Sewing: Easter Dress for Tess (Ruffled Chemise Pattern)

I wanted to keep Tess's first Easter dress simple, but still wanted her to coordinate with her sisters, so I came up with this a-line Ruffled Chemise: cream linen with a simple round neck and the coordinating pink and cream plaid for the ruffle down the front. The sleeves have a small inverted box pleat which adds another nice detail I think.

This is the same pattern I used for the sleeveless Ruffled Chemise I made a bit ago. I love it! Such simple lines and not too overwhelming on a baby, but still feminine and fun. It's interesting how different the same pattern can look depending on whether the ruffle is in the same or contrasting fabric. I like it both ways. In fact, I was thinking I may need to make Tess another, and maybe her older sisters too, but for now the pattern is baby-sized for 3 to 18 months.

Tess is easier to persuade than her older sisters when it comes to modeling something I made for her. She doesn't really have much choice, but as you can see she wasn't unhappy about it.

So I managed to get some pre-Easter pictures of her wearing her very first Easter dress. It happens to be a bit big on her. I made it in a larger size, thinking she may grow quickly this summer and could wear it longer, so it isn't a perfect fit for Easter but should be about perfect in a couple months.

As noted with the first Ruffled Chemise, Tess really enjoys sucking on the ruffle. Built-in baby toy I guess!

My favorite part of this ensemble may be the plaid diaper cover! I used Dana's pattern available on MADE. So cute! I also love the full lining, and the fact that constructing the chemise this way creates an invisible hem--less stitching to distract from cute baby legs.

Phew! Three dresses finished in time for Easter.

I just wish I'd been able to get this pattern and post up when I intended, which was a week or two ago, so those who wanted to could make one in time for Easter. I'm afraid our trip delayed things a bit--I actually managed to get the pattern scanned while out of town but couldn't find the computing time required to put together the tutorial. However, there are still some days left and it is a very easy project so if you're inclined--if you have a baby girl who needs an Easter dress--you can likely still pull it off!

You can download the pattern until April 27th and then you can find it in my shop. Hippity hoppity! I'm off to bed to start my jetlag recovery...