As usual, I thought of doing something at the last minute. I guess some people figure out at some point that things like holidays will come along, and they plan accordingly.
Not me… I'm taken by surprise more often than you would think.
I decided… around the fifth week of Lent… that I needed to sew some things for my grandchildren… who now number nine: six boys and three girls. This was part of my issue — I could not think of what would be nice spring-time clothing for boys!
What could I make that would be as cute as a girl's dress?
By the time I thought of it — duh, bow ties — it was too late for planning purposes or for anything fancy, Easter-wise. So I left it up to them if they wanted to use the things for Easter or not, no pressure.
I just needed to sew. And I even had some pretty fabric in two colorways in my stash — yay for stashing fabric!
I made these little dresses:
And a bunch of bow ties:
The fabric will be the last of the girls' dresses, which I was able to leave to this week, since Finabee already had quite a fancy Easter dress all picked out.
Her brother had his bow tie though (not that he wore it, but that's okay):
For the bow ties I used this tutorial — Rosie has used it before and it's really very simple. I almost succumbed to overthinking with the bowties, but in the end, went with this tutorial and all was well.
Pro-tip: Do not bother sewing the neckband on the wrong side and then turning. Turning a long narrow tube is super time-consuming and frustrating. Just press the seam allowances, fold it over, and topstitch it closed. In this case, the neckband will be under a collar anyway.
For the smaller dress with the elastic, I used this post and printed out her pattern. It was very easy! It fits Nora, who is almost one! (I let Rosie do the final elastic fitting for the neck on her — I sent it to her with the elastic in its casing, but hadn't sewn the ends together.)
For the larger one, I used McCall's 9291, a pattern I had in my stash. For some unknown reason I used the size 4, which was too large, but Rosie fixed/hacked it. Had I planned a bit better, I would have made something fancier, but I figured that the fabric would carry us through, and perhaps the bright green seam binding would add a little pizzazz.
For the facings, instead of hemming them (which is practically my least favorite aspect of facings, my least favorite aspect of sewing dresses — usually I try to do a lining, not a facing), I used the same narrow, double-folded bias tape. I think it makes a nice finish.
I also added sleeves to this pattern (grabbed from another pattern — I have lots of patterns!), just to make it less sun-dress-y. I simply hand-sewed the facing armhole to the dress armhole, enclosing the sleeve seam allowance.
It's been so long since I sewed little girls' dresses that I didn't trust myself to do anything more elaborate on such short notice, but now I'm back in the saddle!
If you look at my Pinterest board, you will see more ideas for sewing for kids. Rosie's too!
Did you sew any dresses or anything this Easter?
priest's wife (@byzcathwife) says
the dresses are beautiful! and it is actually for the best that they are simple (they look washable, too)- my 6 year old torn the lace overlay of her new dress by playing tag with the kids after church 🙁
Janette says
I love reading about this and they are all so cute! I wish I knew the lingo and could whip up something like that. Maybe some day! My daughter and I are learning slowly from a friend but it seems so overwhelming that I tend to just set it aside and not think about it when our teacher isn’t here 🙂
Jenny says
I love the elastic-sleeved/elastic-necked dress! I’ve come across a very similar pattern that I can do start-to-finish in about an hour. Which is fabulous, given that with my girls (ages 9, 9, 8, 6… and 1, but she can’t talk yet!), if I sew ONE dress, I’m sewing FOUR dresses. And my poor son… he’s 3, which is old enough to know that Mama isn’t sewing him anything, but not old enough to really understand that dresses aren’t for him. I’m going to have to check out that bowtie tutorial.
Happy Easter and happy sewing!
Laura says
basic pants with elastic waists are super easy! I found a camo bedsheet at a thrift store and it’s come in super handy! handkerchiefs for boys is another great sewn item!
Mrs. B. says
Cute fabric – it makes me think of spring breezes! And the bow tie idea was great – it made me think that if you have scraps you could make matching headband for the girls.
Happy Easter! I made Gateau Paris Brest this year! I was shocked how easy the choux pastry was, but I’m afraid I overbeat the ganache (Gourmet said not to exaggerate, or it would get “grainy”, and I thought, what are they talking about, this is so smooth! Turns out they DO know what they are talking about!) I don’t think anyone cared though 🙂
Mari says
Ohmygosh these are so cute. I was eagerly waiting to see what you were making. The fabric is so cheerful it makes me smile just to see it.
I, too, am often surprised by the arrival of Holidays……birthdays, anniversaries…..sometimes even dinnertime. I, too, decided to make something for my grandchildren for Easter/Spring but opted not to make anything for the older ones or boys at this time. I, too, did not tell my daughters what i was doing just in case I didn’t get the outfits done in time or in case they did not fit. My two little granddaughters wore matching dresses/coats. I love the idea of the headbands.
