Oliver + S Jump Rope Dress

Let me first say that Oliver + S is my ultimate favorite pattern company for kids.  The styles are classic and well designed, and the actual pattern is very well done with thorough instructions.  The pattern packages themselves look like paper dolls, and when you look at them online there are "real" clothes made as well.  Their patterns are for the kinds of clothes we want to see kids wearing, you  know?  Kid-appropriate clothes.  If you sew and have a little person in your life, I highly recommend checking out Oliver + S patterns.  They are wonderful.  Anyway, back a while ago (September 2010) Sew Mama Sew had a sew-along to make the jump rope dress and I signed up!  This was my first sew along and it was great fun! 

I have now made the jump rope dress two times.  One with the full skirt and belt, and one long sleeved without a belt.  Here we go:

This is the one I did with the Sew Mama Sew sew-along.  Even though the pattern instructions were great, the little tips you get on a sew-along are super helpful!  This was my first time doing a button placket or setting in a collar, and it wasn't scary at all!  The Clever Girl is 2 in these pictures, and I made her the size 3 so she could wear it longer.  So yes, it looks kinda big on her, and that was intentional!  I try to get as much wear out of her clothes as possible, especially the handmade ones!

I made the second jump rope dress for the Clever Girl's Christmas dress the same year.  Again, I made the size 3 as it seemed to work and she was then 2 1/2.  I made this one out of a fine wale navy corduroy, and had my fancy new machine (more on that in another post) embroider little snowflakes along the pockets, the hem, and one on the tip of each collar.  Man.  The addition of those snowflakes made the dress go from cute to amazing!

I sometimes feel a little sneaky sewing things for the Clever Girl in blues...  She got her daddy's blue eyes and I just can't help myself sometimes!

Kapowie!  How about those big baby blues??