Sewing for Little Miss Princess

Flashback to 2007 when I started blogging, with a post called "Sewing for my Kids".  My daughter was 4, and my son was almost 2 at the time.  "Having a daughter and loving to sew seem to go together. I love choosing fabric and patterns for her to wear, and she gets pretty excited when she knows the project I'm working on is for her."

May 2008, Simplicity 2912

Well, some things don't change! "Mom, that's pretty fabric! What are you making?  Is it for you?"
This question has been asked far too often in the last year or so, and I'm ashamed to admit that I can't remember the last thing I made for my sweet girl. I think it was a skirt for Christmas last year? I'm a bad sewing mom...

My "Little Miss Princess" is now 10, and isn't nearly as excited about Princesses as she once was. We are dealing with that funny age of wanting to be a teenager and expecting trust and independence. Next year she will move onto the Middle School, and as a teacher and mom, that scares the living bejeesus out of me.

So, what a sewing mom to do? Stitch up something sweet for her (still) little girl. Something to surprise her (it was laying on her bad when she came home from school) and remind her that she's still my number one daughter and that I love sewing for her.

The fabric was purchased at Haberman's late this summer, a pretty border knit with flowers, dots, and stripes.  She picked it out, so I knew what she had in mind when I pulled the pattern Monday morning.  McCalls 6785

 There are a few different neckline options and lengths, so I'll use this again soon.  I cut the size 12, which runs very true to RTW size.

I placed the stripe near the hem, and after cutting the first piece, I realized... it's was the crossgrain and had no stretch across her body now.  Oops. Thankfully, I cut a size up (since she wasn't home for me to measure), so it fits. For now.  I got creative (and lucky with the amount of fabric remaining) and place another stripe down each sleeve.

When she came home from school, I got big hugs and tears. I left it long, unsure of the length, so we decided on a tunic to be worn with leggings, rather than a dress. Perfect for the cooler season, with bright blues & greens, flowers, polka dots, and stripes! I'm definitely planning on making a couple more of these for her, maybe in a nice sweater knit.

Sewing for my girl... makes us both smile!