The pattern is the Boy’s Christening Gown by Creations by Michie, in silk duopioni.

The cross embroidery is by Zundt, and I stitched it in matte and shiny thread.

I made a baby dress today for my fairy godchild. The pattern is the Petal Dress from sewbaby.com. I got the fabric at Poppy Fabrics in Oakland. The main fabric is a cotton with an atomic-age boomerang print which reminds me of vintage formica, with a aqua cotton sateen lining. The buttons are vintage, iridescent aqua plastic.

detail

The pattern went together well; there are only three pieces – the front, the back, and the petals of the skirt. The pink rickrack edging on the neck and sleeves was my addition. I spent most of the construction time basting that and trying to get the points to be even. Oh, and ripping stuff out when in my enthusiasm I sewed the lining in backwards.

I always dread doing buttonholes, but really, my Rose cranks them out without any problem. I just have to get out the manual every time to remember how the little automatic buttonhole foot dealie works.

The sewbaby pattern doesn’t come with a butt coverage unit, so I think I’ll use a diaper cover pattern that I already have to make one with the leftover fabric. I love that they’re kind of loose with measuring at Poppy.

I just have so many long-term projects going on around the house, I wanted to do something quick and fun to break the machine in again after all the wedding sewing.

bodice

full

back detail (during ceremony; color is off because of the church lighting)

I was really happy with the skirt, but less so with the top. I am told that I’m the only person fixated on this, though, so I will just get over it at some point.

Things I wish I had done differently:

• underlined the sleeves with organza or something – they didn’t have enough body, especially next to the rest of the bodice, which was underlined, and they wrinkled if I just looked at them.
• used more boning in the bodice. I have spring steel in the princess seams, the side seams, and the back darts, but I wish I had used more to keep it smoother.
• gotten the neckline right – it was too high in the back, even after I cut it way down, and I have many photos which feature my bra strap, even though I had used lingerie keepers in the shoulders. Maybe because I did, since it having the shoulders set in place sometimes made the neckline gap. It just could have been better.

Detail of the bodice – the beading is a grid of three 4mm Swarovski crystals, filled in with #10 tricut delicas, also in threes. Triune beading, I guess. The band at the neckline continues around the back.

I need to set the record straight here about the bias binding on the edge of the sleeves. I know a lot of words are getting tossed around – words like, “stupid screwup-ed sleeves” and “incompetent pattern alterations” and “don’t have enough fabric to re-cut.”

BUT, really, I always intended for there to be a narrow bias binding on the hem of the sleeves. Which is why I cut them without a proper hem when I altered the pattern to make the sleeves longer. Because I’m a design genius like that.

Tonight’s notions star: the Fasturn, which has made short work of making button loops for the back of the top. I used the 1/8″ size and it cranked them right out.

People who like to sew in their pajamas and who also like to use their clothing as a pincushion should check their jammies for pins before going to bed. I’m just sayin’.

Usual disclaimers re: suckage of my camera.

Skirt

Hulk Petticoat

I finished the skirt at 1:00 this morning! Yay! The bottom half of my body is done!