Little White Dress

Around the time I made the baptism dress, I also made a dress for our 4 year old. It turned out like this:

She's super skinny so we can fit it over her head, but I should have put in a side zipper or not made the waistband so tight and added a tie in the back (but I ran out of fabric anyway). I may be able to go back in a add a zipper in the side. Perhaps I can go back to the fabric store and buy a little more fabric and change the waistband. Bummer. It looks more like the dress I was baptized in.

McCall's 6074 -- as maternity

I've really had fun with this dress, and I'm starting to get the hang of sewing on knits.  It's been decades.  I raised the neckline and added sleeves.  I've grown so much I didn't even add the elastic in the front, but grabbed a scrap of fabric for an optional belt.  Maybe after the baby, I can add the elastic in the front.

I was also looking around for more maternity ideas and found these:
http://doityourselfdivas.blogspot.com/2011/10/diy-perfect-maternity-dress-revamped.html
http://www.luvinthemommyhood.com/2011/05/maternity-sewing-tutorials-roundup-2011.html#comment-form
http://www.luvinthemommyhood.com/2010/03/maternity-sewing-tutorial-roundup.html

By the way, I used the concepts in The Dressmaker's Guide by Elizabeth Stewart Clark to design my sleeves -- who said you only have to use her book for historic clothing?

Also, Prudent Baby offers some helpful advice for sewing on knits.

T-Shirt to Maternity Dress

I told my mom I was going to turn a t-shirt into a maternity dress tonight and I think she thought I was nuts. I believe she was thinking of the t-shirt dresses they make to send to 3rd world countries.

I've been wanting to try this idea, but didn't have a shirt to use. Then I realized this shirt had holes around the stomach -- probably from me trying to zip my fleece jacket up over my big belly.

I went to the fabric store, bought some black fabric for the waistband and skirt, and some purple to blend with the shirt.  The purples aren't quite the same, but with the black in the middle, you can't tell.

I don't have a serger, but that would have been immensely helpful with this project. If I do much more with knits, I might have to start looking into one.

First, I sewed the purple strip onto the black strip at the bottom.  Then I folded the whole thing in half and sewed it to make a tube.  I planned to put the seam in the center back.

Then I found a shirt with an empire waist and cut my old shirt at about the same level.

Then, I decided I wanted a waistband and cut about 3" off the top of the skirt.   Then, I evenly gathered the skirt into the waistband and sewed the skirt to the top.

I'll hem it tomorrow.  I've noticed that these long dresses are in.  I'm not so sure how I feel about that because they are so incredibly impractical.  At least they're not as full as other long dresses I've worn.