A Dress for Grace

Last trip Stateside I picked up the latest (at the time) issue of Sew Beautiful. On the cover was a child's outfit done in a pretty floral fabric.

The pattern for the outfit was included in the magazine. I thought it was really pretty, but if I were to make it, what fabric would I use? Living in the Provincial France poses problems when buying sewing supplies, especially fabric. As luck would have it the summer sales were in full swing and a store near the apartment had gotten in some surprisingly beautiful small print cotton Japanese fabrics.

I love Japanese fabrics! I found this one:

 

Well woven and 100% cotton., whats not to like? After buying 2 meters I brought it home an washed and dried it.

 

The reason I love Japanese fabric is that most do not wrinkle, or if they do, not badly. This one did not wrinkle at all making it the perfect fabric to make this garment out of.

 

I searched my stash for lace trim and found a vintage one that probably dates from the 1960s and is not 100% cotton but some sort of blend containing polyester. It is beautiful, best of all it should not wrinkle.

 

Knowing I was going to South Carolina  to visit my Friend Ann, proud grandma of Grace. I knew that I could find the perfect piping fabric in her quilt fabric collection. The buttons I would need to figure out later and the crotch snaps I found in my stash.

Assessing the pattern now after the fact, it easy to make. From start to finish it took about 8 hours. The directions were good even through the confusing pleating parts. The results are beautiful.

Ann, my friend. as it turned out had a collection of buttons she had gotten in June in Florida.

A big thanks goes out to Martha who brought them telling us that we had to take them and she was not going back home with them. From the ones Ann took, we found the perfect buttons to match the fabric. As for the piping, we did of course find it, a  green Jinny Beyer print that matched perfectly.

 

As for Grace, presented with the outfit, she loves it.