First Birthdays

A little girl who I sometimes refer to as "the heir to my daughter's wardrobe" is about to turn one.

While she is rich in hand-me-downs, I figured she should have something new, something made just for her. Why not a Birthday Party Dress in 12-18 month size?

 

I can't really say what the fabric is as I picked up an roll of it (almost 3m length) for $5 at a manchester manufacturer of all places. It is decidedly crisp with a moderate sheen and is a red/blue shot weave. I suspect it's a silk/cotton blend.

The colour is hard to photograph. It's more blue than purple, even with the red threads in there. I was showing it to Flipper and trying to describe the colour and explain the concept of shot cottons when he looked all wistful and said, "Just like my old car".

So there you have it. If you're ever trying to explain the effect of different thread colours in the warp and weft of a fabric, you can just reference a late '90s Subaru Impreza and your bloke will nod knowingly.

On the inside I decided to finish the yoke facings with bias binding. This dress was the first thing I  made after my Weekend Getaway Blouse and the contrast in fabrics couldn't have been greater. This fabric was like paper to cut and it pressed into perfect creases. Such a simple joy to sew, and I imagine it may provide considerable support to it's little wearer as she learns to walk!

Then I decided a birthday isn't a birthday without another project from the Little Things To Sew book and so I made some juggling balls to match. - and that brings me to 5 projects left in the challenge

I have to confess I struggled  a bit with these. Making each half sphere was easy but then, when sewing the two halves together, I was unsure what should happen with the seam allowances of the other sections. Do they get sewn into the final seam or do you try and work around them?

I read, and re-read the instructions for a clue. I've become so used to Oliver + S instructions telling me every little thing and giving me all the tips to get the perfect result, that I was quite put out that there was no indication of how to handle these little half cups.

The answer, I suspect, is what I didn't do. I blithely sewed the two halves and ignored the seam allowances getting caught, and so I have some unsightly puckers on my balls!

of course I photographed the better sides

I seriously contemplated starting over again but then realised I was sewing for a ONE YEAR OLD. If she can't cut me some slack on my sewing then she can just start buying her own stuff and be disowned as "the heir to my daughter's wardrobe". No actually, she's ONE YEAR OLD. She's simply not going to notice!

Guess who else turns one (today in fact)? My blog!

Bartacks and Singletrack is one year old today!

I'm loving having my blog and sharing all my sewing here. I've never had a real plans for the blog, but I've been delighted to have done some pattern testing, guest blogging (and again here) and to be hosting the Cover to Cover Challenge.

There's not really any balance in life at the moment but I did ride a 50km Mountain Bike race last weekend. That makes two dirt rides in the last 12 months, so the Singletrack part of the blog title can stay.

But mostly, I'm just enjoying making things. Cheers!!