It's done! I was so excited to get started on J's Easter dress this year. I couldn't wait to make the Oliver + S Fairytale dress! I agonized over the fabric until I knew I would be happy with the result. Now that it's all finished I can see why the pattern is rated tougher to sew. There are a lot of steps and a lot of details to this dress. It is completely worth it though! In the end all those details make for a very professional looking dress. Get ready for a lot of pictures. I'm pretty proud of this one : )
The pattern has you gather the skirt, but I love pleats and so I pleated away. I gathered the back of the skirt however.
I also added some flat piping at the bottom of the bodice because I really love that floral print. I might need to buy some more of it and make something for myself.
I still need to add a hook and eye, but then again I might not. It's just one more thing to fasten on a wiggly 18 month-old.
I used Robert Kaufman yard-dyed linen in indigo for the dress, and Leah Duncan's Leas Bloom Blush from her line Meadow for the collar and bow. I love that the linen will be light and breathable for the hot summers we have here. It also gives the dress a more casual feel that I think is appropriate for a toddler.
Oh the bow! I love the bow in the back and I love it in this print! So girly, springy, and fresh!
This dress is fully lined, which I LOVE. It makes it look so much nicer inside, even though no one will really appreciate that except for me.
I lined the bodice with a mustard quilting cotton I found at a nearby quilting store. The skirt is lined with muslin and there is a layer of tulle in between the lining and outside fabric.
I was so nervous to sew in that invisible zipper, but it really wasn't as hard as I was anticipating. Liesl walks you through the entire process (which is awesome, because those tiny little directions on the zipper packaging are the most unhelpful things ever). I think for my first time the zipper looks pretty good.
Here's the dress on J. I had to make four or five muslins of the bodice to make sure it fit right. Jane was all over in the measurements. She was smaller than the 6 month size in her waist and chest, but she's as tall as a 2 year old. I ended up using the 18-24 month size in the length of the bodice, and cut the width of the bodice a quarter of an inch smaller than the 6 month size. The skirt pieces were cut with the 2 year old pattern pieces. It took some work, but I am very happy with the fit.
This morning J and I had a little makeshift Easter egg hunt. I think I'll do another one next Saturday and put little toys or candy in the eggs. But this morning she loved picking up the empty eggs and putting them in her Easter basket.
The weather has been BEAUTIFUL here. My mom is going to try and come and visit at the end of the month and I can't wait! Georgia is so pretty right now. It will be a great time for her to come!
J loved finding all of the eggs I had hidden for her. Good practice for the real thing!
After she had found all her eggs we just went ahead and threw them out into the yard again so she could start the process all over. Gotta love 18 month-olds, they're easy to please.
Congratulations you made it to the end! You have now seen five bajillion pictures of J in her new dress. I can't wait for Easter. It's such a wonderful holiday. It's a little less commercialized than Christmas and even though it's still easy to get caught up in the cute dresses and Easter eggs I am excited and humbled to be able to celebrate the life and resurrection of our Savior. Just so we (especially me) remember what Easter is all about here is a video from mormon.org. Have a wonderful Easter!
