White Flowered Dress With Blue Ribbon

Pillowcases are only 25 cents at my local Salvation Army, providing the perfect practice fabric for my sewing projects. And it's usually no problem finding ones that are in good shape and with attractive (in any) patterns, so my daughter won't look like she's wearing bedclothes if it does end up wearable! This one is a perfect example.

The pillowcase I used is (was?) white with 2" watercolor-looking flowers that are either pastel blue, pink, or purple-ish with green leaves. I think it's just lovely. It's perfect for a not-too-girly dress, esp. with blue trim. Delicate without frills and puffs.

My mom gave me a pattern she bought in the '60s for a variety of baby outfits and accessories, and for this dress I used the basic front and back pieces for the pattern's dress. I could have put sleeves on it, but opted not to this time, as it was a dry run. I lined it with some white stretch cotton (like t-shirt material) so that you couldn't see thru it, and used light blue sating ribbon for the ties. I put in one tie at the neckline in the back, and then one long ribbon around the waist to tie in the back.

Things I would have done differently:

*Not used a stretchy material for the lining. I think it would have gone better if I had used another linen material instead of a stretch knit.

*Used a wider ribbon/material for the sash around the waist.

*Added another tie in the back for closing the dress, and put them between the dress fabric and the lining (I stitched them on after I put the dress together).

*Added another blue ribbon around the hem to tie it all together.

*Maybe not stitched the ribbon at the waist to the front of the dress. Maybe only stitched it at the sides as I had originally planned.

Materials Cost

Fabric <$.25

Ribbon $.25

___________

Total about $.50
Yay! Talk about saving money on clothes!!

Purple Sun Bonnet

The first sun bonnet I made was easy and fun. I had something else in mind for the overall look of a bonnet, and decided to make another. This is also a handkerchief-style bonnet with a drawstring in the back. The body of this bonnet is solid purple, and the visor is made of my favorite print (the tiny lavendar flowers with green leaves). It's lined with soft white stretch cotton. The visor can be worn unfolded or folded back around the face. On the back around the drawstring, I sewed on 5 little white flowers with beads in the middle.

This bonnet is too big for my daughter, tho, and would probably fit a 2 yr old, or a kid with a head circumference of about 20" +. I'm still learning, and I get a better idea of the right sizes as I go!

Fabric $.75

Ribbon $.35

Charm $.04

Flowers $.10

__________

Total $1.24

Gingham Sun Bonnet

Here in Iowa, it's getting too warm for the baby's winter hat but it's still too breezy for no hat at all. Also, she's outgrown her infant seat and no long has a canopy to keep the sun off of her while she's in her car seat. The obvious solution--a sun bonnet! Lightweight, with a sun shield, and almost as adorable as the baby!

Here's my first one. It's purple gingham, lined with soft white stretch cotton. The visor is wide white lace, the ties are purple ribbons, and it's complete with a white butterfly applique and a silver "Handmade with Love" charm.

Fabric < $.15

Ribbon < $.25

Lace $.47

Applique $.21

Charm $.04

__________

Total $1.12

(Materials only)

Pillowcase Dresses

I recently discovered this nifty little thing, and how easy it is to make! There are many different types, but I've started out with the simplest. It's a sack with armholes and a drawstring neckline, basically. I love it!

On this particular one, I used my favorite print (tiny lavendar flowers with green leaves), purple ribbon, and white lace to trim this dress. It's a touch small--I think they're supposed to be really roomy, but I suppose you can make them fit however you'd like. I'm thinking maybe in the future of making a matching purse and booties.

This dress sold on eBay for $5.99. It's the first and only thing I've sold on eBay so far, and the first and only thing I've sold that I've sewn, so far. I'd really like to do more selling, so please contact me if you're interested. I love to sew and create custom pieces, and put much time and love into the details.

Fabric $.75

Ribbon $.68

Lace $1.00

___________

Total $2.43 (Materials only)