VSFLO • Seersucker Florals

(VSFLO = Vintage Sewing For Little Ones)

About a month ago, I decided to make a dress for each of two of my nieces. I was worried about having the right size pattern, but thankfully they were both around a size 6, the which size I have quite a few patterns for! I milled around from fabric to fabric, trying to decide what to use for each of them. I finally decided on these two seersucker prints, both of which were purchased about 15 and 20 years ago. The blue print was destined to be a dress for me when I was a little girl, but it never came to fruition, sadly. A few years back, I made part of the fabric into a pillowcase, and the rest into (very sorry-looking) curtains.

As it turned out, those sorry-looking curtains ended up making one very cute little dress! I just had two valance-sized panels and a little scrap of fabric left, but managed to squeeze the dress into it, including a 2-1/2" hem!

The pink dress, for my older niece, was made from this 1950s Marian Martin pattern. I have always loved it, and was so excited to finally sew it up! I didn't like how lace looked on the neckline with this fabric, so I decided to bind it instead. It was a huge pain trying to bind those front scallops, but thankfully they turned out anyway. 

Simple white buttons were the perfect touch on the front, accented by pink thread. Little princesses need pink anywhere they can get it, right?! ;)

Puffed sleeves on little girls' dresses are a must, even though they can be a little persnickety to sew. There's just nothing cuter! :)

I love the construction of this dress: the front "waistband" area and skirt are cut in one, as is the back bodice and center back skirt. Then there are side skirt pieces that are stitched on after assembling the other pieces. It was very easy to sew (other than the neck binding....*ahem*), and the result is darling. 

Plenty of lapped seams, as always on vintage patterns. :)

And no little dress is complete without a big, fluffy bow in the back! :)

My younger niece's dress is from this 1945 McCall pattern, also a size 6. I did not have enough fabric to cut a separate belt, as the pattern called for, so I just cut ties and sewed them into the side seams. It seemed so much more practical, anyway, than making a separate belt that would be easily lost. 

The fabric needed some accents, so I opted for some solid green cotton for the collar and sleeve bands. The ruffles on the collar and sleeves are so fun! But then, everyone knows I LOVE ruffles. ;)

The best part about these dresses is the fact that they are made of seersucker, and therefore do not have to be ironed, ever! What could be better for a little girl's dress? The only downside to that was the difficulty of not being able to press virtually anything as I made it. I did iron a few things, like the neck binding of the pink dress, and the ties of both dresses. 

Yay for invisible hems!!! :D

It was such a fun project to make these dresses, and the girls looked absolutely adorable in them. Perfect colors and styles for each ones' looks and personalities. Now I'm inspired to start making more little people's clothing! It's so much fun to do, and the results are always adorable.

Thanks for visiting! :) See you next week.