Alice's party dress

I think this month of blogging will be a year in reflection, I started this blog more as a journal, so when you miss a year, you think to yourself "I'm too far behind". In any case this month will be the highlights.

Important note; ALL dresses need twirl factor.  If I'm honest, now that will live up here, Alice spends most day without clothes or shoes. Birthday parties seem to be held at the beach, but at Auntie Marg's birthday celebration in Ballarat, Miss Alice got to really check out the twirl factor. With the DJ playing, she managed to encourage all on the dance floor to "move back" whilst she displayed the twirl. This one is not shy.....

 This is a beautiful voile from Germany, it was in my shop but has all sold out. It has so much body for a voile.
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Lazy daisy stitches and sparkly beads.

And of course sparkly  shoes to match.

A dress for Alice

Even though Alice is two, I'm still able to dress her, really, does she have a choice. With a name like Alice, she was always going to be girly and sweet.

Don't worry, she gets plenty of time to wear short's and pinnies around on the farm. But she isn't a tomboy, by far.

A childs name say's something about them, don't you think?

My eldest Jim, say's solid, earthy and no fuss, just like Jim. People ask is it short for James, and it isn't. James to me has such a different meaning.

My youngest boy Flynn, say's flamboyant, fiesty, I'm here!.

What does your childrens name say about them?

Back to the dress, lovely lilac spotted voile, with a square smocked yoke. This is the first time I've done the traditional square yoke.

Pin tucks and lace adorn the hemline, I figure that pintucks are a sneaky way to let down the hem as she grows.

Oh yes, my clever one can wink, on cue......

The party dress

Besides, socks, jocks and shoes, I've never bought clothes for my children, I've either being given hand-me-downs or it's the clothes I've made for them, I feel really good about that fact.
But for a bit of indulgents, I figure every girl, whatever age, should have one good dress just for party's, whenever the occasion arises.

This is Alice's party dress, beautiful pink dupioni silk complete with angels wings.

I smocked the yoke, bishop style, it is, perhaps, my favourite syle of smocking, dainty glass beads and silk leaves, vines and knots compliment the smocking.

Yes, Alice really does believe she can fly.

New Dress

I actually made this dress at christmas time, just finally getting around to posting it.
The fabric is pink pique, I adore bishop style dresses, they seem to me less formal, and they fit for longer. Now that Alice is walking we can do the dress thingy.
I picked up a couple of lovely petticoats at our annual school fair last week, my, they really do make dresses sit so much better.

Well, I'm a lucky girl, I've got a brand new, whiz bang sewing machine. I bought my first machine at age 17 for $1500, funny isn't it how I managed to save this much money so young, and now I can't save a cent. It was the first of the computerised machines 20 years ago, It finally gave up the ghost and this is what I replaced it with. A Pfaff. I always thought my next machine would be a Bernina, but I hear not so many good things about them now. The built in walking foot sold me on the pfaff. It's a very clever little machine, the presserfoot just goes down and up when starting or finishing no manual interferance necessary.It also has this clever way of pivoting when doing curves or corners, so when you are sewing and stop to pivot, the needle automatically stays in the fabric but the pressure foot just comes up slightly so you can turn the fabric but when you press the foot pedal again the foot goes down. It makes for quick and fun sewing. I actually thought I would buy an embroidery machine, but decided they lacked a certain 'something' that handiwork has, hands down.

In the first photo I'm making Alice her Christmas outfit, It has some lovely built in cross stitches patterns.

Now that Alice is crawling, pinnies are appropriate I just LOVE pinnies on little girls. The fabric is a fine cordoroy made by Hilco in Germany, the main reason I love the net- fabric stashes. The colours and quality of this fabric is superb. the patterns are out of Ottobre, a wonderful Finnish patern magazine that just know how to dress children like children. I realised after making the generous pants that she could wear them as knicker bockers when she is two or three.

The last photo of Miss Alice in her smocked bishop blouse and bloomers that I just made up. I much prefer bishops over square yokes, so much more freedom to move. I adore smocking, I tried to get Flynn my 3 year old to wear a smocked peter pan shirt, he did let me put it on him, then he said a definite No. But it looked soooo cute on him, I chased him around the house, bribing him with all sorts of wonderful goodies but to no avail, I so should've been born last century!

Alice's first coat

I love this coat and bonnet it is so soft, I could snuggle Alice in it all day long, (like I need an excuse). I bought a cashmere scarf on ebay for $7.00 and cut it up. The back of the bonnet is circled with embroidery including a spider and the coat has a smocked yoke wich I had to pleat by hand as the fabric was too thick for the smocking machine, which was no biggy as there are only five rows. I tatted some lace around the collar and bonnet, it was my first attempt at tatting. I didn't realise how hard it is to tat, you only do one sort of stitch but... It felt like I had never used my hands before, totally weird, now after many hours (I swear it took an hour to do a circle) its easy and quick and I like that it fits in my pocket so where ever I am waiting I can pull it out and do a loop. I lined the coat with silk because I just can't dress my children in anything that isn't natural, its hard to explain. I'll take a photo of her in her bonnet it's so cute on her!.

'love' clothes

'love' clothes

I made this dress for Alice using wool challis which I dyed a peachy colour. The pattern is in The Australian smocking magazine. The dress took way longer to make than I thought because I underestimated the time in doing the double hemstitching.The yoke is fully smocked and has rosebuds. I love making clothes for my children, they always seem to radiate love when wearing them.