Girl's Dress in "Lilac" Organic Voile for Claire

It's been a while since I wielded the needle and thread... Of the few sewing projects in the pipeline that I've been putting off, I finally completed this simple girl's dress for my niece Claire. It was supposed to be gifted together with the Robin Unicorn amigurumi made for her 3rd birthday (here), but I didn't get started until after her birthday. Now that it's finished, I get the feeling that it might be too large or too loose for her (for now).

The 2nd handmade, hand-sewn dress for my niece Claire (IG).

The fabric I used is a GOTS organic voile named "Lilac", a gift from CHL back in mid-2019. It was one of the 3 prints that she used in her children's clothing line. Of the other 2, I used the blue-and-white "Butterfly Pea" organic voile to make an ITF Acton dress for myself (posted here). The last one is another pretty print called "Haru (Spring)", but I've yet to decide what to make out of it. I love these voile fabrics from her line as they're wonderfully lightweight, and cool to the touch, perfect for warm/hot weather, but also very airy and comfortable to wear.

The dress is modified from Pattern J from DOUDOU no Onna no Ko to Mama ga Osoroide Kitai FukuDOUDOU の女の子とママがお揃いで着たい服 by Okawa Sayuri大川 小百合.¹ I had to change the 2-tiered skirt to a simple straight gathered skirt because I didn't have enough fabric. Actually I realised that I'd made this basic, rookie mistake after I'd cut the bodice pieces. Mea culpa.

This one is a lightweight, airy and pretty organic voile fabric called "Lilac", lined with white lawn cotton (IG).

Also changed the pattern's button-up back closure to an invisible zipper closure because my niece doesn't stay still for long. And yup, oops, I didn't match up the back pieces properly, so the waist seam is misaligned. *facepalm*

Invisible zipper, rather than buttons.

To be honest, I have mixed views about this pattern book. In a way, I don't regret buying it because I like Liberty fabric and the whole book is chock full of pictures featuring it. The overall instructions, along with step-by-step pictures, were clear and useful. But I also rather regret getting the book because the designs are rather simple and well, a bit boring. Some of the reviews criticised the designs as being outdated (for the Mamas), not having the right fit (too loose) or length (too short), and lacking beautiful lines... I kind of read this as being lines that don't fall/drape nicely, or not having a flattering silhouette. Though I don't totally feel that way about the book, as Japanese clothing designs tend to be looser fitting, with a lot of ease and room. I do think the patterns are also quite basic and common, and can be typically found in most patterns for children's clothing. Though since they're basic patterns, I do think they can be adjusted or mixed-and-matched around, or used as a base and modified or added to. And then when I see other the finished makes on Instagram (see #doudouの女の子とママが着たい服), I start thinking they're actually pretty cute and lovely, the ones for the kids anyway....

This one is the 2nd dress I've made for Claire. The first one was the Liberty Tana lawn "Milky Way" smocked dress for when she was a toddler. Interestingly, she is still able to wear it, though it now functions as a top instead of a dress! Time to rummage through my fabric stash again for the other Liberty Tana lawns I got for the kids and get down to making something with them, before the kids outgrow them! Because ohmygosh, kids grow fast.

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1.「DOUDOUの 女の子とママがお揃いで着たい服」大川小百合(著)、Heart Warming Life Series (日本ヴォーグ社、2018). ISBN: 978-4529058124. Romaji/English: DOUDOU no onna no ko to mama ga osoroide kitai fuku, translates to DOUDOU's Matching Clothes that Girls and Moms Want to Wear, Okawa Sayuri (Author), Heart Warming Life Series (Nihon Vogue Co., 2018). (Amazon Jp, Amazon)