Have you ever sewn for little girls? Let me tell you – it is so. Much. Fun. Well, sewing for kids in general seems fun because everything goes together so quickly and you don’t need much fabric, but sewing for little girls is a delight because of all of the cute details and adorable fabrics you can use!
My niece turned two in April and I really wanted to make her something for her birthday. My mom is having so much fun making little sweaters and hats for her and I didn’t want to miss out on the fun, and when I saw the Geranium Dress pattern on Instagram, it looked like the perfect pattern to try out for her birthday.
Plus, it gave me a reason to buy one of the adorable prints from the Cotton + Steel Wonderland collection by Rifle Paper Co!
There was a bit of a risk making this dress for my niece since she and my sister live four hours away in NJ and I had no idea if this was going to fit her well. Fortunately, my sister measured her and she was spot-on the measurements for the 2T size. Then, it was just a matter of crossing my fingers and going for it! I guess the great thing about sewing for kids is that their bodies are like little rectangles, they don’t have all of the fitting conundrums we adults have with hips and shoulders and curves like that.
The dress was a snap to make, I used the dress view with the ruffle sleeves and self-lined the bodice instead of using lining fabric. The ruffles were a little fiddly to make with zig-zagging the edges, I hope the stitching holds up in the wash and the edges don’t fray too much. I would definitely try doing a narrow hem next time and see if that gives a nicer result.
The back closes with three buttons and a little placket below in the skirt for easy on-and-off (well, you’ll have to ask my sister if it’s easy to get on and off of my niece, haha!). It was surprisingly hard trying to find the right buttons at Joann Fabrics that would either match or coordinate with the fabric and were the correct size – is it just me, or is the button section of Joann Fabrics so much smaller than it used to be?
Ok, enough about making the dress – here’s pictures my sister took of my niece wearing her dress on Easter!
I’m definitely planning on making her more of these, there’s a bunch of different ways to mix and match this pattern to create new looks! The tunic view would be adorable on her. Plus, this pattern goes all the way up to 5T and there’s an expansion pack up to 12y.
Pattern: Geranium Dress by Made By Rae
Size: 2T, dress view
Fabric: Wonderland in Periwinkle by Cotton +Steel
Yes this is the most versatile and gorgeous pattern for little girls. I have been making them for my 4 little grandaughters, ages 2, to 5 since they were teeny tiny. They too live a long way off but it is not too difficult to get the right size with help. Your fabric is perfect for this pattern. I have made a few with coordinating fabrics and even with some their names embroidered in the bodice. Really, anything goes. You have a go to pattern for many years.
Super cute! Sewing for little girls really is so much fun – and they always seem to just live that you’ve sewn something just for them!
This is just stunning! I was looking at Geraniums on Google image and your photo just leapt off the page at me. I love everything about the way this turned out — the Rifle Paper co fabric is spot on.