momma makes dresses

At 8:40 yesterday morning

I pulled out a stack of fabric and told the girls they could each design a dress.

(I'd already made my dress the day before.

And the day before that,

I'd made Lily one with the fabric that was left after cutting mine out

and on old t-shirt.

The evening before I made Lily's first (un-photographed) dress, 

I'd made a pattern for the girls'

from a dress we got at a yard sale last year,

enlarging it slightly.)

Lexi didn't want different fabrics for the bodice and skirt,

so I just combined the two pieces when I cut it out,

and changed the angle of the skirt portion slightly.

I sewed from 9 'til 11:45

and then for another hour and 45 minutes in the afternoon.

Knit sewing is the bomb. 

Wearing sewn knits 

is also the bomb ;-)

I didn't want to take the time to look for a matching (sewing machine) thread for Lexi's neck binding, 

so I grabbed the silk thread I've been using on the quilt, which matched one of the greens perfectly.

In hindsight, 

digging around for thread would have been faster.

I wasn't thinking I'd have to sew the armhole binding

to match the neck...

I could have skipped the binding on Lily's hem, and just turned it under instead,

which would have been faster,

but I really like how it ties everything together

and it makes the skirt flare nicely,

so I'm glad I took the extra time.

I normally am not a fan of the zig-zag stitch,

and rarely use it for topstitching.

I think it screams 'homemade'.

But on this, I thought it was the best option,

and I think it works.

For both of the girls' dresses 

I used the sew the folded in half strip of fabric to the wrong side

and fold it over onto the front method of binding.

In retrospect,

a double folded binding strip sandwiching the dress would have looked a little better.

Even though there are things I'd do differently next time,

I am so so pleased with all of these makes.

They may whisper hand-made with love

but they certainly don't holler homemade.

(linking up with the other finishers at Amanda Jean's)

Momma loves you girls,

and I love sewing things that suit you perfectly!

XO