I'm obsessed

with this fabric. I'm also in love with this one, as well as its sister. I must have them. I really want to make matching dresses for the girls but the pattern I want to use doesn't go up to Maeve's size. Scott calls her his weed because she grows so fast. This morning she put on a dress I bought for her last year and it will definitely be too short or too tight by the time summer really is in full swing, so I can justify a new dress for her. And I justify a new one for Gwyn because she never really gets anything new unless I make it, since I saved all of Maeve's clothes from when she was little. Just call me Miss Thrifty.

Anyway, I'm leaning towards the Farbenmix Sasha dress pattern because I think it will really be a great way to showcase that delft patterned fabric. And I already own it, so that means no buying a new pattern and waiting for it to get here; I can trace it tonight if I want to. I've only sewn it once, for Maeve but it turned out so lovely. Actually, it was the first Farbenmix pattern I used and it was before I had my serger, so everything is zigzagged on the edges. Here's a picture of it:



And here's the back view:



A quick note about this pattern and Farbenmix patterns in general: I made this dress back in the spring of 2008, when Maeve was finishing 2nd grade. This dress is just now getting to be too small for her and she's about to finish up 4th grade. So, when they say that Farbenmix patterns are designed to grow with the child, they aren't kidding. This is the biggest size - a 134/140 and Maeve wears a 140 or 146, depending on the ease of the garment. She really needs the 146 in pants for length because she has such long legs.

Anyway, I want to use the delft fabric for the top and bottom tiers, with the red floral print in the middle and the blue floral print for the bodice; maybe with red straps - I'm not sure, though. I think it would be adorable on Gwyn. Of course, I might have to make a cute t-shirt to go with it, but that's what Ottobre is for, right? I think the Puffis shirt from 3/2008 would be cute with it. The question is, what pattern do I use for Maeve's dress? I was thinking of Abacadabra #64, since I already have that one, too. Plus, it has the tiered skirt and that's similar to the Farbenmix Sasha. I've done the Abacadabra one for Maeve already - not sure if I have it traced in the right size, but I might and that would make things go even easier. Here's the version I made previously:



The only problem with this pattern is that the straps are ruffles that have elastic in them to make them stretch. This in itself isn't that big of a problem; what is a problem is the fact that the ruffles extend into these trailing streamers which are simply gathered and stitched to hold the gathers. That may not seem like a problem, but it does mean that if your child sits on the streamer end and then shifts her weight (as mine did) suddenly, the stitching can rip out rather easily. Now, I have to say that I haven't tried stitching the streamer parts with a zig-zag stitch, which would probably give it the strength it needs; I only used a straight stitch. However, I'm still thinking of altering this to either not have the streamers - which I really don't want to do since they're what makes the dress so darn cute - or to make them with elastic down the entire length of the ruffle, so that the lack of stretch is virtually eliminated.

Anyway, that's what I've got in mind. And I must be obsessed because I've been thinking about it non-stop. Crazy, since I haven't even started on Maeve's Manhattan dress or finished T's spring/birthday outfit and I'm considering whipping up something fun to wear when Scott takes me to dinner next Friday.

What do you think about the pattern choices?