Operation Kids Clothes Craziness - Part 2

Moving back a bit earlier in the week, before I got to the swimsuits, I worked on a few other things.  It started with a trip to a local thrift store where I stumbled upon two duvet covers made of nice knit fabric.  The kind you would use for t-shirts.  So I picked up two - one pink and one teal for $7 total.  I think that comes out to less than a buck a yard because one was a twin and one was a double and being duvet covers they are two sided.  So... I found myself with dirt cheap knit fabric to play around with.

First project was this dress (the white is just the undershirt):

Its a pattern I picked up somewhere along the way with a bodice and three tiered layers to make a twirly skirt.  I think it turned out alright.  Not great, but alright.  Its a bit longer than I had planned and also more 'tentish'.  I even scaled down the amount of gathering in each tier - had I followed the pattern directly on those I think it really would have been a tent.  Also, the back bulged way out so I had to employ my cheater fix on that.  Just tuck it up to fit and stitch it down - way easier than taking apart a whole dress to redo a back bodice piece.  Leah likes it and has already worn it to school.  I'm okay with it because I got to practice on it and it only cost me a couple of bucks at the most.

Here is the cheater fix on the center back.

The fact that I was not thrilled with how the pattern turned out reminded me that I had been meaning to play around with the swimsuit pattern.  Having all this inexpensive knit fabric was motivation to get those patterns out and start the alterations I had floating around in my head.  Spent a day or so tracing things out on freezer paper and then stitched up these two dresses with the new custom patterns.

 Obviously, the look similar to the swimsuits I already posted.  I left the sleeves on Grace's dress.  The trim on her dress is from a t-shirt I had on the garage sale pile.  I stole it back from the pile, cut it up, and think it looks great!  Trimming the necklines, armholes, and hem were good practice at different ways to work with knits.  Most of them are a variation of a single fold bias.  I was particularly pleased with how Grace's neckline turned out - I managed to get just the right amount of stretch/tension so that it ends up nice and flat.  I could make more of these, but I think the pink and teal might get a bit redundant.  I'll have to keep thrifting for cheap knit fabric!  Both girls love the dresses.  They are soft, comfy, easy on and off - I expect they'll get tons of use this summer.  And again, all for just a couple bucks...yeah!

Stay tuned for part 3...