Elegance & Elephants' Mori Dress

Linen and ruffles? Be still my heart! I found this beautiful, vibrant, citron linen at Carmel Fabrics in Los Angeles' Fabric District. I learned about the store when Dana Willard posted about fabric shopping years ago on  MADE EVERYDAY. Now, it's a frequent stop when I visit downtown. They have a huge variety of quality, well-priced linen which is especially nice when I'm trying to make coordinating, rather than matching, dresses for my two girls.

Evelyn loves this dress as you can see from her many, many original poses. The pattern is Elegance & Elephant's Mori Dress but I modified it a little by using a different ruffle. I lengthened the ruffle piece from Elegance & Elephants' Ruffle Top Dress and hemmed one edge of the ruffle so that it could be a single layer. 

The dress is a pull-over style, with no closures, and a tie adjusts the fit at the waist. Ribbon or bias tape is an option on the pattern but I really like the big, floppy bow look so I created a wider sash out of the linen.

I love how the dress turned out, sweet and a little bit dramatic, exactly like Evelyn.

Photography by Jessica Peterson

Oliver + S Playtime Dress

I'm a big fan of Oliver + S Patterns - and have amassed quite the collection - so I wasn't too surprised to find that I loved sewing the Oliver + S Playtime Dress. Like other Oliver + S patterns, the directions are clear and complete and the finished product (in my opinion) is anything but homemade.  

Aside from some subtle topstitching at the neckline, I kept the front of the dress fairly simple, allowing it to really showcase the quirky woodland corduroy print from Jo-Ann's. The Playtime Dress has a classic, timeless feel that I think would work for - and not compete with - a variety of fabrics and prints and I'm already imagining sleeve and pocket variations (although the side-seam pockets are one of Abby's favorite features of this dress). Almost a year later, this is still a go-to comfy favorite.

Photography by Jessica Peterson

Bohemian Babydoll Valentine

Elegance and Elephants' Bohemian Babydoll made a great Valentine's Dress for Abby last year . . . but I never really took any pictures of it. So, with Valentine's Day approaching and before she outgrows it completely (it's kind of a tunic-y length at this point) here are some pictures of this sweet dress taken by my lovely photo pro sister-in-law.

For the top portion of the dress I used the "alternative method" to attach the lining. If you've never assembled a lined dress/top that way, I think the video tutorial is really helpful. Heidi posted about the method here but there is a handy link to the post in the pattern as well.

The Bohemian Babydoll has a loose, easy fit with no closures and a high-low hem. I lined the sleeves with a purple/lavender seersucker stripe from my stash - using the same fabric for the hem facing - and put a strappy lavender tank underneath for more coverage. A pair of purple tights from Target completed the outfit. Abby loved her heart dress so much that little sister Evelyn wanted one too.