What started out last Fall as drawings for possible Christmas outfits eventually became Easter outfits. At least they're done! I made them using the book Building Block Dress by Liesl Gibson of Oliver + S. I've used the book before, and it was pretty fun to take a dress and a shirt from drawings on paper to wearable garments. You start with a basic block, and then add elements you want and modify pattern pieces until you get your garment. Charlotte's was very similar to one of the samples in the book with it's scalloped external hem facing and scalloped bodice detail, but Stella's was a head scratcher to put together. I ended up setting it aside in the middle of the process to get some thinking space. When I picked it up a couple months later it came together nicely except for being shorter and slimmer then expected which caused changes to the planned back closure. Oh well.
The main fabric is Menagerie by Rifle Paper Co. from Fabricworm. It was lovely to work with and the metallic gold flowers on it are so fun. (I think they're out, but fabric.com had some last time I looked.) The eyelet is from Fabric.com from a couple years ago, and the scallop accents are watermelon (maybe?) Kona cotton from Joann's. One of the tricky parts about designing your own dress is not knowing how much fabric you'll need. I ended up with extra, so I'm kicking myself for not making Stella's top longer!
The girls aren't into posing for pictures. At least not in ways that show off their handmades. They do love to display their personalities!
The skirt is the Hopscotch skirt from Oliver + S. Size 7 waistband pieces, lengthened to a size 12 and accidentally cut a size 12 width on skirt pieces, too. It will fit for a couple years! The pockets are cute, and were fun to sew.
Here are some back views:
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| I got to use vintage buttons from my Grandma's stash. |
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| The answer to "Does it twirl?" |