Three Dresses

It must have been mid-July when I ordered this dress kit to make the girls matching "little red" dresses. Normally, I wouldn't buy dress kits, because I like making each dress my own. But this dress was so unique and I had not yet tried embroidery. This seemed like a good place to start. For being such simple dresses, there was one delay after another getting them together. But in the end they did come together - I finally finished them this weekend (only three months after placing the order).






The only change I made to the kit was to add red rickrack to the hem.

Dan took these pictures of Miss Evangeline, looking rather pensive, but so very sweet, in her new dress -






We were off to celebrate baby Violet's first birthday. Some of you may recall that I was the doula at baby Violet's birth, witnessing this beautiful baby girl's entrance into the world on the very same evening that we were told that we were matched with Evie. Birth is such a miracle in itself, but Violet's birth will always symbolize for me the birth of our own daughter, which we were of course unable to observe. I was profoundly blessed by this gift.


My girls in their new dresses with me, pre-party


Dan took this photo of the kids and me. Jude said since we were attending a celebration, he wanted to wear his traditional Ethiopian clothing. Love it!




Using the same pattern as the girls' dresses, I made baby V this fall dress.


It's by Leila and Ben and the pattern is only $6. Also it's a PDF so you don't have to pay for shipping. It sews up quickly and there are so many options - it could be paired with jeans or leggings, worn over a long sleeved T-shirt, or worn alone. I love it. If you have a serger, I recommend serging the sides and sleeves before sewing. Then it sews up really quickly. It's a little short, so I serged the hem and only rolled it once. You could also add an inch or so to the length, if you wanted.

Another thing that I always do, and I got this idea from an Oliver + S pattern, is to add a little bit of ribbon as a tag, so you can easily tell the front from the back.



Happy First Birthday, Baby V! We love you!