I’ve been collecting embroidered and crocheted doilies and trim from op shops for some time now.  I always thought that I could incorporate them into some clothes for the girls.  In combination with a whole lot of soft blue denim (also from an op shop) I made these two dresses over the past couple of weeks.

The girls wore them to church last weekend when it was absurdly cold, so they layered them over long-sleeved t-shirts and leggings (and also found cardigans to go on top). First up, Stella’s dress.

This is New Look 6613. Another terrific kid’s pattern from New Look – I think that they are my favourite children’s pattern designs (other than Oliver + s). They’re well drafted, the instructions are clear, they’re easy to assemble and they have interchangeable features. And they’re bargain priced.  What’s not to like! I made this in size 5, because that was what had been used the last time I made this pattern. After cutting out the pattern pieces in the denim I played around with trims and doilies until I got a layout that I liked.

The back is elasticised with three channels of narrow elastic. It should fit for a couple of years at least!

Clare’s dress is New Look 6821. After measuring Clare and the pattern pieces I made this in a size 6, with size 7 length. The bodice is still very roomy. I think that it’s shaped more for a teenager than a child – others on Pattern Review agree that it seems to run very large.

The girls helped me to choose the doilies and trims for both their dresses, and Clare had considerable input into the bodice and sleeve options that she wanted for her dress. Rather than adding a ruffle to the shoulder straps, we used some of leftover doily trim.

The front and back tucks are another lovely feature of this pattern. The doily overlay on the back bodice pieces created more bulk than I wanted for an invisible back zipper, so I used a lapped zipper insertion method instead. It’s come out quite well.

But as with everything that I make for my girls, the real test of success is whether they like it or not. And did they like their new denim and doily dresses?

That is a yes from Clare….

And a yes from Stella! (And no, I don’t know why she is holding a brick.  One moment she was just standing there, by the time I held up the camera and clicked she was holding a brick.  What can I say.  That’s my Stella.)

I enjoyed making them too – it was nice to do something that little bit different, and very satisfying to work almost entirely from op-shopped stash. I’m looking forward to seeing the girls wear them as intended, during summer without all those layers! Roll on sunshine – this weekend is looking like a corker!