Oliver + S Tea Party Sundress and Bloomers

Two years ago, my very good friend gave birth to her daughter.  I quickly made up the Itty Bitty Baby Dress but made a rookie mistake by not making sure my printer scaled and sized the pattern correctly.  Thus the dress was too small for the newborn.  Disappointing!  The fabric was so sweet too.  A soft swiss dot with little orange flowers.  It matched her nursery.   I had purchased the fabric at a local-ish store called Needle and Thread in Gettysburg, PA.  I went back to the store to see if they still had some fabric to remake the newborn dress, but I was out of luck.

Then 2 years later the fabric showed up again!  My opportunity for a second chance!  It has been awhile since I sewn any clothing, so I opted for my Oliver + S Tea Party Dress Pattern (Digital Pattern Available).  To my surprise the 2T size was already traced! 

This pattern is rated as a beginner pattern (or one scissor rating as noted on the pattern.)  I remember sewing this dress up when it was first released several years ago. I did an OK job, but it was very nice to return to this pattern and fly right through it!  I made the pattern per the instructions with the exception of lining the skirt and opted out of the piping.  The swiss dot is semi-transparent.  To do this, I stacked my lining (a white cotton voile also purchased at Needle and Thread) with my swiss dot and cut them together. I also used a machine blind hem stitch for the hem instead of sewing it by hand.

When I was searching for a coordinating print for the bodice, I ran into JoAnn's and was immediately drawn to the new Denise Schmitt collection for Fabric Traditions (purchased in 2012.) Perfect!  It was only after the fact, did I realize that I pretty much copied the illustrated dress on the pattern envelope.  At least I knew the end result would look awesome. :)

The bloomers were new for me.  I didn't make them the last time around.  I have since come to realize that  active little girls need something to cover their diapers/underwear when playing.  Again, I made no alterations to the pattern (cut the 2T size).  The only change I made was to use pre-made bias tape instead of making my own for the leg openings.  Not only did it speed up the sewing process but I was also running low on the DS fabric.

My favorite part is the little ribbon I used to denote the back of the bloomers.  Gah!  So adorable! 

I gifted this new dress to the mother/daughter a week before she turned 2.  And it FIT PERFECTLY!  As soon as the daughter saw the dress she exclaimed "Pretty!" and stripped down to her diaper to put it on.  I couldn't have gotten a better compliment. :D  This was such a motivating sewing project.  I can't wait to get back in my sewing room.