The newest Poppie Cotton line called Hide & Seek is not my default style, but I loved the butterfly prints and instantly knew I wanted to make a sundress for my 4-year-old out of one of them. I also picked out a few others to play with, so here they are!
I still don't have a sewing room yet, so I finally set up my machines on my dining room desk area and got to work. It felt so good to be sewing again, even in a temporary space!
For once I did NOT use a vintage pattern, believe it or not. I pulled out a modern children's pattern I picked up years ago at JoAnn which had the overall look I was thinking of. It was perfect for this fabric.
A lot of A line dresses are too tent-like for this size of child, in my opinion, but this one had a nice flare. Roomy but not too enormous.
She LOVES pockets, so of course I had to add pockets. I had seen a photo of a vintage dress with quilted pockets once, so I decided to try it here. It makes them nice and sturdy for her, but also adds some fun texture.
I finished all the edges like any quilted project and then just top-stitched them to the dress.
I really liked the way the sleeves were done here, and how there was no facing since the yoke was two-sided. Definitely keeping this pattern! It's cool for warm weather, and can be layered with a shirt now that it's cooler.
Even with the quilted pockets added, it was quite a quick make!
But as usual, with the main project finished and out of the way, I wanted to play with some of the other prints, so I also ended up doing some last-minute quilted zipper pouches.
I had to watch a tutorial for how to insert a zipper in a pouch since this is the first time I've done it! I still need to work on perfecting that technique, but they turned out cute and usable, which was the main thing!
I did 3 different quilted panels, quilting them differently on my machine, and made 3 different sizes. I didn't measure them precisely, but it turned out perfectly sized for pencils, books, and a project bag to help keep my crochet bag in order.
For the largest bag, I decided on the spur of the moment to save a cute little appliqué on a stained baby T shirt I was ready to throw away. I cut it out and top stitched around it twice on my bag panel - the colors go so well!
It was a fun little upcycled addition and gives a more elaborate look to a simple bag in minutes. (The blue butterfly was my favorite print in the line, so I saved it for the largest bag. :-)
These prints are so perfect for fall! I love the saturated shades.
