These past weeks since summer arrived (oh boy, has it arrived!), I've been noticing Adelaide reaching for the same dresses each morning. Much to my delight, it's a mama-made, and one I really love making - the Smocked Dress from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing. (I wrote about one of them I made here, and apparently the others never quite made it to the blog.) The beauty of girls dresses, of course, is that even though those are quite short this summer, they totally work as shirts, or tunics with a pair of shorts or pants. But I thought a few new dresses to replace them in the longer length would be nice too.
That's just what I did with this sweet, sweet Liberty Arts (by Rowan) fabric I picked up from Alewives. And then another was made with a favorite vintage piece I've had tucked away for a few years now (left in the top photo). This dress is such a satisfying sewing project - really quick and fun (and uses just one yard!) and clearly a hit with my girl. A success all the way around. I should note that we prefer doing straps instead of the ties, which makes it easier for her to dress herself (a very important detail!).
After the dress was made, she asked if I could make a kerchief for her head like the one I was wearing. (sometimes I choose sewing over a shower. Ahem). I remembered the sweet Babushka Style Scarf from Carefree Clothes for Girls and put that together quickly with much help from Adelaide. So fun. (The pattern is featured in the book, but also found for free on the MakeGoodBooks website.)
This year, Adelaide has taken it upon herself to be 'in charge of' the birds. She's the self-proclaimed Bird Girl, spending a good deal of time on their care, entertainment, housing and protection from any predators or rivals for food. I can't quite convince her that squirrels are not really an enemy. Taking photos of her in this dress while she was filling the feeders, she went from singing sweetly to the birds to strongly scolding the squirrels to "move along!!!" and other harsh words. Watch out, squirrels, I assure you that you don't want to be in this girl's way when she is busy with the work of her birds.
(The same truth might hold for little brothers.)
