Jun 17, 2014

Made by Lucy: Recital Dress

My husband takes pains to tell our daughter that not every kid gets to sew her own clothes. He doesn't like to see her take it for granted that thanks to her mother's skills, she has the opportunity to design and sew (on a machine!) one-of-a-kind creations like her recently completed Recital Dress:



I love the simple Crayola-color, blue-on-blue design she created. Riding the bus to her piano recital Sunday night I realized she perfectly co-ordinated with the Bx10 bus seats:



Here she is with the original sketch:


She had originally wanted the dress to be much longer. I had to work hard to convince her that was impractical for a kid. I see lots of little-girl maxi dresses on the rack these days, but I really think they don't make sense. A long dress would get in the way when playing. Also, they will trip on that hem when going up stairs. Little girls should look like little girls, even if that means their above-the-knee hemline shows all their band-aids:

Summer = Scraped-knee Season
If you're like, "No way that kid sewed that whole dress herself!", it's true. I drafted the pattern, cut out the fabric, set in the sleeves and sewed the facings. I also grilled Lucy on her preferred design details because her sketch, though cute, wasn't exactly clear. I asked her about hem length and sleeve length, neckline shape, fabric type, and closures. I bought the fabric, a linen, at Mood. The turquoise ribbon is a wide grosgrain, also from Mood.

Lucy, who is nearly six now, handled the following:

1) Pre-washed the fabric


 2) Cut out the paper pattern:

3) Pinned the pattern to her fabric:


 4) Sewed side seams, shoulder seams and hem:


She also helped cover the buttons with turquoise lining fabric that matched the ribbon hem:


The results of her hard work, in action:


It doesn't bother my kid at all that I handled the harder parts of sewing this dress. She's still happy to take full credit for it (and I'm OK with her taking it). One day she will be able to set in a sleeve without having a tantrum. (Hey, I often feel that way myself when joining two curves).


I know what you're thinking: when is Lucy going to start her own sewing blog? And what will be the next item in her Summer 2014 collection? Any ideas on what she should make next?

19 comments:

  1. That is frikkin adorable. The first thing my mom taught me to see wasn't nearly as cute, but those creative skills do last a lifetime!

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    1. An look at you now! Man, my kid's blog is going to be SO much better than mine one day...

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  2. Dang! That is so impressive!

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  3. that is so awesome! i think she needs to start her own line of patterns... hint, hint... ;-)

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    1. Great idea. She already has a patternmaker on staff...

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  4. Love it. And one day you will be having the hem length again but from different viewpoints!

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  5. So great! I think this is the best way to learn how to sew -- bit by bit. Just imagine how much she'll be able to do by the time she is ten! If only bandaids looked as cute on grown-up knees;)

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    1. Yeah, and if only they made themed band-aids for grown-ups !

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  6. Fantastic! I think I was about 10 when I first started sewing with my mum - drawstring bags were my debut project, so I'm very impressed with the House of Beau Baby!

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  7. That's marvelous -- now she needs a dress that matches the subway seats on the "A" train, LOL! Seriously, she looks terrific in it. I think a kids sewing book is in order!

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  8. Love this!!! My 6 year old is in a camp now with a sewing studio and I'm beside myself with excitement. :)

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  9. I aspire to one day setting in a sleeve without a tantrum, too! What a beautiful dress - an artsy way to describe the color would be "urban camouflage".

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  10. Adorable! Try your little miss on something with kimono sleeves (a light jacket maybe or a swimming suit cover up). She should be able to handle that sleeve.

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  11. this is so freaking fabulous. and those aren't bandaids-- when they come in such wonderful prints, they're accessories!

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  12. Clever girl! What a great dress design!

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  13. Oh my gosh, she is fantastic! Love those band-aid covered knees, too :)

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