Mary Keane says
Yes! I used the same tutorial for my boys’ bow ties this Easter! For tubes, I got a tip from a friend to use one of those bent quilting safety pins, and make the tube just a smidge longer than needed. The pin wrecks the end from pulling on it so I can just snip that part off.
I made a matching dress for my little girl too. It was the first time I’d made clothing. Some parts were frustrating but I’m so pleased with the result that I want to make another one. It should be easier the second time.
Leila says
Mary, yes, that is how you do the tube-turning — if you need to (but put the pin down the tube a bit to prevent it from yanking the fabric, folding the end over). But there is no need to do it, very often, and it really slows things down. My way is simpler, faster! I used to dread this chore, and now I just usually skip it.
Leila says
Thanks all, for your kind comments! I do like simple dresses. Then I feel like they should have been fancier 🙂
But these will be good for other purposes.
Mrs. B — glad you made the gateau — I didn’t but I think I will in a couple of weeks — I made ice cream instead: Honey Lavender Chocolate Chip!!
Mrs. B. says
Ah, well, when one has a nice amount of homemade honey (ok, the bees might object to that “homemade”, but you know what I mean 🙂 ), one has to use it, so might as well make some ice cream with it, right? And after the long Lent, I bet it must have tasted especially delicious!
Lisa G. says
The binding or edging on a skirt or dress hem always looks fresh and nice.
Maria says
Very nice! Your sewing posts are always so encouraging. I remember when all the bridesmaids dresses were in the works. It got me thinking about building my sewing skills. I especially like the little one with the elastic neckline. I will have to give it a try. The bow ties are adorable. Vests also came to mind for boys dress wear.
Katherine says
I haven’t sewn any kids’ clothing in years. My youngest two are boys and they get the hand-me-down vests and ties I made for their older brothers (vests, by the way, are almost as easy as bow ties, except for the buttonholes). I made a bunch of real bow ties for my college son for Christmas, which are also super easy (but you have to devote time to watching bow-tying tutorials online afterwards). Most of my creative energy these days involves knitting and quilting, but as soon as grandkids come, I’ll be back in the dress sewing saddle.
By the way, how to you organize your many patterns? I’ve finally got my fabric and yarn stash (small vintage suitcases!) under control, but don’t know what to quite do about patterns. The envelopes get so ratty looking so quickly and it’s almost impossible to fit the pieces neatly back into the envelopes. Exasperated by the mess, I finally culled my patterns and only kept the ones I really, really thought I would use in the future.
Leila says
Katherine, I have a post about organizing the patterns: http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org/2010/05/sewing-chitchat/
Short form: put the whole kit and caboodle in a freezer (not regular) ziploc bag. Put the original envelope in front so you can see what it is.
Margo, Thrift at Home says
adorable! And I’m glad for the link to the little dress – so cute.
I have finally realized that I don’t LIKE sewing far in advance of special dates and I speak as a planner and controller. I like to sew as I get excited for the date – hence my decision to sew my baby an Easter dress the week before Easter and myself a butter-yellow skirt. The baby’s dress used some fabric left from the big girl’s dress a few years ago, so my girls were MATCHING. It was tremendously satisfyingly pretty. I blogged it all here: http://thriftathome.blogspot.com/2016/03/from-easter-and-day-after.html
Polly says
Such sweet dresses and bowties!
My plan was to sew an Easter dress for my daughter from a vintage pattern (I have dozens and dozens of them)–one that is from about 1954. My grandmother made the dress for my aunt. I got it all ready and decided to line it too (my thrift store fabric is rather thin–and I had another thrift store fabric that was perfect for lining). We were quite busy over the past few weeks and I started it early-ish (tracing the pattern onto less delicate paper–always my first step w/ these vintage patterns) but around Good Friday I realized that I would not be able to finish it AND still get sufficient sleep for the next two nights. Maintaining my sanity and not feeling rushed are, I have discovered, important for me, so I dressed my daughter in a sweet dress that was mine when I was her age–that my grandmother made for ME! 🙂 We are big on old, homemade, vintage clothes around here.
So instead the Easter dress will be a summer church dress. I’m about halfway through, I think.
I love sewing but have found that I love it best when I have lots of margin and time to complete a project. Every time I am rushed or pinched for time I end up hating sewing. I do not, it seems, work well under pressure!
Cami says
Cute dresses! I sewed my two boys (aged 3 and 4 years) custom pillowcases for Easter gifts. They chose the fabric sometime after Christmas (body, accent, cuff) and then forgot about it. One picked trains and the other music notes. So as a novice sewer, I stitched up a couple of cute pillowcases. On one, I didn’t grab enough in my seam and it’s already in need of mending. 🙁 There’s always something. I also made one son a new bowtie as one was missing from our previous pair. A bright and cheerful music note bowtie! The only disappointment is that somehow they are so misshapened after wearing them. The wiggles and fidgets of toddlers, I guess!