Last year upon donning my Mother Christmas Costume for the second time, I asked my four year old niece if she wanted a holiday costume, too. However, this year when I mentioned it in August (to give me time to make something fancy), she didn't remember the request! Fortunately, she stayed with me a few times this fall, and amid playing dress up with her dolls, she became curious about the sewing machine. So naturally I pulled out a thrifted Butterick B4319 costume tunic pattern along with the purple cotton bolt seen in my Thrift Disappointments video and quickly drafted a mock-up gown.
I told her this would be practice pretend and not perfect, and heehaw, from now on I am referring to all mock-ups as “pretend.” She agreed that just a ye olde nightgown was fine and chose additional blue lace from another thrift grab bag which I used to hide the ugly seams and faded color creases in the fabric. She also spotted some shiny scraps from my older niece's costumes in my ribbon drawer and carried them around until I was ready to sew that sparkle around the collar. After basting she tried on the tunic and I was able to make sleeve adjustments and pleat the neckline to make the opening smaller. This meant there was still a generous amount of room to the tunic but she liked it that way. Next my niece chose a pink scrap that also came from a thrift grab bag (I wouldn't have cutesy materials if they didn't come in grab bags!) and now knowing her waist measurement, it was easy to run the top and bottom through the machine for a quick hem and an elastic channel. She also chose some sort of teal lace for this skirt, and I was able to use other goofy found thread colors I wouldn't normally use because she wanted everything rainbow instead of matching. Out of the mouth of babes!
Having these guidelines on my niece's size, I was able to make more play dresses and accessories even without her present, changing up the style or embellishments from the original tunic pattern. First came another purple dress, this time with a high waist elastic channel and shorter sleeves also gathered with an elastic cuff. I have plenty of elastic and bias tape to practice these techniques, and this made for a more flouncy gathered style dress that I decorated with gasp, pink lace. My niece said this would be her “Tea Party Dress” and she loves to play in these silly outfits. She says they are beautiful in only the way a four year old pronounces “beautiful.” However, I don't expect these to be as durable as real clothes, and I find them mostly...hideous. Not only am I aware of the unlined cheap material, unfinished seams, and fudging to fit hacks via disused supplies; but the pastels and pink or purple and teal with green and loud lace is certainly not my style. Isn't the entire point of sewing for me to be able to make the alternatives I want? Can I learn to practice better sewing from projects littered with mistakes unseen through the eyes of a child?
Thankfully, I'm not interested in making these purple play things to my usual perfection. My niece's size will change, and these goofy dresses can change with her. Longer flouncy sleeves can be added, the neckline gathers can be removed or the back seam opened and panels inserted. Ruffled tiers can create length and none of it has to be the best or color match and any magical patchwork will do. With these small scale frocks, I am using supplies and techniques I wouldn't normally utilize and gaining practice on a day's garment. Using the purple scraps from the bolt, I made a longer skirt with the same ruffles and elastic as well as a pinafore style apron – which I expect my niece will get the most use out of in our future crafting adventures. Something like an easy apron has room to grow and will carry the no fear paint, spills, and memories of what we make!
Is worry over poor fittings and lacking durability holding you back from making youth clothes? Fear not I say! With rapid child growth I'm not sure I want to make proper finished clothes for my niece. Why spend so much time on that when everyone can have fun with ruffles, lace, and....pastels? 🤨
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Sewing on a Budget for Search Magazine
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