Birds & Butterflies for Project Run & Play Week 1 Season 6

You can click on the photos to enlarge them to see details.

Project Run & Play Season 6

Sew A-long

  Week #1:  Pattern Remix of The Cottage Home Mama's Party Dress. 

This is not really a remix because I checked out the pattern pieces and realized that I had a basic bodice front and back in the size that I needed already traced that looked almost identical from the front.  It had the overlap I needed for the button and button-hole back bodice I was envisioning.  I just needed to adjust the neckline and sleeve arm openings to go with the scalloped bodice overlay that was in Sew Beautiful Magazine # 141 and pictured on the cover of the magazine.  It is drafted by Kathy Dykstra to be used with the SB pattern "Pascale" but it was an easy adjustment to my generic basic bodice pattern pieces.  I just traced the scalloped overlay in the size 4 that I needed and placed it over my bodice front and back pieces and trimmed away the excess.  I did not use a pattern for the skirt, placket, sash keepers, or sashes because they are just rectangles.  I determined the length I wanted for the skirt and added 8 and 1/2 inches for the seam allowances, hem, and two one inch tucks.  I wanted sashes that would finish 2 and 1/2 inches wide so I cut the pieces 6 inches wide and folded them in half and sewed with 1/2 inch seams.

I am hoping that this dress will fit the recipient of this gift.  (I am guessing on Kate's size!)  This is what I call a TQ Dress.  A 'thank you' gift for the parent volunteer in my kindergarten classroom.  Teachers usually give gifts to their regular volunteers at the end of the year.  I like to make their children something.  I didn't know that I would decide to participate in this sew a-long challenge before we ended the semester so I didn't take any measurements.  I will have this same dilemma for the Week #2 challenge, too.  I based this dress on the size Kate appears to be in relation to other little girl's dresses for whom I did take measurements in years past.  If it works, great!  If not, then I'll get the pleasure of sewing another dress!

I am particularly proud of the details in this dress.  I love the shell buttons (that have been mellowing in my stash for at least 5 years).  The self-faced sashes are heavy so I made sash keepers on both back bodices so that the pretty bow won't droop.  I changed the thread color when doing the tucks in the front contrast panel so that the thread would blend with the fabric.  There are no exposed seams and the bodice is fully lined.

My mother always looked to see how the dresses I made my daughter were finished on the inside.  She did not enjoy sewing and stopped as soon as she could afford to purchase whatever she wanted for us but she had learned enough to look for quality details.  I think my mom would be pleased with this one.

I did not line my bodices like The Cottage Mama did in her dress.  I used two different techniques that I will share with you in another post.  Almost all of the lining was done by machine with just a little handwork in the center front.  The shoulders and armholes were accomplished completely by machine but were not top-stitched.  I call these techniques my 'magic tricks' when I have taught others how to sew.

I did have fun while making this dress!  I hope you like it, too!