Two Little Dresses

Sewing for very little girls possesses its own special charms, and sewing for a little girl who also happens to be one’s granddaughter is more than sewing – it is sharing part of a sewing legacy. It has its privileges, too. Some of the design details which I most like, I am able to add to these small little articles of clothing. Yes, of course, I am referring to rick rack and sashes.

As our little Aida’s first birthday approached in mid-March, I began to plan for at least one little dress to mark the occasion. I already had purchased this cotton fabric at the Eric Carle Museum last October for just such a dress, and knew that it would be quite perfect paired with yellow rick rack.

 I set out to find a versatile pattern which would lend itself to this fabric and found myself thumbing through the New Look pattern catalog. There were many cute patterns, but I settled on this one:

I decided on View D, paired with some bloomers.

I liked the narrow yoke on the front of the dress, which would be the perfect place to do something creative with rick rack. Specifically, I was thinking of enhancing the little duck theme by turning a strip of rick rack into a row of little duckies. I had seen rick rack turned into little chicks, and it wasn’t too much of a stretch to change the embroidery details to evoke ducklings instead.

Please click on the photo for a close-up look at these little duckies.

Once I had embellished the narrow yoke, I decided to decorate the pocket, too.

Some yellow grosgrain ribbon seemed a good choice for the adjustable straps, which button in back. I added two perky bows to the bloomers, to make the outfit complete.

A front view . . .

. . . and a back view.

By this time, I had decided that a first birthday called for another little dress, one which Aida’s mommy – my daughter – would know nothing about. (Daughter Susanna had been with me when I purchased the Eric Carle-designed fabric.) After seeing a very simple little sundress design on Pinterest, I figured I could make little dress number 2 without a pattern – and also indulge my love of sashes on little girls!

The “going-out-of-business sale” at Waechter’s had earlier provided me with the opportunity to purchase many yards of a red and white chevron print and a petite navy blue trim (among other things). Our perky little Aida may end up with many a dress in this fabric, so I figured there was no time like the present to start the tradition! Here is what I came up with:

The shoulder straps twist through loops in the back and become the sash for the dress.

This detail of the back shows where I ended the trim to accommodate the transition to the sash.

A full view of the back of the dress.

And I made bloomers, too!

Two little dresses, rick-racked and be-sashed, seem to be a good beginning for Aida’s second year of fun and frolic and “fashion”!

Happy Mother’s Day to Aida’s wonderful Mommy – and to all Mommies everywhere!