Birthday Dress Complete!

My daughter had a wonderful birthday and the dress I made her to wear is definitely one of my favorite sewing projects to date!

I used the Irelyn's Peek-a-Boo Ruffle Dress pattern from Fairytale Pattern Designs and if you sew for a little girl, you should definitely own this pattern! It's take a bit of time to make, but it is so worth it! The skirt is so full and twirly and my daughter looked like such a little lady in this dress.

I didn't manage to get a great photograph of the front...a crinoline would probably have made a more pleasant shape for pictures. The skirt hangs so nicely in person and hits just below her knee, which may be hard to tell from this view.

Even a second round of photos at the
end of the day couldn't capture
how cute this dress is from the front

The split overskirt with ruffled hem and the ruffle panel underneath is obviously the show-stopper, but my favorite part was the sweet bow in the back:

At the end of the day, her daddy told her (again) how pretty she looked in her dress and how nice it was. That's a big deal because my husband is often immune to my sewing projects and he's just not that into clothes. For him to comment more than once on an outfit means it has his highest approval, and I'm glad he loved it because she and I certainly did!

She loves books and will hopefully start
reading on her own before her next birthday

This dress made it through a day filled with cake and presents and lots of running and jumping (and some falling) and other general craziness, and it still looked just as beautiful as it did at the start of the day.

In Progress

Has it been as crazy around your house as it has been around ours? We enjoyed a whirlwind visit recently with my mom, sister and twin nieces, so I am still recovering from a weekend with 4 kids 4 and under! Luckily, sewing is part of my relaxing weekend plans, so I am working on Danielle's birthday dress.  It's made with this fabric:

As you can see, it's going to be pretty girly! And to make it even more so, I'm using this pattern from Fairytale Pattern Designs:

Photo used with permission--be sure to check out this pattern!

You may have seen it around--I seem to see it everywhere lately and it's really popular on Craftsy as well. It's adorable, and I'm pretty sure my daughter is going to be thrilled when she sees it. It's got a lot of ruffles, and by the time I combine that with the pink and purple and the big bow in the back and the chunky necklace that matches...well, it will be a bit over the top for me, but absolutely perfect for my soon-to-be-4-year-old!

Still Crazy about Peplums!

Ack! I've gotten behind on taking pictures and posting. That's a good problem to have, right? Anyhow, here's a project I wanted to share even though the pictures don't do the design justice.

This is the Nova top/dress pattern from Popolok Designs. It's got a sweetheart neckline and design options include cap sleeves and an absolutely adorable little attached skirt. I was hoping, after I saw Alviana's photos, that the skirt would be included in the pattern, and it was. I just didn't sew that option. This time. Because Popolok patterns are too good to only be sewn once.

My invisible zipper still sucks, which is how I justified buying an invisible zipper foot this week! (plus we wanted the free super saver shipping at Amazon and it took me to 5 cents over the required amount...) Alviana's instructions, however, don't suck. They are fantastic and she had lots of helpful tips on how to install the zipper. This is only my second one, and it's less obvious in person, so I'm going with it.

I think the top is darling although I didn't love it after seeing the pictures. I think, if I style it differently, it could end up looking as good as I pictured. I think. Any styling suggestions?