Sewing: Petticoat-Hem Summer Dress

"Your slip is showing", "Your petticoat/chemise is showing" were powerful words that suitably mortified me when I was little. It was unladylike to let your undergarments appear for public viewing. Not anymore :)

Anyway, I've seen many petticoat-hem skirts and dresses, even fancy gowns and wedding dresses that look elegant and beautiful... so, I wanted to make a few for Ana. This is the only one I have made so far this summer.

The idea is simple: if the fabric is thick enough, then just attach the lacy petticoat style hemline to the dress. Else, add it to the lining fabric. Which is what I did for this dress. With a full-sleeved undershirt, this can be worn in Fall and Spring, with tights or leggings added for Winter wear. The lining is soft cotton flannel and I used the same for the petticoat hem.

Most of Ana's clothes I make have no fasteners to mess with; and where needed, I add velcro™ so she can dress herself independently. At this age, she can get away with elastic waist.

This is again a fabric remnant, a little over half a yard. I liked the print and color. I had enough plain blue flannel to use for lining. But, the printed cotton fabric was not enough for a wider A-line, so the chest is just a few inches smaller than the hemline, and I couldn't shape it tighter. Which is fine for five year olds - they can wear a muu-muu and look cute and carry it off well anyway.

Some of the tiered skirts made last year are still in such good shape that I decided not to make any more skirts for her this year. My inertia to sew on sleeves to blouses and shirts, even dresses, lets me get away with sewing sleeveless summer clothes:)

I managed to get a couple of more nice prints of fabric remnants that I've been saving for summer dresses for Ana. Let's see if I can get to them before summer disappears...