Wednesday 3 September 2014

Unicorn Dress!

Quite often it occurs that I indulge in a spontaneous fabric purchase before I know what purpose or shape that fabric will take. Whilst pregnant - and once I knew I was expecting a girl, I indulged this weakness to the max, coveting soft brushed cottons, retro patterns that reminded me of my own childhood and exploring the inspiring array of modern fabric designs for little ones. One of these was a gorgeous unicorn design, not a motif I have seen often and in a soft lilac colour that instantly won me over. 
This week, like the Elves and Shoemaker (& after baby's bath and bedtime), the unicorns and I teamed up to transform their raw edges into a tunic top for Eloise. Inspired by another top she has, I decided to use shirring at the neck and arms, partly because I like the pretty, girly frill it gives the line of the neck, but moreover for easy access ! Let me explain... the passing of clothes over this little one's head for dressing/undressing is a task necessarily undertaken with stealth distraction tactics. The accommodating stretch of the shirring makes this job a whole lot easier and the top is on before she has finished her conversation with Rabbit and realises that she has been robed !

First fittings revealed that in my enthusiasm for this additional tactic, I had made the neck a little too big and accessible, creating a kind of 'off the shoulder' number ! She still wore it well, but Mummy saw improvements to be made !
   I toyed with the idea of putting in some  more shirring, but then decided on a sneaky pleat, (gotta love a sneaky pleat!) in the back to bring the neckline in a bit...the kind of sneaky pleat that looks like it was meant to be there all along, but is surreptitiously preforming a problem-solving duty, whilst also sitting very pretty ;o)
So, today, issues resolved, the unicorn dress had its inaugural outing at tea with friends. It stood up well to being wriggled in and to the inevitable milky dribble (and more substantial milky substances) and I think she looks cute as a button and pleased with the result ;o)



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