A Girl's Gotta Sew (a Pillowcase Dress)

Last week, Russ generously took the kids for a Sunday afternoon and I got up to my secluded attic sewing room for the first time in almost three months.  Getting time up there is akin to talk-mom-down-off-a-ledge therapy time for me.  It is so good for my general well-being to take some time away from it all and experiment with pretty fabrics and new patterns and original ideas.  Even Russ admits I'm a changed woman after I take a sewing break.  Sewing = sanity.  And I've got to keep my sanity.  Or at least the pretense of it ;)

I wasn't really sure what I was going to work on that afternoon until I spied a bin of the sweet prints I bought last summer.  I had intended to make some new dresses for Ruth.  Never happened.  But last week I was inspired to do a test run of a pillowcase-style dress that that's been taunting me on Pinterest for close to a year now.  (I am very fond of projects that require minimal supplies and can be finished in an afternoon!)  

tutorial here

You know the best thing about clothes for little kids?  They hardly take any material at all, so even after you're done, you still have material leftover to make a matching dress for Little Sissy!

This dress was crazy easy, and I'm looking forward to making a couple more.  Definitely a great play dress.  The little one I made for Clare was modified because I didn't have enough bias tape for her shoulder ties, and even if I did, I think the wide straps/ties would have looked goofy on itty bitty baby shoulders.  I used some narrow grosgrain ribbon I had lying around instead, but this required putting in a lining so that the seams would be finished and there would be something to sew the ribbon into.  I was fairly proud of myself because this was the first time that I sewed a bodice lining that wasn't entirely attached to the dress pieces.  I mean that the lining is attached to the dress at the neck and arms, but then it falls as it's "own" piece on the inside.  Does that even make sense... I don't know the technical terms for what I'm trying to talk about :) Anyway, I did that, thinking that it might provide for a little more air circulation in between the layers - good for hot summer days... of which we've had none lately, but they might get here.  Eventually.

The next time I make the "baby" version, I'll add a little length and width/flare so that I can nix the leggings and she'll have a little more room to play.  You can see it was a little narrow. I may even try the bias tape ties with a narrow double fold bias tape.  We shall see.  When it happens, I will of course, get some pictures up, 'cause it sure does make my heart happy to see a little one proudly wearing something I lovingly sewed up just for her!  (or him, but we haven't started letting the boys wear pillowcase dresses yet.)

Having the opportunity to do a little sewing recently has got me longing to have more time alone for snippin' and stitchin'.  My mental list of stuff to make is growing rapidly and this girl's gotta sew to keep her sanity!