ran out of time to make buttonholes so I used lace tape from Martha Pullen Company to stabilize the edges and used Kam Snaps to close it available here.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: In addition to using heirloom techniques, I created a square neckline with mitered lace trim. I cut the cap sleeve pattern but lengthened it. I also cut a full skirt instead of one tapered toward the waist as the pattern indicated. I'd planned to taper the waist but I was headed for the homestretch and got ahead of myself. By the time it was attached, yeah, that bad boy was not going to be pulled out.

As mentioned above, I used snaps instead of buttons, again, an issue of time restraint as well as error. The pattern runs small, imo. I measured her first and chose a size based on those measurements but the fit was still rather close even without the slip. It's my fault for not doing a muslin but procrastinators do what they must. Snaps it was.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would sew it again if asked but I can't see a need for this kind of dress for pinky. But I'd definitely recommend it to others looking for a similar style with the caveat to either make a muslin or make it a size larger than the pattern indicates, perhaps even two if you want room to grow.

Conclusion: I love this dress. Can I just say what a prideful, shameful person I am? I'm supposed to be focusing on a big spiritual day for my daughter, when she affirms her faith and becomes a member of the church. All I could think though, was DAMN THAT LACE HEM LOOKS GOOD!

It's a good thing Jesus loves me.

How Sew Beautiful Makes My Life

I bought my first issue of Sew Beautiful magazine the year before I became pregnant with my eldest child. I flipped though it slowly and carefully, in awe of all of the things I could never sew and promptly forgot all about it.

Twelve years later, I've finally bitten the bullet and started subscribing to a magazine that has become far more important to my sewing journey than I assumed all those years ago. I'm also proud to say that I can manage about half of the designs featured in those inspiring pages. So when I was looking for some Christmas ideas, it was only natural that I started thumbing through the pile of SB issues I keep nearby.

Isn't this pretty? It was designed and sewn by Janet Gilbert using the Pascale, a Sew Beautiful pattern that was released in issue #80 back in 2002. The silk reminded me of the green taffeta I bought from Joann's on Black Friday a few years ago. Mine is polyester but it was a good price and I was feeling brave. I decided that if I could find some decent embroidered ribbon, I'd give it a go.

I was pretty amazed to find Joann's had exactly what I was looking for. Usually, their ribbon selection is a wee bit lacking but I keep coming back because you never know what kind of magic you might uncover. While I was there, trusty coupon in hand, I picked up some poly organza for the underskirt. Because my ribbon looks markedly different from

I pleated the front bodice back in September, I think, a decision that sounds good in theory but is awful when you're the mother of a preteen in the middle of a series of body changing growth spurts. Also awful, the decision to force polyester fabrics through your pleater. I only broke one needle, however, and the piece that give me the long kiss goodbye didn't launch itself in the general direction of my eye.

It was a good day.

And so, I spend the next few months in various stages of procrastination. Around Thanksgiving I decided I needed to get a jump on and backed the bodice up for a road trip. I arrived in Florida (aka God's waiting room) with a ziplock bag of embroidery thread and some time on my hands. I did not, however, arrive with the exact color of DMC floss I needed to continue. I had to go to three stores before I found #610 and then it was time to take my forever ill prepared behind home.

Did I continue smocking there?

Nope, of course not. There is a reason I call my blog hot mess, more or less. Because that's what I am, a procrastinating hot mess who more or less manages to complete projects. But I digress, a phrase that was the second runner up in the "what shall I call my blog" informal poll I took. Instead, I waited until two weeks ago, knee deep into an advent scarf to wake my behind up and get to business. Once I got to it, business was booming.

In a matter of a few days, I went from those top two rows of smocking, to a complete front skirt piece. Within a day of that, I had the ribbon stitched down to the organza yoke.

Then finally, we had a Christmas dress.

Once upon a time, I would have oohed and aahed over a dress like this but written it off as too difficult or complicated for little old me. But I'd like to think a ten year love affair with the little sewing magazine that could has been the red bull to my sewing soul.

Now it's time to focus on my Christmas dress.

I can't find my stupid grocery list

So let's look at pinky's Easter dress in progress instead, yes?

