Party Dress

I just love the tea party dress from Oliver + S. Such a sweet little dress couldn’t have been easier to put together and that just made me fall in love all over again.

At Elise’s suggestion I traced the pattern onto paper rather than cutting it out. Although it was tricky at times to ensure I was tracing the right line it was worth the extra step. Because the pattern wasn’t sacrificed for a single size, dresses can now be made for summers to come.

I did talk myself into cutting into some of my Amy Butler Midwest Modern fabric for this project. For the bodice I chose Happy Dots Pink (AB29) while for the main panels I chose Garden Maze Pink (AB23). I love this combination of pinks, yellow, green, and orange. It says girl without being too girly, just like its recipient.

The construction was smooth, apparently too smooth. I felt it necessary to add some challenge. While trimming the seams after I’d installed the piping along the dress front I cut into the fabric! Thankfully it was at the bottom of the dress and I just had to make a ¾” seam at the hem rather than a ½” seam.

To finish the hem the pattern recommends hand stitching the hem facing to the dress. Frankly I’d had enough of hand stitching from doing the quilt binding. That was all the excuse I needed to try out the blind hem stitch on my Bernina. I watched a quick video to be sure I had the folds right, practiced with some scraps to get the stitch width perfect and in no time the hem was complete.

I think this dress is ready for a party. Tea anyone?