Monday, March 14, 2016

LGD - Four Vogue 8060 Dresses

I kinda lost my mind making little girl dresses again this year. I started with three separate patterns ~ Vogue 8060 which is out-of-print, Butterick 6314Butterick 5876 and ended up with five dresses for Lena and two for Sammy this time.


The Test Dress ~
At first I was going to do one post with all of the dresses, but it was too much information & too many photos so I'm breaking it down by pattern. This isn't the first dress I made but since I made four of them this will be the first post.
  

This post is about Vogue 8060. I used this pattern to make Sammy's dresses last year. The amazing thing is that a year later the pattern still fits Miss Sammy. I had to lengthen the pattern pieces and take them in an inch but other than that they still worked. Even more amazing though, is that the same pattern pieces fit Miss Lena. For her I just needed to lengthen them.

The girls with my daughter/their mother are participating in my Mom's church's fashion show. It's an annual event that occurs the Saturday before Palm Sunday and various members of the family have modeled in it over the years. My mother has asked me time and again to sew for the models but I've always resisted...that is until she asked the babies to model with their mother. 

Here is the test dress, made up to try on both girls to gauge length and if width was needed:


It's not finished because I'm thinking of cutting it to tunic length so that Miss Lena can wear it with leggings. She will not be wearing this in the fashion show.

Sammy's Black 'n White Version ~
Since the trial dress worked, I moved onto making one for Sammy using the black 'n white polka dot fabric that was previously used to make this dress for me.


This dress coordinates with one I made for Miss Lena and a maxi skirt for their mother.  It's the first mother/daughter pieces for the fashion show.  I made so many of this dress last year that sewing the new ones was a breeze. The most complicated portion of this version was adding the embellishment.

The trim was purchased last year at Expo and sadly this is the last of it. However, this time after stitching it down, I stitched single pearls to the center of each flower. It's a striking embellishment that coordinates with the flowers on Lena's dress.

The Cotton Lace Matching Dresses ~


The next coordinating outfits were made using fabric purchased in Houston. I know it's expensive fabric to use in little girl dresses but doesn't it make awesome dresses. I made a couple changes to the pattern for these dresses:

1.  They have a v-neckline instead of the regular neckline.
2.  Sammy's version has green piping. Lena's doesn't because that piping 
     was a pain to add...and I'm using a PG word to describe the experience.


3.  I added floral pins to the front of each garment.
4.  The hem of the dress is the selvege edge of the fabric.


5.  The dress is lined in a bright raspberry silk duppioni.
6.  An invisible zipper was added to the back of the dresses as a closure.

A Few More Pictures ~



Conclusion ~
These are constructed exactly like the original ones made last year. The simple shape of the dress works really well for highlighting embellishments and interesting fabrics. 

I'm holding onto this pattern because there are more dresses to be made for the little princesses in the future. Also, all of the items for these dresses and the ones in upcoming posts, came from materials already in the Sewing Cave. The only purchase was five yards of 2" wide white grosgrain ribbon which is a staple in the Cave and needed to be replaced. Thank goodness for a well stocked sewing cave!

I spent two weeks making all of these dresses and will share them with you during this week. All of the photos of Miss Lena and Miss Sammy were taken at home. I'm not sure how many good ones we will get during the fashion show. However, if we do get some great shots, I will post them to the blog because my daughter has great accessories for both girls to go with the dresses.

...as always more later!

41 comments:

  1. ADORABUBBLE! That floral fabric is absolutely gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gorgeous, now I'm missing when my granddaughter was a little girl!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I remember when you bought that floral lace, and how much I liked it. And if I had granddaughters, I'd do the same thing in a heartbeat. Nothing is too good for an adorable grandchild. The dresses will be a smash hit, and those photos will be kept for a lifetime. Looking forward to the next instalment.

    ReplyDelete
  4. These dresses are adorable. This shape lets them run and do all the active things little girls love.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very cute dresses and even cuter models!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Precious! It's been a long time since I made little girl's dresses! Really pretty Carolyn!

