Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I have been exhausted! We were at the doctor's on Saturday for a baby check-up and all is going really well. The baby is getting bigger and bigger as scheduled, but the one minor issue is that the baby's umbilical cord is currently wrapped around his/her neck! Eeek! The doctor said it's really not a big deal and that nearly 30% of babies are born like this. When the baby starts to pop out, we may need some assistance so that it happens quickly and oxygen isn't cut off, but he seems to think I shouldn't need a C-Section. Also, there is obviously a chance that the baby turns around a bit more and fixes the problem before the delivery - fingers crossed for that outcome.
Anyway, enough about me and the baby, back to the post! I am godmother to my niece who is now 7 years old. I can't believe she is that old already, but I guess that's what happens. This upcoming weekend is the anniversary of her baptism. While I wasn't there for the actual baptism (I was living in Japan already), I still feel like I should mark this day somehow. I usually send a little gift to her around this time, although I may have spaced on in last year - gaaa, I don't remember.
Last Christmas, she got an American Girl doll and I think the idea of matching dresses is adorable. As you may recall, I am still a tad unsure as to how I feel about matching dresses/outfits for siblings, but for a girl and her doll - it's precious. I looked online and found this pattern that I quite liked. Then I headed to the fabric store and found a lavendar print in a beautiful, lightweight fabric. I loved the idea of that paired with a bright pink or magenta. I ended up finding another summer-weight, double-layered gauze and bought that in pink. Since I ordered the pattern online and requested email delivery, the pattern was a bit of a pain to make. It took a lot of cutting and taping together. Once that was done, however, the rest was a breeze.
The front panel and sleeves needed a bit of pleating, but it was all very clearly marked out. Then it was a simple assembly - sleeves to the front and then sleeves to each of the back panels. The back is done up with buttons - so sweet!
The most difficult bit was getting the collar on nicely. To be honest, the inside is a mess. I really should have ironed it before sewing it on, but couldn't be bothered and it shows. Luckily, the outside looks clean, I guess that is what counts.
Also, the instructions about the bottom bit weren't very clear. There are two different views for the dress and the instructions were to finish the bottom of the main dress and then attach the bottom strip. This didn't make sense to me at the time, but I figured I would just follow the instructions. That was a mistake. The length ended up a tad short (between a 5/6 and 7/8), which is a bit of a bummer since my niece is quite tall. I considered taking it all out, but decided against it. It looks completely fine, it is just about 2 cm shorter than it was meant to be.
The back has buttons all the way down. I did a fun button for the top and then regular pink buttons for the rest of them down the back. I love accent buttons!
Once that dress was all done, I whipped up the doll dress. It is essentially the same, but with a bit simpler construction and Velcro instead of buttons in the back. Also, as I was on the train headed to mail off the dresses, I realized I didn't take photos of the finished product - hence, half of the photos are of the dress on top of the train seats. Whoops!
I hope she and my sister like the dresses. I think they will be adorable on her and her doll!
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