Miss M doesn’t have many long sleeve clothes that fit her right now. I am pretty sure a load of hand me downs is coing my way soon, but for now, I decided to sew a few things for her from my collection of existing patterns. Have you ever mixed a couple of patterns you liked to make the perfect garmet for your needs? It’s really nice to pick and choose. A couple of weeks ago I made a norah tunic for Marion and it turned out really cute. I like the tunic version (i’ll have to share the one I made soon!) but I didn’t want to make the dress version with this fabric.
Last year I made the Sally Dress for Anne by Very Shannon. The boxy neckline and big pockets are SO ADORABLE! I love the dress but honestly felt baffled by some of the instructions. (shh! sometimes garmet constrcution throws me for a loop!) So, I like how the sally dress looks, but how simply the Norah dress is made! Solution? Just combine the 2, right!
So, I made the bodice the way Shannon suggested, but added the sleeves the way Hayley suggested. AND, I added the skirt the way Rae says to do it in the Geranium dress! I also used the length of Hayley’s sleeves to make the Sally dress have long sleeves.
Sometimes I forget that patterns can just be used as a stepping stone to making things your own way that best suits how you like to sew and exactly what you want to make. I do that all the time with my pillows and bags but it doesn’t always occur to me with sewing clothes.
About my fabric choices: I used the adorable Madrona Road by Violet Craft for the pockets. I used mini pom pom trim from Pick Your Plum for the bodice trim. A little tough that trim! Very tiny seam so be careful. Not sure if it is really supposed to be used for sewing since it’s from pick your plum but I thought it was when I bought it! The body fabric is from JoAnns. It has a really cute tiny stripe and is only $5 a yard right now! The drape is really nice.
A Photography note- I finally got my self and Miss M going early and took this photos before the school bus even came this morning. The golden hour truly does make a difference in photography! I have known it forever but never seemed to get motivated to get out there to photograph so early (or so late!) Another bonus- I didn’t even edit these photos!!! That is amazing and made me really happy.
So…what patterns do you like to mix? This combo is great b/c no back closure(sally), easy sleeves(norah), simple construction(norah) and those great pockets(sally)! I am going to make one jumper style too so she can wear a long sleeve tee underneath. Cute huh?
