As many of your may recall from previous posts, our sister is the “dream of a sewing client”!! She is pleased with what we sew the girls. She doesn’t complain about the garments selected, and she never refuses to dress the girls in the clothes we sew.

But . . .

Recently we learned something about “sister momma”.

She is not a fan of sailor dresses.

**Insert audible gasp**

In her defense, we wore a lot of sailor dresses back in the day!!  So, we can see why she might think of them as “dated.”

We, on the other hand, LOVE a good sailor pattern!

So, when we came across the Children’s Corner, Bonnie, we HAD to purchase it.

That was BEFORE we knew about “sister momma’s” sailor opinion.

Sounds like a challenge to us . . .

CHALLENGE: sew a “more modern” sailor dress that would pass both “sister momma” and our approval.

During our first trip to search for fabric, we froze and couldn’t make a decision on what would “pass the test.”

Then, we came to the conclusion: if anything could convince her, it would be Liberty!

We purchased some corduroy fabric and went to work. The liberty trim was purchased on Etsy years ago {the seller has since discontinued selling trim}.

Sewing “vintage patterns” is not for the faint of heart. While our sewing has improved over the years, the directions of many of the older patterns assume the person sewing is an experienced sewist.

There were construction areas that we would like to improve upon in our next sewing – finished seams, etc. but overall, this was a painless, vintage pattern to follow.

We sewed CL a size 5, and added 1.5″ to the length. The original pattern called for a 3″ hem, but since we were sewing it in corduroy, we thought a 1.5″ hem was sufficient {due to bulk, etc.}. These two changes {adding 1.5″ in length and making a 1.5″ hem} gave CL an additional 3″ to the overall length.

The verdict? It met with approval from ALL involved!! “Sister momma” . . .CL . . .and us!! It has actually become a favorite at the end of the season {once we finished sewing it}. We are all hoping for another year’s wear out of it . . .

CL calls it her “Elsa Dress”, but we are unsure why!!

But, hey, if she approves, who cares why?!?!?

NOW . . . for your enjoyment . . .

LG had to get in on the sailor / photo action with a “repeat wear” of a past sailor favorite.

The result??

Some pictures worth sharing . . .

This child LOVES to wear her older sisters’ outgrown clothes. She even counts down the days until some garments make their way to her closet. While we do sew some new things for her on occasion, her wardrobe just doesn’t have the “needs” like her older sisters.

No matter new clothes, or old ones:  who could refuse a face like this??

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