Pink Fig's Vintage Jane.
Dress edition.
x 2.
My little girlies. Always full of vinegar and spunk. Or is it vim? Vim?
There are some wonderful details to this pattern. Such as the gathering along the sides of the skirt to give a shirred look. The pattern would have you sew bias tape down on the inside and string 3 channels of ribbon through to gather, but that was too much like work. I used a small piece of 1/4" elastic and attached it, stretching it as I sewed using a zigzag down each side seam. It works and I'm content with that. I really like the gathering though, because it shows off a little more of the contrasting skirt fabric underneath.
The other details I like are the scalloped ruffles, finished with a serged rolled hem in contrasting thread. Chelsea strongly suggests the use of a serger for constructing her patterns, but no worries if you don't have one, you can just narrow hem it. And then start saving up ;).
I do love the look and texture of Chelsea's designs. I have made a few ... one of my fav's is the Notting Hill skirt, the girls wear them all the time.
The only note to myself for when I make this again is to have a less-gathered ruffle at the sleeves. I find it sticks out too much for my liking. However if I was using a softer fabric, like voile, then yeah, that would be fine. Quilting cotton though, doesn't really soften up.
Overall my little ones are delighted with their new dresses. Alexa will get one as well, but she prefers the top version. You may remember I made her one last year and she has worn that thing over and over and over. So comfy.
And yet, its already mid-July. Got me thinking that I should have been doing the summer sewing a couple of months ago. Because its really almost time to starting thinking about the fall wardrobe.
Besides sewing, I've been doing a little bit of reading, mostly pre-reading resources to complement the Apologia Biology course. 'Cause that course is really boring on its own. I'm in the middle of reading Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain. Pretty cool stuff about a bacteria that invades earth and how its dealt with.
Microbiology. Sewing. Little girls. Life is sweet.
Have a great weekend and God bless your sewing endeavours, wherever they may take you! And do head over to Elizabeth's to see what everyone else is sewing.