About the blues...

I thought I'd share a little bit more about the McCall's outfit. It's a great pattern for a little girl. I love the slight vee of the neckline and the adorable little ruffle along the top. The ruffle is what drew me to this pattern. The ruffle is repeated on the hems of the capri pants, which ties the outfit together. I pretty much made the whole thing according to the pattern instructions. I think the only change I made was to cut the top ruffle out of contrast fabric rather than the same fabric as the top. I love the sash, too. It uses contrast fabric on the inside, which you can see when the sash is tied. It gives a really nice effect. The bodice is fully lined, which is really nice, and somewhat unusual for a big four childrens' pattern. The top is cute and cool for warm weather. I also bought a solid turquoise tee to go underneath to keep the Princess warm in the late spring weather and to make it a little bit more modest for school. I do plan to make this again, probably out of a really cool Kaffe Fassett fabric combo.


Here's another recently completed outfit. This one is Simplicity 3900, view D. It's funny, but I never really noticed this pattern until I saw it made up in a Hancock's sale flier. It was really cute and had an Asian flair to it, so I bought it. This is my first version of it. I used two cute Asian inspired prints from Hancock's. They coordinate, but don't match exactly, but they work for me. I have a thing about borders, or lines of demarkation. I found that once the dress was almost complete, I needed some borders between the two fabrics. So I added the grosgrain ribbon along the outer edges of the front bands and along the hem band. That provided a nice separation between the fabrics and added some interest to the dress. I used Wash Away Wonder tape to put the ribbon where I wanted it, and then I carefully sewed it down along both edges. Worked like a charm. And the WAWT came right out in the first washing with no problem. I really like this dress. It was pretty easy to sew, with the only tricky part being the front bands. They weren't hard to add to the bodice, but it was awkward, and the instructions neglected to advise you to clip the seam allowances right at the vee. Once I clipped, the bands turned to the outside and laid right down. It left a raw seam right inside the bodice, though, with no suggestions for finishing. I turned the edges of the seam allowance under and stitched them down to the bodice. The stitching lines are hidden on the right side by the bands themselves, and the inside looks much neater.
I already have plans to make this pattern again. Stay tuned for when I turn it into a top with capri pants!