Dolly daisy dress

When I found this fabric at my local sewing shop a few weeks ago, it was love at first sight! I didn’t get it at the time, mainly due to the price, but when I returned there this Friday, I had to take it home with me.

Over the weekend it has been transformed into a dress for Frida – the “Dolly” dress from the latest issue of Ottobre.

Dolly daisy dress

It looks like an easy project, but I have to admit that this one did fight me a bit of the way. I think mainly because I just don’t know the right technique for sewing in an invisible zipper, and I find it really difficult to make it look the way it’s supposed to. This is my second attempt at it – my first one was with the China grass dress for Ronja, and I think in comparison, this one went easier – at least a little. Then there was the elastics for the sleeves – their diameter is so tiny that it was really difficult to work with, and I had to redo one of them.

Dolly daisy dress - sleeve

The dress is quite wide, so if you wish to alter that, you should consider tracing a smaller size for width. I really like it, though – I think that the wide garments look adorable, especially on little girls. One might argue, that using the same fabric for the entire dress doesn’t show off the design of it very well – however, I’m fond of the way that it makes the pattern design kind of subtle, yet important.

Dolly daisy dress - yoke

Summing up, I loooooove this dress! The shape is beautiful, I love the yoke and the puffy sleeves, and the colours of the fabric change with every kind of light that falls on it. I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being the dress that Frida wears for Christmas.

By the way, I did a bit of research on the fabric, and I found that it is from Stenzo Kids, and you can get it at Banberry Place (sorry guys, not anymore, though…). Now, a few minutes ago, I discovered some online video tutorials on YouTube – among them one for sewing invisible zippers – it looks very detailed, so I’m off to learn more! (The link goes to the first out of 16 videos on the subject.) Don’t you just love the internet?

19 comments

  1. iinu says:

    I always try to avoid zippers as long as I can…They are so difficult to sew nicely:o)
    But you did a perfect job with that zipper and the whole dress (as always)…
    And I like that fabric too, very pretty!

  2. Jeannine McCloskey says:

    Oh, it is beautiful. I love the fact that you did not use two fabrics. It makes it even more attractive. I cannot wait to try this one either. Poor Olivia has nothing to wear for a cold day. Soon, soon, soon!

  3. dana says:

    Wow! I LOVE IT!
    I’ve never sewn an invisible zipper and it kind of scares me. Maybe it’s time to watch that tutorial also.
    You did an amazing job! The dress is adorable and fun that it challenged your skills. As hard as it may be in the moment, it’s nice knowing you learned something new!
    Cute stuff!

  4. Melanie says:

    Oh, it’s lovely! I immediately loved that little print as soon as it popped up on my reader. I think it looks great all one fabric too. I’m going to have to take another look at the pattern.
    Great job!

  5. Astrid says:

    Yvonne – thank you! 🙂

    Hanne – tak for tippet – jeg har faktisk set det flere steder, men har tænkt, at det kan da ikke være nødvendigt – det må være sådan noget for de der amerikanere, der skal have ekstrafødder til det hele… 😉 Jeg er lige ved at tro, at du har ret!

    Mette – ja, jeg kan slet ikke få nok af det. Der er kun en my tilbage, men jeg skal nok få det brugt! 🙂

    Kristen – I’ll get her to model soon! 🙂

    Mellissa – thank you! The latest issue has lots of possibilities! 😉

    Beki – thank you! 🙂

    Lisa – thanks a lot! 😉

    Iinu – thank you! I have been avoiding zippers as well – however, I really wanted to make this dress, and I decided to face my fear! 🙂

    Jeannine – I’m sure you’ll whip up something for Olivia in no time! Thank you! 😉

    Teri – thanks! 🙂

    Its_Lily – thank you! I’ll show you soon what she looks like in it! 🙂

    Dana – you really should check out the tutorial – it’s amazing what you can find on YouTube! Thank you – and you’re right, it is nice to learn something new! 🙂

    Melanie – that’s excactly how I felt about the fabric when I first saw it – jumped out on me! Thank you! 😉

  6. Sarah says:

    Astrid, I took the plunge and got an issue of Ottobre. It just came two days ago. I am somewhat overwhelmed by seeing all the patterns on one page, but Dolly is the dress I have decided to start with. On Friday I am going shopping for fabric and then…wish me loads of luck. I know I’ll need it!

  7. rikki says:

    Such a sweet dress. Invisible zippers are like anything else, impossible until youunderstand them and then very easy! You sew so beautifully I am quite sure you can get this!

  8. Astrid says:

    Sarah – answered on your blog instead of here to make sure you noticed. However – loads of good luck! 🙂 And thank you!

    Rikki – thanks, you may be right! 😉

    Lillemor – det tror jeg altså godt, at du kan. Jeg lærte det i februar i år, og det handler om tålmodighed, lyst og om at tage det skridt for skridt. 🙂

    Amy – modeled pic coming up – if you haven’t already seen it on my Flickr… 😉 Couldn’t get Frida to stand, though, without immediately chasing the camera…

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