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10.28.2014

The Sunday Picnic Dress

I first had the opportunity to sew a pattern by Suz of Sewpony Vintage this summer when I tried out her Cosi swimsuit pattern.  I went on to make it 5 times.  Needless to say, I'm a fan.  So when she told me she was working on a new dress pattern, I was excited to see what she would come up with.  And it's here: her Sunday Picnic dress.

tia and the sunday picnic dress

When I saw Suz's version here, I couldn't wait to sew this pattern.  Isn't her dress fabulous?  I kind of want to copy it exactly, it's so perfect.  But this time, I made this mustard corduroy-with-birds dress for Tia.



tia in the sunday picnic dress

Tia was so, so excited about this dress.  From the moment she spotted the fabric through the entire process of me making it, she repeatedly asked when it would be done.  That doesn't happen all the time, so when it does, it makes sewing something for her even more special.

tia - sunday picnic dress

The only change I made to the dress was to overlap the two bodice pieces more than the pattern indicated - by almost 2 inches. This made the V on the neckline less deep.  This also meant shaving off some of the width of the skirt front by that same amount, so the two pieces would fit together.

tia in the sunday picnic dress 

 I tried it on Tia as I was making the bodice changes and I was really happy with the overall fit.  (Suz has since adapted the pattern so the V is less deep than the pattern I was working with.)

tia in the sunday picnic dress 

The details of this dress are so unique.  I'm definitely a fan of piping so the piped bodice and piped pockets drew me in.   

sunday picnic pocket

Tia loved those pockets so much!  She couldn't stop talking about them!

sunday picnic dress details  

Speaking of talking, it's so fun to hear what's on Tia's mind these day.  A couple of months ago Dan bought a net to go above a half wall that's open to our stairs below.  Tia asked what the net was for and I didn't want to give her or Iris any ideas about climbing so I said, "Daddy bought it to keep you safe."

tia in the sunday picnic dress

"Ooooohhh!" she said, beaming.  "Yeah.  I get it.  So if bad guys ever snuck into our house at night and quietly crept up the stairs to try to get me, the net would fall on them and capture them!  And I would be safe!"

tia in the sunday picnic dress 

Remember how I said they were Scooby Doo fans?  :)

Then just last week, she told me that her teacher mentioned to her that she was adopted.  I asked her how that made her feel.  She exclaimed, "Happy!" and then followed with, "I thought about when I saw you for the very first time at the orphanage. My heart was so, so happy!"

tia my love 

 We've told her many times that meeting her was one of the happiest days of our lives.  But it was really heart melting to hear her say that to me.  She is such a sweet and gentle child.

tia in the sunday picnic dress

On this particular evening she asked if we could take photos in a field in our neighborhood.  It was getting late and we were losing light.  My instinct was to keep it easy and stay home, but I wanted to make it special for her so I agreed.

tia in the sunday picnic dress

We ended up having such a wonderful time together.  She led me around and told me where she wanted to take photos.

pockets are the best!

 After we were done with our photos she asked if we could play tag.  We did and I learned three things.  1.  Tia is really fast.  2.  I'm pretty out of shape.  3.  I'm really, really glad I said yes.

We had so much fun chasing after each other, laughing and out of breath.  It reminded me of this post that I wrote awhile back while taking photos of Indigo in this very same field - on how important it has been for me to say yes.

tia in the sunday picnic dress

A seasoned executive once told Dan that the secret to surviving in the business world is this:  Think about what you want to say.  Pause.  Say something different.  Dan and I always thought that was really funny.  I'm learning that sometimes that can be sage advice for parenting, too.  :)

tia in the sunday picnic dress

Today on Suz's Sunday Picnic dress tour are also Victoria from As It Seams and Erin from Our Family Four.  Here's a sneak peek of their beautiful girls in their lovely dresses.

by Victoria of As It Seams

by Erin of Our Family Four

You can read more about Victoria's dress here and Erin's here.

For the duration of the blog tour, Suz is offering a 15% discount on her Sunday Picnic pattern with the code: SUNDAYTOUR15 .

Thanks for having me, Suz!





23 comments:

  1. Oh man Rachel... You are such a special person and I love reading what your write. Tia is amazing and my heart missed a beat reading what she said about her heart being happy. What a beautiful child and how blessed you are to have each other. I need to say 'yes' more to my children too. I love Tia's dress and I am so happy she loves it too. Thank you so much for spending some of your precious time making my pattern!!!! xx

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  2. Oh Rachel, yet another super beautiful blog posts. I enjoy reading each and every one. And it sure doesn't hurt that in addition to the great writing, there are wonderful pictures, beautiful dresses and incredible pretty kids ;)
    And what a great joy Tia must be for you. Such an amazing little person. And I'm sure that she found a wonderful family!

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  3. Rachel and Suz (and Victoria and Erin), all these dresses are sooo cute! I can't wait to have my iron fixed and start sewing a couple of Sunday Picnic Dresses for my daughters!
    Rachel, where did you get tjhat corderoy? It is gorgeous! Printed corderoy is almost impossible to find in Portugal and I would love to get some...

