Wardrobe Wednesday

Violet's baby cousin turns one this month and after the success of my Christmas monkeys, I decided I would make Baby K's birthday gift.  Now lest any new readers think I am some sort of overachieving Stepford Mommy; I craft for my health and finances being what they are my therapy must double as gifts for family and friends.

I had the opportunity to raid the clearance rack at Jo-Ann Fabrics a couple of weeks ago and found this gorgeous blue fabric. There wasn't much left on the bolt and Violet would have refused to wear it based on the grounds that it contained no pink, or pink derivatives.  It was just the right amount of fabric for a baby dress.

I used two patterns from the book Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross; the Flower Girl Dress and Ruby's Bloomers.

I added the felt flowers to disguise where my sewing machine attempted to eat the dress... I don't to want to talk about it...

I am 100% convinced that this dress is not going to fit, now that it is complete and I have spent all my patience for alterations.  There is no elastic, or working fasteners. It just slips on over head.  We'll see what happens.

Now these bloomers will fit, of that I have no doubt. 

I was going to make the bloomers out of the same fabric as the dress, but there wasn't enough of it. I'm glad because the white eyelet really looks cute.  Ahem, now between you and me the fabric for the bloomers is, shall we say, reclaimed.  I was at the thrift store and spotted a ladies plus size top made up in white eyelet.  It had never been worn and was still crisp from it's original owner.  It was, in a word, hideous.  I feel like I not only crafted something beautiful out of trash, but prevented some poor woman from making the mistake of wearing that caftan of eyelet.  I also reused the elastic from the cap sleeves to make the leg ruffles.

This whole project is a triumph of thrifty-ness. Of course, if it doesn't fit the baby I am going to have to buy a doll big enough to wear it. So, let's all cross fingers, shall we?