A Birthday Matinée Dress

I say my baby because as my youngest daughter she’ll always be my baby, even though I swear her infancy flashed by so fast I got whiplash.  I guess that happens when the kid is pretty much off the charts from birth on.  She’s been riding the 97th percentile curve and it will be interesting to see where she is at her two year well check.

Arden selected the location for our shoot.  There’s an annual historical camp along the river going through our city called The River of Time.  They have vendors and re-enactors representing different periods throughout history, like pioneers, native Americans, different war conflicts, traders, etc.  We had walked through the day before and Arden wanted to go back to the “flower park” which is an area next to the encampment where community groups plant pocket gardens.

The fabrics for the dress are from my amazing new sponsor, Sew Fine Fabrics.  The main fabric is “Abacus” in Pool and the contrast is “Dottie” in Orange, both organic cotton from Birch Fabrics.  I’ve been wanting to try organic fabrics and I’m so happy I was able to at long last.  These fabrics are so dreamy – almost a lawn, but more substantial.  I was peeking at Jodi’s shop and she’s got a bunch of new fabrics, including the Fort Firefly collection – sooo cute!

I decided to add little cap sleeves and I’m really liking how they change up the look of the dress.  I had a bit of fun on Instagram (@jennuinelife) giving peeks and a poll to determine which buttons y’all thought looked best with the fabrics – blue A won!

I also added a band of the contrast fabric at the hem of the skirt which I think was needed with this much contrast between the two fabrics.  I think the band on the bodice would have looked a little orphaned without it.  It took a bit of patient fussy cutting and patient sewing to be sure the dots lined up all the way around and I’m quite proud of my pattern matching on the seams on the hem band – can you spot the two seams?

I have plans to work on a pattern for this dress.  I know, I know, you’ve heard this from me before but I just need to get my plate cleared off enough to sit down and learn/do the digitizing.  I doesn’t help that I seem to have a masochistic compulsion for adding even more things when I’m trying to check things off the list.  It’s just so hard not to jump on every new fun opportunity with all the great projects and events going on in the creative community.  I also need to decide which pattern will be the first and I think this one needs to be it.  I love patterns with options, so I’ll be sure to include the sleeve pattern as well as instructions for a contrast hem band.

After scrolling through the pictures, you can see that Hadley is beginning to show her modeling chops.  She was so cute marching along this little wall.  She kept repeating “walking, walking, walking” as she went.  She was laughing and running after Arden and having a grand old time until they shot off a cannon at the River of Time I told you about.  That really freaked her out and then she was all done and just wanted to be held.  I had plenty of shots by then so all was good.

Aaah!  I just love her little chubby knees in that last shot!