Charlotte’s Smocked Dresses

More photos at my Facebook album for the blue dress and my Facebook album for the white dress.

 

I’ve never been much of a smocker, and still don’t have a pleating machine.  Charlotte’s smocked
dresses were pleated entirely by hand.  This little blue one has Venice lace trimming the collar and sleeves.

The white dress is a replica of an English vintage smocked dress I saw on a vintage website. The majority of the bodice is simple white-on-white with peachy-pink floral embroidery and soft green leaves. The collar and sleeve cuffs have matching embroidery and are edged with pleats. The bottom of the skirt has six rows of pit-tucking with more embroidery between them.

Peter Pan and Wendy

More photos are in my Facebook album for these ensembles.

Cotton Wendy dress with felt Peter Pan tunic and hat for a mother and son. Based on the Disney version.

The tunic was made with proper seaming (felt shouldn’t mean a glue gun) and a ace back to accommodate a growing boy.  This little tunic probably wouldn’t last for years upon years, but it’s a const-efficient way to let a boy dream about never growing up.

The Wendy gown is made from cotton that I custom-dyed, and laces in the back. This easy-care gown is machine-washable, and suitable for wearing out to events or for sleeping.  After all, it was Wendy’s nightgown!

Said the mom: What a very special gown, for a very special day; Peter Pan themed party for my son’s birthday. So in love with this dress. Aria is very easy to work with, and the dress looks amazing on, and so incredibly comfy. The workmanship on the dress is impeccable. I wish I had several more in other colors. Thank you, sincerely Thank your Aria for this special dress.

    

Edwardian infant Easter gown

“Retro”post from 2008:

This infant gown is based on pictures of a baby gown sent to me as inspiration.  The heirloom detailing is absolutely charming, the many yards of Swiss entredeux and insertion laces realy add to the antique feeling of this gown, as does the cotton and a couple of the laces being real vintage materials (the laces look nearly identical to the ones on the original!).  Before the addition of the gold ribbon through the beading laces and the floral pieces under the ruching on the front, this gown was very carefully tea-dyed to this soft vanilla color.  A couple of the laces didn’t take quite a much color, but this further lends to the antique feel.

The sleeves are each gathered with two gold ribbons, and the mauvey-pink flowers, green leaves, and gold bows backing them were each hand-made.  Each of the gold bows has 42 loops, which is only of significance to fans of Douglas Adams, but is a fun fact about this dress.

The back closes with five small mother-of-pearl buttons.

This gown was surprisingly time-consuming thanks to all the insertion laces, entredeux, ruching, and other detailing.

Dew Drops

“Retro”post from 2008:

I’d been dreaming about children’s dresses with flower skirts for quite a while, and finally had a reason to make them.  Earlier this past winter, I felt inspired to actively design a line of children’s dresses inspired by flowers and bugs.  These two are the first two prototypes.

I wanted a soft look to the skirts, almost a watercolor, a hint of color.  So each skirt is a full screen-shot-2016-12-30-at-3-59-05-amcircle skirt of a heavier bridal satin with four layers of white tulle.  The top most tulle later of each has glittered dots reminiscent of dew drops shaking down from the “flowers”.  One is a lavender pansy, and the other a pink rose.  Each is made of six petals cut in the shape of their respective flowers (though only a couple of the pansy’s leaves would be this shape, and there are five on a real pansy), and well as the sepals.  The sepals are on top of the petals.  The satin is narrow-hemmed, and the tulle pinked (cut with zig-zag scissors) for a soft look.  The bodices are simple to keep the focus on the skirts.  Each zips up the back with matching invisible zippers, and at the waists, contrasting ribbons.  Each includes a small posy of silk flowers to tuck into the ribbons, to carry, or to put in the hair.

The finished Pansy and Rose Dewdrop dresses:

The lack of smoothness in the bodice is due to the bushed behind not being smooth.  The “dew drops” on the skirts just wouldn’t photograph with my camera.

The insides are neatly finished, very smooth and with no rough or scratchy serged edge scratch against a child’s delicate skin.