SEWN: THE PERFECT XMAS DRESS

I decided when M was approaching her first Xmas to make her a very special Xmas dress/outfit each and every year of her life. So this makes it dress number 4. And I did it! I made up for the horrid Xmas dress of last year. This, my friends, is one of my most favourite items I've sewn for Miss M.

This is my version of Figgy's Scirocco dress. I purchased this PDF pattern ages ago as part of the Sew Fab bundle of February 2013. In fact, this pattern may have been the main reason for purchasing the bundle!

I like my Xmas makes to have a Christmas vibe, but not be cheesily Christmas-y. This is a gorgeous quilting fabric featuring May Gibbs' illustrations of the ever-loved Gumnut Babies. I, for one, grew up on a diet of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie books.

I love May Gibbs' illustrations. They are so quintessentially Australian, and at this time of year I always seem to be getting stuck in the bare feet by Eucalypt gumnuts. This fabric seemed quite fitting.

I used some pink vintage lace trim down the faux pleat at bodice front. Can you believe this is the first real embellishments I've applied to any of my makes? I usually like my items as unfussy as possible and often choose prints that do a lot of the work for the garment.

Yeah I know, somehow I managed to place a bare naked ass below my child's chin. But seriously, this baby sucked up the fabric and there was no such thing as flexibility for pattern placement.

I also lined the skirt with a gorgeous pale pink cotton voile used in last year's Xmas dress and refashioned from one of M's baby wraps. I tell ya, it's the wrap that keeps on giving.

The pattern is printed up on 12 A4 pages which isn't bad and was straightforward to tape up and cut. I trusted the pattern size measurements this time and cut a size 2/3 for widths and size 4/5 for all lengths for my 3.5yr old. A number of reviewers had warned the dress could be quite short and cutting the longer length worked just perfectly and the dress fits really nicely.

Instructions are clear with illustrations to support the text. The bodice back is a feat of engineering and I have to say the only stumbling block was trying to figure out the shoulder seam instructions. But I got there and I love the result.

I got to pull out my narrow rolled hem foot and am back in love with it. It sewed perfect hems on each gorgeous ruffle.

And as Miss M declared it's got a great skirt for swooshing...