little miss sew and sew

wouldn't it be great to be excited about going up a size or two, imagine "hooray, i need a whole new wardrobe!"? when you're a tween it is great to have grown out of all your old things because it means either a big shopping trip (which she hates) or a wander through the fabric shop (not so bad), and for Mum to get busy with the sewing machine (all good).

i suppose i'm quite lucky to have a growing girl who loves homemade handmade things. apparently they are just so much more comfortable, and that's something i keep in mind when i choose fabrics and patterns for her. i've had Girls's World hanging around for a while waiting for the weather to warm up a bit. now that i've finished a spring cardi for Abby, i thought a sleeveless dress would be quite wearable.

new leaf dress

i wouldn't normally use a patchwork cotton for clothing, but the pictures in this book really drew me in. i haven't seen such beautiful prints in dress cottons in my local shops, but patchwork fabric florals abound! i found one on the clearance table in the requisite green and thought i could always re-use it for quilting if it didn't work out.

back view

the fit is spot on and she loves it because its twirly, something you never grow out of! even though the fabric is quite thick, the waist gathers don't add too much extra bulk, and it means a slightly warmer dress, perfect for Spring. hot on the heels of that success, i also whipped up a pair of easy elastic waist PJ pants out of a cute novelty quilting print, using an antique pattern from Mum's stash. i managed to sneak in a bit of leopard print here and she tells me she loves it too. it seems i've created a mini-me!

comfy PJ pants