The Cranberry Dress is Complete!

I only wish I was able to get it done for Christmas, but it should fit her easily next year as well. Sophie is a willow of a child, very tall and slender for her age, not at all grandma's genes. She is dark skinned with big brown eyes and her momma thinks her best colors are maroons and dark reds. Momma picked out the fabric. I bought the coordinate. They are 100% cotton.

The pattern is Vogue 7593. It is a  2002 Theresa Layman design. The dress you see with the puff sleeves has only a flat front bodice and yoke. I worked out the design to accommodate the smocking. Only the pinafore and the sleeveless dress came with smocking. Since Sophie is so tall and thin I had to extend the bodice with the yoke and the back bodice and sleeves as well. Another change I made to the design was the use of a tailored back belt with two big red buttons instead of a big sash. My little girl is growing up and I think just may be beyond sash stage.

She is only 5 but so tall she seems older. Here you can see the back belt. The back bodice buttons are clear. I corded the buttonholes, something my machine does very easily. I decided that from now on all buttonholes will be corded. What a pretty difference that makes. Check out your machine manual to see how to use your feet do this. I have two different prongs on my buttonhole foot that holds the taught cord. For the cording I used matching embroidery floss, all six strands. Maybe I will do a little tute on that.

The bodice has a peter pan  collar edged with  Roberta Carr "Mystery Binding."  The contrasting yoke is piped. Below the yoke the skirt is smocked. As I often do, I started off working a design from a book, but before long changed  it to something more of my own. I was originally inspired by the "Potpouri plate and dress design from The Best of Australian Smocking and Embroidery.  

This design contained feather stitching, which to do  well takes a lot of concentration. Because the berries camouflaged the feather stitching, I decided to do waves and run ribbons thru them. I had never done that before and am pleased with the results. I also added some bullion buds as a motif in the center of the smocking.

The sleeves on this pattern are very puffed and could even bear a little reduction in the width. I also found that the cuff is v. wide. I just know I will have to take in the cuffs but will wait till Sophie tries it on.

The hem band was stitched to the bottom edge of the hem right sides together. The hem edge of the contrast was then serged, pinned to that stitching line on the wrong side and stitched in the ditch. I do this a lot on childrens clothing. It makes a stronger hem and still is nicely finished inside. It is close to invisible on the top side. 

All in all this really was a very basic puff sleeve bodice design and really fairly easy to execute. Just like we have tried and true patterns for ourselves, it is great to have a few TNTs  for children in the larder too. Vogue 7593 is definitely one of my go-to's  and is a well used pattern in this house....Bunny