a dress for my niece’s birthday

a few moths ago I was on etsy looking at vintage patterns, just browsing not really intending on buying anything, when I came across this pattern, DuBarry 2132B. my niece was over so I showed it to her and she freaked out. it was so cute! I asked her if she wanted me to make it for her birthday. she excitedly told me yes, and so I ordered the pattern. then came the finding of the perfect fabric.

I first bought a solid color fabric in a teal color a bit lighter then the green dress on the pattern, but that fabric didn’t work out. when I pre-washed it I didn’t like the way it reacted, to the washing and drying . the fabric wrinkled badly and was really staticy. meaning it would need to be ironed and rolled every time it was washed something I knew would not happen. so I ditched that fabric idea (I’m going to use it in something else.) and decided to try to find something else.
at the fabric store I searched for the perfect fabric but couldn’t decide what to get I had pretty much decided, when I put it back afraid it would be something she didn’t like. my niece is getting older which means she’s not quite as easy to shop for, bubblegum pink just doesn’t do it anymore. so I asked her mom if they could meet me at the fabric store. the best thing is when they got there after spending probably an hour looking at all the fabric she chose the one I chosen. I do know my niece! yea!

now to the cutting and sewing.
I got an extra half yard of fabric then what it said. I tend to buy a little extra fabric so I don’t have to worry about it. turns out that was a good idea, I needed the extra fabric for the back bow. the pattern assumed that the fabric would be same right side and wrong side, which modern fabric is usually not that way. I wonder if the fabric from the thirties was generally the same on either side. I ended up doubling the fabric on the bow so it would be the same colors on both sides for a nicer finish when tied.

the pattern called for purchased frilling, but, yeah in order for the ruffles to match I made my own.
the ruffles were not bad at all to make. I have a ruffle foot and can I just say I love it! I had to make four yards of ruffle which means I needed eight yards of straight fabric to be ruffled. and anyone who has had to make that much ruffle knows it can be a pain.
I also put the ruffles on different then they said too. they wanted me to sew them on facing up, then press it down to cover the raw edges. I thought doing it that way would probably cause the ruffles to stick back up every time the dress was worn, and again the pressing thing, so I opted to sew them the way I wanted them to face then added the ribbon detail to cover the raw edges,plus it gives that extra little pop of detail.

the main part of the dress I put together just the way they told me to.





the sleeves I did slightly different only because its easier to serge on the binding at the bottom of the sleeve rather then the folding the bias over the raw edges, I always mess that up. I also added the ribbon to the sleeves for a pop.

the bows I did completely different. they had me make strips then they wanted me to actually tie them! I’m not the best at tying, so after some trial and error, that had to do with math, I figured out how much shorter the strips needed to be to make a different kind of bow. its basically sewing at the center, pressing then making a little tab to wrap around it. pretty easy but takes a while simply because of the small size of them.


the fabric we chose was wonderful to sew with, there is something to be said about buying the higher quality fabrics they really do sew nicer. as I was sewing the dress I decided I was totally jealous of my niece and when I was finished and looked at the dress I was still jealous. I love the way it turned out. I loved the puffed sleeves and the big bow in the back, I love the shape of the dress and I want one too. too bad I’m not good enough to rework a child’s pattern to fit me.

and the best part is my niece loved it! she kept twirling and giggling once she put it on. she told me she loved it even more then she thought it would, it just turned out so good.!
there is nothing better then when people love what you spent so much time making them.

cute little ornaments

I don’t usually buy patterns like this, but I was waiting at the fabric store for my niece and her mom to show up so my niece could pick out some fabric for her birthday dress. since I had time to waste I was looking at the pattern books. normally when I go through the pattern books I skip all the crafty bits, sticking to the clothing, buying up patterns when they are on sale that I then hoard, because well... I think they are pretty?
since I did have so much time though I looked through the entire thing and this pattern said to me “buy me, make me” so I did just that I bought it.

the pattern is simplicity 8035.
I didn’t exactly follow the directions in the pattern, a lot of it was gluing the pieces together and I am against gluing what can be sewn. so I basically didn’t pay any attention the instructions, which I find worked just fine. every bit of it was done by hand, and sewn wirh embroidery floss. I really like the way they turned out.


on the snowman I gave him a scarf rather then the bow, just because I liked the idea of the scarf, and I have to say his hat was the hardest part of the entire pattern. it was so tiny!


the star was the easiest and I had it done fairly quickly


the deer took the longest, as it has the most pieces but its so cute! and I did it so its legs move. I also used buttons for its spots rather then using the spots the pattern called for, it was a bit less fussy that way.


the ginger bread man turned out so cute I could just eat him up.


I used purple on the little penguin even though I had bought black to make it with. when I saw the purple I thought it would be cuter.

miraculously I managed to make them all before Christmas even though I bought the pattern only about a week before. that is I made all the felt ones. I opted not to make the yeti, even though I think it is adorable I didn’t have fur to make it with, and really I am not a fan of working with fur. maybe next year though I consider it. it will after all complete the set.