Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Christmas dress

Mom gave me the use of her pleater so I could try smocking some things for Caroline. So about 4 months ago, I went to the fabric store and asked for an easy bishop pattern. I'm glad I started early. I really didn't think I would ever get finished and at one point I was convinced the project was cursed. The first dress went through the pleater three times (incurring some tiny holes at some point) and got smocked twice. Due to unclear construction instructions (this is an easy pattern???), I neglected to insert sleeves into the dress before pleating. Mom kept saying that she always sewed the sleeves in first, but the pattern seemed to suggest otherwise. I now know that, yes, you do sew the sleeves in prior to pleating. (Mom always knows best!) Instead of taking out the smocking (again) and ripping out the seams, I decided at that point to spend $5 on another yard of fabric. It was amazing how quickly the process went once I knew what I was doing!

I am so pleased with the results--probably even more so because of the struggle it took to get here. When I put the dress on her, I have to admit that I got a little teary. She just looked so darn sweet and angelic! She could probably make a burlap sack look cute. You will be seeing a lot of this dress between now and Christmas! Time to start on her Easter dress...





4 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful job you did! I love it!!
Love,
Amy Steelman

Anonymous said...

Emilee, I am so impressed! The dress is amazing, and Caroline looks so sweet in it! I love keeping up with how fast she is growing and changing, and I keep promising myself that I'm going to start a page for Caleb...
Spears

The Amusing Uterus said...

Emilee, that is AWESOME!!! That would cost a small fortune in a store. She looks so sweet and adorable (as usual). Great work!

Our Crazy Life said...

I can't believe you smocked a dress!! I am so impressed! It's adorable.