Friday Favorites: Sofia the First Inspired Nightgown

It's Friday!!! We've got a lot going on this weekend that I'm super excited about...hope you have a good one, too!

I thought I'd share these Sofia the First-inspired nightgowns that I made for a customer recently. Now, I have never seen the show, and all I had to go on was a small picture sent to me by my customer. I tried and tried to find other images, but nothing! I think they turned out so cute- they're for twin girls who are adopted, which makes my heart so happy.

The sleeves should fall to the elbow or just below, and have a little "poof" to them. It's often a gamble about how tight to make the elasticized part, since I don't know if the recipient is teeny tiny or a bit more solid, so I tend to keep them on the looser side. I don't know many people who prefer to have the elastic digging into their skin, so that's something to keep in mind when sewing for others. I added the little bow details as a sort of compromise for the cartoon character's woven-ribbon cinching; the elastic is more durable and will hold up to washings much better than the alternative. I think the bows look sweet.

I hope they like them, and I hope she sends me a picture of her little girls wearing them.  =)

I'm working on a tutorial for you, so stay tuned....

Tips for Sewing a Halter Dress (And Making it Modest)

Whew! Winter lasted ForEVER and now we're melting in 90 degree humid heat! Little Miss was super excited about this halter dress because it lets her back be "free" and "cool."  =)

Isn't this just the prettiest fabric!?! I found it at JoAnn's last year. Such a nice, smooth cotton with luscious color.

Here are the pieces all laid out. When I cut the bodice front pieces, I added an inch or so to each center edge to get a more modest top, and then gradually tapered the amended cut edge to the original pattern piece so the straps would not be wider than what was initially called for.

I wish I'd cut the strap pieces a bit longer, though. Next time.

It's fairly easy to adjust the sizing at this point. When I tried the pieces on Isabelle, I marked (okay, I didn't! I'm an eye-baller through and through) I made a mental note of where I should have the front pieces lap and tacked them together. NOTE: I wanted to include a small ruffle on the back piece, so I cut the band a little taller. If you make adjustments to any side pieces, don't forget to make those same adjustments to the each side, where they will "meet up." Even if things aren't perfectly aligned, you can trim the raw edges even with each other...no problem!

Next, we tried the elastic back band, which was way too loose. I had to take out one end of stitching and pull the elastic more to make it tighter. Don't be worried if the elastic band seems smaller than the bodice front- I wanted the back a little more snug, just so it fits better, especially when she's jumping around and such.

Lastly, sew your front and back side pieces together. Top-stitch along a narrow edge for a nice, clean finish on the outside, as well as keeping down the bulk on the inside.

The last step is to attach the skirt. I had to pull a little here and there to get the width I needed. One time I had to go back and sew an extra side seam into the skirt because it was just too big and I couldn't make it fit snugly to the bodice pieces. It's all good.

For tips on sewing a smooth hem on a rounded skirt without using bias or hem tape, read this tutorial.

This halter dress is going to get tons of wear this summer! It's perfect to toss on over a swimsuit, too, so basically, she won't be taking it off for the next three months.

Happy Sewing! Email me if you've got any questions! 3sonsplus1{at}gmail{dot}com

You can see my latest sewing projects on instagram at roseandruffle & on Pinterest HERE.  =)

Memorial Day (Weekend) Sale at Rose and Ruffle

SALE going on all weekend long at Rose & Ruffle!

Details are in the shop...thank you!

Isabelle's White Easter Dress with Ruffles, Appliques, and Fabric Roses

So. I'm finally showcasing Isabelle's Easter dress. At least it's still 2015, right?

I was waffling between gathers and pleats, pastels and polka dots...and I was having the hardest time making a decision! Sometimes I get like this, and I simply cannot choose anything! I'd already cut out two different dress patterns for her, but then I got the idea of a white dress in my head and couldn't stop thinking about it. It feels sort of little girl to me, and I'm clinging to that. Goodness, my knuckles are bone white my grip is so tight! And I know the days of her wanting to twirl around in long dresses is coming to an end, but they haven't yet and went for it.  =)

The dress is a combination of two patterns, plus my just winging it. As usual. I opted for pleats, added special little touches for details, cut the back slightly lower, and chose buttons instead of a zipper. The bodice is fully lined but I left the skirt unlined, knowing she'd wear a slip skirt I made her last year. The pink ribbon adds just the right amount of interest and color, as do the fabric roses on the lower skirt front- they were lots of fun! I'm thinking of embellishing a plain t-shirt or tank top with fabric roses for her for summer.

I was thinking of attaching the green ruffle to an under-skirt so they would both hang loosely, but I really didn't want the skirt to get bulky. Instead, I sewed the green ruffle to the lilac band, and then attached them both to the skirt hem. It worked well, which was a relief. Sometimes my ideas don't translate quite so well from brain to paper to fabric, ha ha.

Lastly, the bodice looked a little too plain before I had the idea to snip the rosette lace (from around the neckline) into individual rosettes to then sew on. It was just what I was hoping for! So pretty! I  was afraid it was going to make forever and a day, but I easily finished tacking them on in the span of a movie we watched with the kiddos. (Though at times, the hot tears and massive laughter did not make for the best sewing companions...it was Big Hero 6...such a wonderful albeit emotional little movie!)

Here are the pictures:

I regret that the photos aren't the best- we'd just gotten home from church and the sun was out full force; plus we were hurrying to get to the beach for the afternoon so I was snapping snapping snapping without adjusting adjusting adjusting {settings}. I'm going to have to get some better pictures because my girl looks absolutely beautiful in this dress!