First the nightie, now the dress

A winter dress for R, using pattern J from Girly Style Wardrobe; the same pattern I used for her flannel nightie. This time I made it with the buttons on the back, the way they are in the book. I used a babywale corduroy that I found on clearance some months ago - it's a very dark purple, so dark that it looks brown under artificial light (hence the colour disparity in my indoor and outdoor photographs). The dress is meant to be unlined, but in the interests of staying warm I lined it fully using some voile that coordinates beautifully with the little green spots on the fabric. I also added some in-seam pockets for warming hands, storing tissues and keeping treasures. Because I find pockets terribly confusing I used this tutorial, which was most helpful.

Today was a shocker of a day in Melbourne, with torrential downpours punctuated by moments of sunshine lasting just long enough to lure you outside, only to be drenched yet again. We had K's footy match to go to in the morning (sodden, windswept) and an afternoon event at my old school (wet, freezing) - and I'm pleased to report that R's new dress kept her nice and warm all day.

 

Getting R to pose for pictures was difficult. Her expressions ranged from the unenthusiastic (mouth hanging open, eyes half closed) to the unimpressed (mouth pursed, eyes glaring). Later in the day she was in a better mood, but ran away whenever I tried to photograph her, with the exception of the one shot above, which is slightly blurry. So you'll just have to take my word for it that this is a very sweet dress that looks a whole lot better in real life!