elizabeth_mn

I never really consider it "done" until it's worn for the first time, but really, the sewing is over and I am pretty happy with it.

The plate I copied is in this post.

Front and back, with both dresses together:

3 yo victorian 009

I started with a commercial pattern (Simplicity Project Runway for kids!) with a square neckline and simple bodice, and made it into a pattern with a fuller skirt back and no front waist seam. The plate doesn't show the back so I just guessed/improvised on the fuller back.

3 yo victorian 012

The sleeve trim was two layers of cotton lawn (for opacity) and some scalloped cotton lace. I sewed it all flat so I could set the sleeve first, then sew the side seam. Teeny tiny armscyes on kid clothes make this method easiest!

The trim was thick, and the underarm seam kept wanting to bend inward:

3 yo victorian 001

A little topsitching flattened this out nicely:

3 yo victorian 003

For the underdress I used the same bodice pattern, but with a gathered skirt all the way around and closing in back. I used skirt panels about 52" around and about 17" and 14" long, respectively, not including the trim. Each layer is edged with the same scalloped cotton lace as the sleeves. The fabric is cotton lawn, Kaufman Savannah.

3 yo victorian 006

I got pretty sloppy on bodice finishing for the underdress, since that part will never show. The neckline is folded under once (unevenly) and stitched, and the armscyes are just zig-zagged and left. Shocking, I know!

3 yo victorian 007

The only thing that kind of bugs me about it is the length. I spaced the hems an even distance apart, and the plate looked like that space was about a (kid-size) hand's width: about 3". But with the longest layer hitting just below the knee, the purple overdress is more like a tunic and reads as REALLY short to me. I could have made the spacing 2" and it might have looked better. But oh well, too late, it's done now and I'm not doing it over. Hopefully when she's wearing it that won't be as obvious.