After the super involved baby layette series, I needed something quick and easy to change the pace.
Enter another contestant from The Remnant Bin.
That’s right. That little number that looks like a summer wedding cake is all of $1.50 and took more time to photograph than it took to make.
This time of year, people are getting by-the-yard material that is pre-smocked with elastic thread to make quick dresses out of….at about $12 a yard. I found a 1/3 yard in the remnant bin in a length that would be appropriate for a 5 year old – but that certainly isn’t enough fabric to wrap around a 5 year old…but it was perfect for a 15 month old!
To cut the gathered fabric that isn’t exactly going to lay flat for scissors or a rotary, I snipped it at the length I wanted to cut off, and pulled the fabric so that it ripped along the length. Then I serged the bottom skirt, and split the removed strip into a ruffle size a strap size. In other words, I cut about 6 inches off the bottom, split that into a 4 inch ruffle and 2 inches to be folded into straps.
So far, all of this has been simple straight-line sewing. When sewing the ruffle to the top, just under the last line of smocking, I pulled the smocking tight and straight so that it would ruffle back up and keep its stretch.
Simple 1/4 inch serging and 1/4 inch turns for hems and serged it up the back – this will hold down the ruffle enough without having to top-stitch it down.
Robert had me stop and giggle…..
Baby was napping while I made this, so I pulled out a dress in a similar length to guess about where the straps should go and their length.
Add some bows from the leftover chenille blanket binding…
…and baby test!
So, check those remnant bins! Rethink how things are supposed to be used. People are doing it all the time…Aesthetic Nest has a quilted skirt made out of ironing board fabric and Becky at Adafruit is making wearable LED clothing like this skirt and omg, this FLORA Angler Fish embroidery I’m geeking out over. I figure if they can do that, I can rethink something simple like pre-smocked fabric!
That’s so cute and thrifty! You told me about it, looks great.