First Birthday

I based the party on the delightful Children at Play collection by Sarah Jane. As soon as I saw it in the summer, I knew it would be perfect. It took me quite some time to figure out how to best use the special parade print. I like the idea of the children marching along the bottom of a full skirted dress, but the scale is too big for a baby. A table runner would only show the children in one direction and patchwork would break up the print too much.

Finally, I settled on a mitered table topper that can be used again and again. It is also the perfect size cloth for a play table. I hope she'll use it for all her dolly tea parties.

I don't mind telling you that lining up the print on all sides and making sure that the mitered seams met in just the right places to show off the balloons gave me a headache. The print is large in scale and the repeat is large, so you need quite a bit of fabric to get this right. I'm glad to be back to simple dressmaking after this, but I do hope it will become an heirloom. It's a very special fabric.

Cupcakes,

pinwheel party favors and balloons matched perfectly.

Baby girl's Playdate dress is a floral from the same collection and was finished with tiny white rose buttons that match my necklace. I can't believe we didn't get a picture without the sweater, but it was unseasonably cold last Saturday. (Not to mention today - it's snowing outside!)

The kids were so busy playing inside Smith Playhouse and out that they only came together for singing and cupcakes. Here is the birthday girl with one big brother and a few friends. There was singing, laughing, running and playing. A great day!