Oliver + S Jump Rope Dress in Corduroy

Before Miss S was born, I was totally paranoid about her freezing to death, since she was due in December.  I was on bedrest and couldn't go shopping to buy her any clothes, so I ordered a bunch of little fleece jammies from Target, and that put my mind at ease.  She's older now, but I still worry about her being too cold.  So I thought I'd better make her some warm little dresses to wear to church.  I absolutely love Oliver + S patterns, and I made a Jump Rope Dress for a baby gift for my sister-in-law.  It turned out adorably (it was the version with short sleeves and a belt and I made it in a little white and baby pink striped cotton, but neglected to take any pictures), so I thought I'd make one in a warm corduroy for Miss S for fall and winter.

I found this little brown and fuchsia printed corduroy at Joann.  It is a baby wale and super soft.  I got the solid fuchsia baby cord for the collar, placket and trim at Joann as well.  I was a little nervous about sewing with the corduroy, since it's difficult to press without crushing the pile, but I just used a scrap of corduroy face up on my ironing board, then pressed the dress from the wrong side and it worked out just fine.

Liesl's instructions in the Oliver + S patterns are fantastic.  The placket and collar are clearly explained and come together perfectly.  The thing I love so much about these patterns is that they always turn out so well.  It can be incredibly discouraging to spend hours on a sewing project and end up with something you just want to hide under the bed (or better yet, in the garbage can...), but these always seem to work out.

I also love the sweet little details, like the gathered pockets with binding, the turned up cuffs and the placket. It makes the finished project just that much more cute!