Unicorn Dress, Part 2!

In September last year, I made one of my first tunics for a small girl of 5 months at the time. I had fallen in love with an enchanting unicorn fabric I found online and it was a must-have for a dress for the end of her first Summer. The Unicorn Dress posted last September, was a hit for a few wears before it was grown out of. In hommage to the original Unicorn Dress, I resurrected this beautiful fabric from my scraps bag and it embellishes Eloise's latest wear with a unicorn, 'raisin stash' pocket, some pretty binding and a sweetie sized fabric covered button. Here it is in its early stages...

The pattern is Simplicity 2684, kindly provisioned amongst a bag of 'no longer needed' children's patterns. It is the clean, simple shape that I love, lending itself readily to your own extra details, such as the front pocket, (which I also use on The Pocket Dress a couple of months ago) Rather than pinafore tab tops with buttons at the shoulders though, this dress has a cute as pie fabric covered button, (see my tutorial on making your own fabric covered buttons here), fastened with a rouleau loop. 

I loved making the little fabric button! All the girly features of this dress had me coo'ing and ahh'ing. I love a pretty detail and there is plenty of that here. The pattern also includes the option of capped sleeves. As always, I found the gathering at the top of the sleeve extraordinarily fiddly - and for all their fiddlesome nature, they never seem to bring the gratification of a neat, even row of gathers, unless being done in industry, by machine. So, I reverted to a little pleat which I think is just as effective...

The pattern does not suggest the visible binding, but with just enough left, it was an opportunity to continue the floral motif of the unicorn fabric.

And here it is ! Ably modelled by its wearer. 

She seems happy with it! 

First Summer dress of 2015 !

I am always intrigued how the same pattern or garment can look so different run up in different weight/style fabrics. Continuing on from my Bird Panel Dress ~ made using Lynn Mizono's pattern for Vogue 1410, (a little reminder below), I decided I would try it again in a lighter, Summer floral. 

The result is a lighter, floatier version that still holds the shape of the pattern, but in a more informal way, beckoning sunshine, ice cream and sandy toes.

And of course with each new attempt at the same pattern comes the opportunity to make a few more additions and touches of your own. My Summer version is a little shorter ~ I'm anticipating tanned legs at least some point over the Summer! and I have added a decorative stitch to the darts and folds on the front and back :

Last but not least, the seams of this dress have been given the full treatment of a shiny new Bernina overlocker (and its excitable owner).

In the interests of fairness (and sympathy), my next project is for the little lady with the 2 new pearly whites kept her awake. 

A sneak preview of work in progress :