Shadow Smocked Easter Dress

Just click on the photos to enlarge them.

 Recently Janice of janicefergusonsews.com shared the gorgeous Easter dress she made her older granddaughter for Easter 2012  (see here).  (Janice is an amazingly talented needle artist who has smocked and embroidered for years and taught classses in heirloom sewing all over the world.)  I was enchanted by the beautiful work and by the trip down memory lane that her lovely dress afforded me.  You see, fourteen years ago I was entranced by the shadow smocked dresses made by Kay Guiles and showcased in Sew Beautiful magazine.   I decided to make the one you see above for my then 5 year old daughter, Victoria-Rose.  It was her Easter dress that year and her first piano recital dress.  She wore the dress many, many times over the next two years (church, out to Sunday brunch, a wedding, fancy birthday parties).  I washed it on the delicate cycle (I know, gasp) and hung it up to dry.  I also made a high yoked, full skirted slip to wear under it but that was literally worn to death and cut up for doll clothes.

 I store the things I made for my children that have been saved in one of two chests in my house, wrapped in acid-free tissue paper.  I usually take everything out and check them over every summer.  Climate stains and organic type stains reappear and must be removed as soon as possible.  I missed two summers in a row during my mother illnesses and my husband's health issues and I was very distressed when I discovered the horrible, large, ugly golden brown climate stains on the front of this dress and several other hand made things.  It took weeks of sponging with a Biz mixture.  I knew I couldn't put the whole dress in the Biz bucket because I have had silk ribbon change color on other items that I have soaked.  I carefully sponged just the stained areas and made sure the liquid did  not wick up to the silk ribbon embroidery.  As you can see, I was successful.  Thank goodness!  I have ironed the dress without starch so it looks a bit limp so that I can share the dress with you.  (I didn't use starch because it shouldn't be stored starched.)

Closer look of the backsmocking, feather stitching, and silk ribbon embroidery.

We closed the back of the dress with beauty pins.  I didn't space these well for the pictures but you can get the idea.  On this dress I used three pins.

Beauty pins closing the dress back.

I mitered a little lace on the sash tails for a pretty finish.

It has been a pleasure to have the opportunity to share this with the on-line sewing community.  This is one of my favorite creations!