I cannot find small buttons in my stash for the eyes though. I thought about glueing on googly eyes, but they might come off in the wash no matter what the glue instructions say. Beads will have to do. Maybe sequins and a seed bead.
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| Photocopy the design plate in case the original gets lost ... like mine did! |
My daughter doesn't like fabrics that have to be ironed. So making smocked dresses has been a challenge. For example, I made Caitlin a lovely smocked dress using the Baby Carriages plate, on white Dimity which isn't exactly a discount fabric. Anyway, she washed it after one wearing but because she didn't iron it, it hung in the closet and now Caitlin has outgrown the dress.
I also have to factor in our cold winters so the fabric has to be warm but apparently toddlers shouldn't wear wool.
My daughter selected this brushed cotton (flannel) and while in my opinion it needs to be ironed, she might be able to wash, dry and hang it up right away with minimum wrinkles.
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| Why wasn't my daughter born with an iron in her hand like I was? |
I think the colours of the Owls, branches and leaves will work well with the colour of the fabric. And aside from a few finishing touches and the Owl eyes, it's almost complete.
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| Maybe 3 hours of work yet to go, plus 2 hours selecting the perfect eyes from the bead box. |
In my children's pattern stash bucket I found this gem that I've been anxious to try out. I plan to make it in the jumper style and of course minus a collar.
When discussing the style of dress with my daughter I suggested a jumper and she confessed she didn't know what a jumper was. Did I give birth to her?
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| It will need an off white turtle neck underneath. |
Ooooo, I wish you were in our smocking group! We'd have so much fun! I'm writing from SC. I have two friends who have made Annika as a jumper, and it looks fabulous. Also, it's a great look for when girls are just about to outgrow smocked dresses. I just experimented with using flannel for a smocked dress, and I love how it turned out. My only suggestion is to pleat it a little more tightly than you would typical fabrics, as it tended to stretch out more. Also, I smocked a picture on it (at my daughter's request . . . I, too, prefer geometrics) and it turned out a bit wider than pictured; again, I'm sure this is due to the flannel's thickness. The pattern I used for the flannel dress is "Blue Belle" in Australian Smocking and Embroidery issue #70; it's a sweet long-sleeved yoke pattern. Thankfully, it IS more forgiving with wrinkles; however, I too prefer to iron.
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog through Flickr. I don't smock anymore but did when my daughter was little. Your work is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteTeresa
Maybe Sarah is just confused by her English roots Deb. You and I know what we mean by a jumper in Canada, but in England isn't a jumper a sweater? And why would you smock and sew a sweater, right?
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