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  4. Such a gorgeous story, Rachel! Your kids all seem such sweeties... They take after their mom :-) I can only imagine how you mush have felt when Tia said those words to you. And the dress is stunning as usual. Tia looks fabulous in that color (as she does in every color of course, but whatever ;-))

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    1. Thanks so much, An! And you know, I really liked that color on Tia, too! :)

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  5. Rachel, I love reading stories about your children! Tia's dress is beautiful. Isn't it wonderful when kids love something we make for them so much!

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  6. Beautiful post! I'm a new fan of your blog. Love the fabric choice, corduroy is so nice and soft, also perfect for autumn. Tia's words melted my heart, she is a very sensitive and clever girl! a treasure for sure.

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    1. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment! Yes, we are so blessed to have Tia. She is an amazing little girl!

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  7. Oh my heart!! What a wonderful post. I'm so glad you and Tia found each other, she is clearly a super kid. Love the dress and I echo the request on the printed corduroy source!

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  8. Rachel this is such a beautiful dress, and she looks gorgeous in it!! And what a little sweetheart. I love that she remembers how happy she was the first time she saw you, what a darling. Love your stories. :)

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  9. Just wanted to take the time to say how much I love reading your blog. Your sewing and photography are always totally wonderful and inspiring, and today Tia's sweet words made me tear up a little - and I don't even know her! Such a beautiful thing to say and hear (and read about). :)

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    1. Wow - thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a wonderful comment! It really means a lot to me. :)

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  10. Your daughter is so beautiful, inside and outside! She glows. And she is lucky to have found you. This dress is gorgeous. I love the color on her skin and those birds.....so sweet.

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  11. What a lovely story! And a beautiful dress that seems to suit her so well. I love those pockets, and the printed corduroy looks so crisp but cozy. It is getting back into corduroy season around here!

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  12. Reading your blog is both a visual treat and an inspiration for life! Talented you, to be able to cover both domains so skillfully:) Every time I see you use piping I love, love it and remind myself to try it in my sewing. And then I forget pretty much every time! Love the pink piping with the yellow of the dress (and that corduroy rocks!). What a lovely pattern - love your interpretation of it.
    And then the comments about Tia's happiest day - the day she met her forever family! Oh the sweetness! How special that she remembers that day clearly - what a gift to each of you. And your reminder to not let "no" or "later" be the immediate response is so timely in my own life and something I'm becoming increasingly aware of as I see my kids childhood race by. Thanks for your gift of wisdom and creative sewing today, Rachel!

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    1. Aw, thanks, Lucinda. The truth is, I totally don’t think she remembers. She was only 10.5 months old when we adopted her. And actually, I think she was terrified. “Who are these strangers/white people speaking a language I’ve never heard?!” But it was really sweet that that is how she perceives it now - that she thought she felt so happy. We had quite a long journey to healthy attachment, as can be the case with adoption, and so this really meant so very much to me.

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  13. What a lovely post! It is so hard to remember to say "yes" sometimes as a parent isn't it! It sounds like a lovely moment that you two shared. Also, the dress is amazing (I love that corduroy!) and Tia looks so beautiful in it! :)

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  14. Such beautiful little girlies in this post but your Tia. Oh my word. She is so so gorgeous. Those eyes! Oh yes, the dress is perfect on her

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  15. Oh goodness, your daughter is just incredibly beautiful, and her beaming smile makes me smile too!
    You did an amazing job on this dress. I love everything about it!

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  16. You know how your words go straight to my heart, Rachel. Pierre and Jeanne were 2.5 months old when we have the incredible chance to meet them (they are 5 years apart), so they won't have any remind of these wonderful days, but I can say they were both very attentive when whe present ourselves.
    So I understand +++ your joy hearing these so precious words.
    And anyway, this dress is awsome, I love your alterations ! And the fabric... I have no words.
    Have a beautiful day, Rachel !
    Lorène
    www.aufilducanal.com

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  17. Just like Lucinda, whenever I see what you've made I make mental notes to use piping, copy colours and styles, find better locations for pictures... But mostly when I read your blogposts I just remind myself to be nicer to my kids. Thanks.

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  18. Sweet dress, beautiful girl, lovely post! It reminds me how lovely it is to Really Spend Time with your children, and especially one at a time. My two have just had the last week off school, and we've been at home together and it's been so lovely (hence I'm just catching up on the blogging community now). And it's also really important to spend time one-to-one with your children. Torin (8) and I went on a long walk through the autumn woods and fields on Sunday. We got caught in a really heavy icey rainstorm, in the middle of a field, with no shelter, and got completely drenched. "It's ok, mummy, I'm used to the feeling of wet trousers now, we just have to keep going," said Torin, without the merest moan. Was so special just to be with him, and warm up by the fire afterwards. When he was born, we held a naming ceremony for him, and part of my pledge to him was "say Yes, more than say No", I was reminded of that when reading about your game of Tag! Must do more running around too....

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  19. What a beautiful post, Rachel! Tia is, as always, stunning, and she makes the already standout dress shine even more. :-) Such a big dose of loveliness to read about these quiet and meaningful family moments that make me want to be a better parent.

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