Friday, March 25, 2011

Sewing: Ruffled Chemise for Tess


Sometimes, or very often, one thing leads to another. I was working on a pattern design for Tess' first Easter dress, an a-line chemise with a ruffle down the front and short slightly full sleeves, when I thought it would be equally darling sleeveless. And then I thought it would be fun to have a little dress for Tess to wear with a sweater I'm working on for her. So I looked through my fabric stash and picked up this floral voile, which I have used before, and love! It is perfect for wanting spring! And it works with the yarn for the sweater! And, Audrey and Scarlett can likely still wear their dresses made with this voile, which means potential for a very cute sister portrait if I have it all ready to take on our trip in April!


So Easter dress aside and I sewed a sleeveless version of the Ruffled Chemise for Tess. I love it! This is sometimes the reason for not working more quickly down the list. I keep inserting serendipitous projects! But they are impossible to resist.


So Tess now has a floral dress. Her favorite thing about it seems to be that the ruffle is near enough to her mouth for her to chew on, which wasn't intended. But she looks pretty cute in it all the same.


I made this dress a bit longer than many of the patterns and purchased dresses because it seems so often I put her in a little dress and it works more like a shirt, never falling below her hips. I wanted this to hit somewhere below her knees, which it does, but since her legs are in the air most of the time there is still plenty of opportunity to show off a cute diaper cover. That is something I'm planning for with the Easter dress version of this.



This Ruffled Chemise is lined, which is a necessity anyway with the voile, but also makes for nice finishing. I chose buttons without shanks since Tess is on her back so often, and found these cute ones with a little flower silhouette. I had actually purchased these same buttons a few months ago, in white, for some future project just because they are so cute.


It's hard to believe it's snowing outside my window, but it is. Ah well, on to the Easter dress!


You can find this pattern in my shop.

38 comments:

Tennjenny said...

so lovely and practical.

Yolanda @ Miss Refashionista said...

I looooooooooooooooooove it!

The colors, the ruffles, the kid!

Adorable!

Great job!

Tonya said...

Awww...this is beautiful! I can't wait to see the pictures of all the sisters wearing their Easter dresses that you have presently made and in the past. You are so talented!!! (I am working on matching skirts for myself and my daughters, but we'll see how those turn out! It's my first time trying something like that.) I like that you made this dress longer and also the pretty buttons on the back. How do you come up with your own patterns? Thanks for sharing!!!

Biz said...

A.) I love that fabric
B.) It's adorable
C.) It's perfect for the warmer weather!!!

Always love your work!
Biz

Mest said...

Adorable

Amy @ OurScoop said...

How cute its Tess!! I love her blue eyes! The dress is adorable as well! I LOVE the fabric!

Michelle {Daydream Believers} said...

SO lovely! Beautiful dress and BEAUTIFUL girls! :)

caralyn said...

oh this is just gorgeous! And I love the voile! I worry sometimes, when fabric shopping, that the larger florals will be to overwhelming on itty-bittys but this is just perfection!

greatjencreations said...

I love that. It's perfect. And it looks wonderful on your little beauty.

Kara said...

Those eyes! She is so darling. My favorite part is the ruffle too, but for different reasons than Tess.

Connie the crafterbug said...

Absolutely beautiful!

Sophie said...

oh gosh, I love it! Its so pretty with that ruffle!

Clover said...

you have such an eye for beauty. I am always jealous that you can just make a pattern or adapt a pattern to your needs. I wish I could sew like that. This is a beautiful dress.

Erin said...

What a lovely, simple project! Looks beautiful on her!

Jess@craftiness is not optional said...

gorgeous. dress and baby!

Seaweed and Raine said...

Beautiful fabric, gorgeous baby, great pattern.
When I saw the top picture it made me squeal with excitement. I REALLY really like this little dress. Job well done Anneliese! Are you likely to make the pattern available to the public?

kim said...

Hello! Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your blog. I found you through Made recently.

I love this dress. So cute!

kim

Anneliese said...

Yes, I'm working on making the pattern available--in time for Easter! Happy you like it!

Jennifer said...

Adore the dress -- and that image of Audrey and Tess is breathtaking. Definitely one for the AN hall of fame. (Love the past Easter post of Scarlett and Audrey, too. So glad you included the link!) xo

Destri {The Mother Huddle} said...

Oh Anneliese! It is the cutest, well after the baby :) Great great finish work, and the back looks seamless. Can't wait for the pattern.

Kristin said...

Very adorable!

Debora said...

I love the simplicity and femininity of that dress. I may have to dust off the old machine and make one for my grand-daughters...or myself!

dana said...

Oh Anneliese, this is just gorgeous!
And wow, I can't believe how much older Tess is looking already. Her hair! She has so much!

Paula said...

So pretty! And the dress, too :) I love simple A-line shifts like this...brings me back to when my sisters and I were little girls and my mother sewed for us. Of course you completely make this your own with the adorable ruffle and wonderful fabric. I think I may be inspired to pull out the sewing machine and take a break from crocheting your adorable cloches!

Yolanda @ Miss Refashionista said...

Hey my dear, I featured you in my tiny blog corner so I can share your goodness with my readers.

Come check yourself out:

http://missrefashionista.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Lovely dress! So cute on your little one! :)

Sherri said...

Love looking at all the things you make..you are so talented :) I found a pattern (new look 6842) on your site that i have to have..any ideas on how i can get it. sherri.storm@yahoo.com

Anneliese said...

Hi Sherri, looks like that pattern is available online. I found it here: http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/patterns/sewingpatterns.pl?patternid=21223

Thanks.
-Anneliese

Lisa Crockett said...

Gorgeous dress.
Gorgeous baby.

:)

Lisa

The SPANGLER said...

Hi from your newest follower... what a stunning dress (and gorgeous models!) Found your blog via pinterest.com and am just so pleased I did! Stop by and say hi if you get a chance at The Quick Unpick
Cheers

r_c_kunkel said...

What fabric is this dress made of? I lOVE it! So pretty

Anneliese said...

@ r_c_kunkel: This is a voile I found at JoAnn on clearance a couple years ago. I sewed dresses with it last year too. I love it! Unfortunately there isn't any information printed on the selvage so I'm not sure who designed and produced it.

Unknown said...

This is gorgeous, saw it on pininterest and immediately repinned it! Thanks for sharing :)

Custom Seamstress said...

Very Sweet - definitely gonna make one for my niece!

SofiAlgarvia said...

What a gorgeous pattern, fabric and family you have!
Congrats for all of them! Lovely!

CV Love said...

Love dress

Anonymous said...

Just delightful - both your gems and the dress.

Theresa Childs said...

Lovely.

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