It still needs sleeves, buttons in the back, embroidery on the front, and the neckline needs to be finished but that should all be finished by Tuesday when I have my last class. I'm really going to miss going to class every week so I think I'm going to go to their sewing bee on Wednesday mornings. Keep your fingers crossed that sewing mojo is contagious.

Now, let's discuss my Easter dress, shall we? I had plans to finish the vintage dress I cut out last year but I might have a slight obsession with coordinating outfits for the holidays. The vintage dress, while beautimous (is so a word) is ivory and robin's egg blue and much different than the tone, style, and techniques assorted with pinky's dress. So I went hoping around the interwebs and pinterest to see if I could come with something heirloom-y for my person.

What? You don't like those??

For the record, there are a few better options out there.

Like this beautiful heirloom inspired camisole for which I'd need another camisole to hide my bra. However, as much as I love this, it doesn't quite suit my needs/wants. The wonderful thing about heirloom sewing is that it's quite adaptable to any pattern. You just create your "fabric" from various laces, insertions, and strips of the primary fabric and then lay your chosen pattern pieces on top. So I went digging around and came up with Simplicity 2147.

There are quite a few versions of this pattern floating around the interwebs, ranging from adorable little tops.

via Barefoot in the Kitchen

To sweet little dresses

via mklittle

I've decided on view B and to give it a similar feel to pinky's dress, I plan to do lace work in the yoke along with a lace fancy band in the hem of the skirt. My friend A is quite concerned that such a shapeless tunic will look like a sack on me so I need to figure out something for the belt. I think a commercially available belt will be too heavy a look for this dress but lacework or fabric seems too flimsy.

Any thoughts?

French Hand Sewing by Machine

Quite the contradiction in terms, don't you think? Long story short, it's the method of recreating the lovely details we associate with Edwardian fashions into modern clothing, not that you'd know it from the book I'm using for my class.

Holy 80's!

I would be remiss if I didn't address the hot mess on that kid's head. Even in the era that brought us day-glo and acid wash, that business is unacceptable. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what exactly does one do with French Hand Sewing by Machine?

It's primarily used in children's clothing, particularly frilly, frou frou baby things with delicate embroidery, swaths of lace, and general hard to find in stores sweetness.

Daisy pattern by Susan Stewart Designs

Sweet baby dress from Old Fashioned Baby

Creations by Michie baby dress

Lest you be tempted to dismiss this as a girls only thing, here are some adorably sweet boy versions.

sewn by AuntSchonie
You can make your own with this pattern

Available at Orient Expressed
or create your own with this Primrose Lane Pattern

And of course, the christening gowns.

The Little Blue Bird by Wendy Schoen

If I were Catholic, pudding would have worn
this sweet yet masculine little gown for his christening.
Pattern from Creations by Michie #112

Another name for it is heirloom sewing and let me tell you, the southern ladies looooove their heirloom sewing. What else are you supposed to wear your Big Ass Bows with? And don't look at me like that, mommy. They call them big ass bows, I swear. Just ask my friend E and her adorable little Scarlett.

At her Gone with the Wind themed birthday party

These techniques can also be used in women's clothing, primarily lingerie and blouses but now I've strayed so far from the original point of this post thanks to all the beautiful heirloom sewing images out there that I'm going to have to abruptly yank you back.

I'm taking a class, that's the point, yes. I'm sorry. I get lost sometimes. Anyway, French Hand Sewing by Machine is the name of the book I'm using and I'm putting together a beautiful Easter dress for pinky. White with a blue lining, bits of lace, and a cornflower blue slip. I've taken two classes and have three left. To be honest, I'm not learning much I didn't already know besides the proper pronunciation for words like batiste and entredeux. (bateeeste, all fancy French-like and on-tray-doe a deer, a female deer if you were wondering.) But it's nice to escape the baby, hang out with people who love to sew, and have a definite time frame for finishing a garment considering what a procrastinator I am.

Sneak peek!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! She's going to look beeeeyyyyooooooooooooootiful! And she better considering how much this bad boy is going to cost at the end of the day.

And if you haven't already, run, don't walk to end my first ever blog giveaway, these purrrtemous dishtowels, handmade by little ol' moi. Okay? Okay.