Golden Tulip Done! And Now, Limeade!

Golden Tulip

I have put the finishing touches on Golden Tulip. The side seams under the arms needed to be taken in a bit, so I took most of the bodice and the bodice lining apart to accomplish that. Then it all went back together again. Here's the completed item:







A close up of the front bodice and pocket area:






The finished back (I added sash loops):







The collar lies perfectly. You can see the understitching on the seam below. Understitching a collar has an amazing effect. Once you do it, the collar rolls wonderfully. It's worth two minutes of your time:





This is the side closure in the left side seam. It's hook and eye sewn onto folded bias strips, as per the pattern directions:



When it's closed, this closure is absolutely invisible from the right side. And no bulkiness, either.

The other thing I did was bind the armholes with bias. After sewing, I rollled the bias to the inside and pressed it well. Then I turned under the raw edges of bias and hand stitched it to the lining only, being careful not to pierce the outer fabric:




Isn't that nice?


I may have mentioned before that this was a vintage pattern from the fifties that I won on ebay. This pattern had been used before I got it, and I spent a lot of time while I was sewing wondering about the little girl who wore a version of this dress fifty years ago. Did she like it? What color was it? Was it for Easter? Was it made by her grandmother, too?


As a grandmother, I get triple pleasure from sewing for little princesses. First I select materials, trims, and patterns. Then I get the actual fun of putting it together, adding a detail here and there as I go along. Then I get to see it on a little angel and see the joy on her face.

But the best part? The hugs and kisses.

Limeade

A few days ago, I posted a photo of three lime green fabrics--a stripe, a retro dot, and a squiggly print. Here it is again. Meet Limeade!






I started with this pattern, from McCalls:





Here's the back.



I bought this pattern for several reasons. One, it appeared to be a nice full skirt, perfect for a twirly girl. The skirts on most modern patterns are usually to skimpy for my taste, which is one of the reasons I love the older patterns. Two, I liked the three different back treatments. Three, I immediately thought of several ways to fancy this up a bit for more of a designer look, instead of a sewn-at-home look.


I'll try and get some pics of it up later today. From cutting out to hemming, it only took four hours. It's finished already!