    ReplyDelete
  7. So pretty. I am looking forward to little girl sewing again one day . I hope at least one of my daughters has a baby.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love a lines on little girls and these are adorable. You did a great job with your designs,Carolyn. What a great hemline that selvedge makes! Your grandaughters are precious and look all ready for Easter Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  9. O my -- adorable! Totally adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh my! Your models are adorable and so are those dresses! And silk lining, they must feel like princesses in those dresses.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my goodness!! Adorable dresses and adorable little girls !!!I could just squeeze them to pieces!! They make me miss my Riley and my little Poppy girl. I've seen dresses similar on Pinterest and have them pinned cause I want to make all four of my little GD's dresses this summer so I'm going to add yours to my board if I can figure out how to do that. )
    Have a great week Carolyn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diana - if you hover your mouse over the picture a Pin It box comes up. Click it and it will send you to pinterest where you can save the picture. Or you can right click on the picture and choose the Pin It option. One of the upcoming dresses is based upon a dress I pinned. I have 185 pins for my Little Girls board!

      Delete
  12. They are absolutely delightful dresses. I love the hemline. Your granddaughters are gorgeous little ladies.

    ReplyDelete
  13. SO cute! What lovely dresses.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, I wish I had cute little girls to sew for - I am sure you are enjoying this time with them. I am looking forward to seeing the other dresses - and hopefully photos from the fashion show!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Awww such pretty little dresses on your cute little grandbabies.

    ReplyDelete
  16. So adorable -the dresses & the models .

    ReplyDelete
  17. And what are you making the Little Prince?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Penelope - *LOL* Nothing. His parents bought his Easter Suit and his birthday is this week. He's asked for Game Stop Cards for more games for his DS and an iTunes card to download things to his iPad so that's what his Nana is getting him!

      Delete
  18. They look beautiful... Kids clothes are every bit as difficult to get right than adults. Hope they enjoy their show.

    ReplyDelete
  19. These dresses and the little girls are darling! Thank you for sharing them with us. I especially like the green binding on the floral dress. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Keren - otherwise known as "the green piping from h*ll!" LOL!

      Delete
  20. I want that flower dress with the pretty hem for me! Want to adopt me?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Connie - do you clean? Do dishes? Cook? If so, I think we can work something out! *LOL*

      Delete
  21. Aww, they're adorable!! And such cute little dresses.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Such cute dresses - adorable! I have a similar floral cotton lace fabric in my stash. It's nice to see how pretty this fabric is made up. Gorgeous little girls!

    ReplyDelete
  23. How wonderful! These sweet dresses took me back to sewing for my daughter when she was little. Wheh she was little, I loved the ones that criss-crossed in the back and buttoned on the shoulders. The cotton lace fabric is fabulous as is the treatment you gave the hems. I cannot help wondering if the company does mail order. I would love to make a skirt for me for the summer. I am sure the girls will treasure these as much as they do their Grandmom.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh how fun to sew for little girls! The dresses you made are adorable. I love all the versions.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Adorable, Carolyn. These beauties remind me of the dresses my grandmother made for me and my sister.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Your little ladies look absolutely charming!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Well how cute are these!? That cotton lace fabric is stunning. Have fun at the fashion show!

    ReplyDelete
  28. The girls are adorable and their new dresses look soooo cute on them! I can't wait to see more pics! :))

    ReplyDelete
  29. The dresses are so cute! I really love the floral lace dresses that match!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Some things never go out of style; granddaughters, getting to dress them (before they get their own dang opinions), and ruffle socks. I had to laugh. The other night I was looking through some old photos, circa 1959, and found one of me and my sisters in matching homemade by mom McCall dresses. That was back in the day when you also wore 2 or 3 petticoats under the skirt, "go big or go home" must have been the motto. All three of us had those exact same socks on. I remember loving to twirl in them. The dresses look great on them, perfect colors, and maybe the best part is they look like they feel beautiful in them. Thanks for the memory.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Carolyn - all these dresses are adorable - and so are your little princesses! I think my DGD might need a new dress too!

    xo,
    Maris

    ReplyDelete
  32. These are simply adorable little girl dresses. Who says you can't sew up expensive fabric for your grandchildren? As far as pattern sizing goes I well remember sewing a child's pattern size 2 for my girls for many years by lengthening the body. Karen

    ReplyDelete
  33. the Polka Dot is adorable! The girls look so sweet in their floral dresses and I'm sure they will be the hit of the fashion show!

    ReplyDelete
  34. You have beautiful grand daughters and these dresses do them justice. The dresses are gorgeous! The lace is amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  35. These girls are just too cute!!! Lovely sewing, as always.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Your daughter and granddaughters are absolutely beautiful! Good job on the dresses!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! It is so appreciated!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails