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...