Sewing: Spring Dresses

A few years ago I found dresses like these on clearance at Land's End.  They were a big hit in both fit and style.  Using the original dress as a template I made one for Julia last year for her sixth grade dance:

This year, I used Anna's dress to draft one for her, and one for Kate.  Scaling the pattern down was a little tricky, but they turned out great!  That was the most time-consuming part -- drafting the pattern.

I made two for Kate actually and she loves them both.  The nearly full circle skirt is awesome for twirling.  It was, however, almost a limiting factor for the skirt.  If the fabric for Anna's dress hadn't been 60" wide I would have had to divide the skirt in more pieces than two, or use a basic rectangle or A-line skirt instead.

The bodice is a modified peasant top, gathered on the front and back bodice pieces while the sleeves are cut narrower and are not gathered.  Neckline and sleeves have a basic bound edge.  The skirt is gathered by stretching the elastic to fit it as I sewed.  So it has a comfy stretchy waist.

I made them for Easter Sunday, but alas, taking photos was not in the stars that day!  It was a hectic morning, then Grant came home from church sick, and then there was no chance of keeping everyone dressed after they all got home.  So these photos are from a few weeks later, on a nice spring Sunday.  We had a "screen-free" party that day to finish off screen free week using this book from the library (all Dallin's idea -- he picked out several things to make, and Julia headed up making them, with a little help from the younger kids).

It is a very versatile dress, transitions between seasons with a sweater, and the girls love them.  Since I invested all that time in the pattern, I think they will get a few more version of this dress in years to come!

(photos by Julia)