Feliz Dress x StraightGrain Patterns
Looking back on my childhood, one of my favorite things my mom did was make me dresses for special occasions. We had Christmas dresses, Easter dresses, First Day of School dresses...most of those dresses became keepsakes and are packed away with my other childhood mementos, and will eventually be pulled out for Mars to wear. I loved those dresses and have looked forward to doing the same for my daughter. I could kick myself for it now, but years ago I so wanted to make dresses for a girl that when we found out our first born was a boy I was a little disappointed that my dream wouldn't be realized. Of course I've seen how ridiculous of me that was and have loved sewing for Ren (for real, he's inspired me to do some seriously fun makes). But making this dress for Mars was still a real treat.
The challenge in sewing Mars a Christmas dress was which pattern to choose in the first place. There is a virtually endless supply of patterns to choose from! My choices were narrowed down by the fact that 14 month old Mars is still in 6-12 month clothes and many PDF patterns start at 18 months or 2T. After spending an embarrassing amount of time perusing patterns I finally settled on the Feliz Dress by StraightGrain Patterns. I had been wanting to sew it since it came out and this project seemed like the perfect opportunity.
I loved the signature hi-lo bodice of the Feliz as well as the full button back option--it was the perfect place to showcase the vintage 1970's gold buttons I bought from this shop. The Feliz also has several sleeve options including this bell sleeve which I'm really loving.
Its nothing new that I love ballet backs on Mars so of course I had to add one to her Christmas dress. I love the way it contrasts with the longer sleeve and highlights the gold buttons and piping.
Its also old news that I have a serious thing for Rifle Paper Co. fabric, and this Menagerie Tapestry in Metallic Midnight just screamed holiday to me. Like I mentioned in this post about my own holiday dress, this year I really made an effort to pick fabrics that would be wearable beyond Christmas time. Again, since green and red aren't frequently worn around here (exception: Curran's life revolves around red. Still.) I went with this gorgeous fabric for a dress special enough for Christmas but still re-wearable until the gal grows out of it--which, judging by her track record, will be quite a while.
The Feliz sewed up great and it will definitely be a repeat pattern. I'm eager to give the flutter sleeve version a try next!
Do you do holiday specific clothing? Are you team red & green or do you toss in some less iconic colors and motifs? I'd love to see what you made this holiday season!
