Jump Rope Dress for KCWC

I know that Kids Clothing Week Challenge was last week, but I did sew this last week, during the challenge.  I just didn't get around to photographing or blogging it.  That's kind of been the story of my life around here. I have been sewing, but it's photographing and blogging that bottlenecks...I have the makings of an awesome blogger, huh?  ;)

This is the third time I've sewn the Oliver + S Jump Rope Dress, this time in size 12-18 months, and I still love it.  I'm even getting faster at sewing the placket.  I think this is my best placket yet.  I love the details on this dress.

I used an aqua cotton gingham that's been in my stash for a couple years now.  I saw it earlier this year and thought it would make a really fun spring dress, combined with a coral-y pink.  So I finally picked up a fat quarter at my local quilt shop and decided I'd make it during KCWC.

I have to say, this totally reminds me of a housedress my grandma used to wear.  It looks very much like a grandma dress to me, but I love it.  It guess I kind of have granny taste :)

It looks really cute on as well, and Miss S has decided that she loves pockets, so she walks around with both hands in the pockets.  It ends up being a little dangerous, because she's not super steady on her feet yet, so if she happens to trip, she doesn't have anything to break her fall.  Apparently, she doesn't care, because she keeps putting her hands right back in the pockets.  Silly girl...

 I do have a couple other items I finished last week that I'll get around to posting, hopefully this week.

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!