Kaia's Rose Communion Dress

It's nice that my first white dress of the season gets to be this delightful confection. Delicately embroidered Swiss cotton organdy makes up the skirt and elbow length sleeves of this dress. Heavenly fabric!

Kaia wanted her dress to honor her grandmother, Rose, so I crafted three little Dior roses in satin to accent the waist. Each rose is stitched by hand with several layers of petals in different sizes.

Satin picks up the subtle sheen of the embroidery. The scallops are sweetly feminine.

I finish dresses with a couture zipper, set by hand for stability and accuracy. The sheer organdy fabric is underlined in cotton poplin for support and opacity. The dress is then fully lined with soft cotton lawn. The skirt layers are each finished with French seams. This dress will be as comfortable to wear as it is lovely.

Cotton organdy remains my favorite First Communion fabric. It has a light, innocent quality that I think speaks to the occasion. At the same time, it is elegant and very special. It would be nice to see this dress passed on to a little sister, a cousin and one day a daughter.

Easter finery

 I am a sucker for Easter finery. Growing up, it was always an exciting thing to have a new dress for Easter. A special new dress is a symbol of the new life we celebrate during spring and Easter. After many long months of snow boots and parkas, this year it is especially welcome.

 

This spring, I have been drawn to traditional, classic, even downright old fashioned little girls' frocks. My oldest son will make his First Communion this year and we have family portraits scheduled, so it is a good year to make my baby girl something really special. 

 

Replete with pintucks and lace insertion, I hope I have achieved a dress of which Grandmom would approve. My grandmother was an excellent seamstress and I thought a lot about her when I made this. In soft pink cotton batiste with French cotton laces, this is something she might have made for her daughters.

 Though they look sweet, these delicate details are actually quite labor intensive. Since we have several occasions to wear a fancy dress this year, I thought it worth the investment. The deep hem can be let out next year too. When she's outgrown it, I will pack it carefully away for her daughter. 

 My most discerning client was well pleased!

Easter preview

Though there are a few other projects going on in the studio, I managed to steal some time for my own daughter. It's a little old fashioned of me, but I just love it when children have a nice coat. I feel so pulled together and on top of things when I have the kids' clothes ready for special occasions! We looked at quite a few ideas before she saw a coat with ruffled elbow sleeves and declared it "perfect." I spent a little time drafting sleeves like she instructed and we ended up with this. 

 

The fabric is a linen cotton blend with beautiful drape. The natural rumples in linen keep it from looking too fussy. Inside, it's lined with Bemberg rayon, a silky and breathable fabric that makes an excellent lining.

 

 

I included a bit of flat piping between the facing and the lining. This is Liberty of London lawn from her very first Easter dress! There are so many ways to incorporate heirloom touches.

 From the side, you can see the gathered back and sleeve detail. Everything I make is designed to grow with a child. Here, it's built into the style of the coat. The length of a sleeve like this doesn't need to be precise, so when she grows, it will still look right.

Depending on details, the amount of labor in a coat isn't much different than a lined dress. Details need to be absolutely correct in a topper, and the materials might be on the expensive side. Still, you get quite a lot of wear from a coat. She had one in red wool for the winter and I lost count of the compliments I got each time she wore it.