Birthday Geranium.

Birthday dress #1, completed! This is for my BFF's daughter, who is turning 5 this June. I knew she (BFF and daughter) would appreciate this fun and cheerful printed cotton, which I bought on Etsy a couple of months ago after falling hard for the colors and the flowers and the pretty little houses.

You know when you're reading a sewing blog post, and thinking, "OMG, I love that fabric - what is it and where can I buy some?!" and then the writer says, "oh, this fabric is vintage," or "oh, this fabric has been in my stash forever," or "oh, I picked it up at an op-shop/thrift store."

Don't you hate that? Yeah, me too.

But, this fabric is vintage and I got it on Etsy and good luck finding any more of it. Sorry!

This is the Geranium Dress, of course. With a notched neck, ruffle sleeves, patch pockets, and gathered skirt. And a little yellow piping at the waist. I also lined the skirt as well as the bodice, because this pretty vintage fabric (a super soft cotton/poly blend voile - perhaps intended for curtains?) is a bit sheer.

The ruffle sleeves are so darling. I love the way you cut them out almost in a spiral, so that they are mostly on the bias. Genius! I was worried that the zig-zag finish would look messy, but I actually really love it.

Here is the back. This dress is so soft and poofy. I think it will be really nice to wear! It's definitely a party dress, but it's practical enough to wear for less festive occasions too. The only challenging part of sewing this dress was that waistline - gathering two layers of fabric into a waistband with four layers (two layers of fabric plus piping seam allowances) was not a picnic, and I had to redo several sections of it. But in the end, I triumphed, and deemed it "good enough." The side seams don't perfectly match up, and the front patch pockets could have been slightly better placed, but ... it's pretty darn okay.

I decided to use three different colored buttons on the back for a fun and playful look.

The size five could probably use four buttons at this size rather than three, but I didn't like any of my options, so I sewed a hook and eye at the back waist to help secure the waistline.

I finished the lining - simple off-white muslin - by machine.

But the bodice and the hem were sewed by hand for that vintage touch. And because, you know, it is Vintage May ...

The Geranium Dress is one of my favorite patterns to sew (I have to say, I always love Made by Rae patterns!), and this dress was a lot of fun to make. I hope its recipient loves it.

And now to my next birthday dress: For my little niece Helen, soon to be four!