KCW: My 2nd Geranium Dress!

For KCW Summer 2013, I am repeating myself from the last spring edition. I made a Geranium dress for the first time and while it is a lovely dress, I have learned from my mistakes:

1. Put the back bodice piece together properly. (Previously, I missed a good 1 1/4″ section that made the dress too tight! Oops.)
2. Get Froo’s input for fabric choices. (It turns out cream & brown are not her faves.)

The last time we went fabric shopping, Froo picked a gorgeous print as soon as we walked in and wouldn’t change her mind. The fabric is called “Treasure” in Courage–part of the Wish collection by Valorie Wells. It is a cotton voile, which is much lighter and finely woven than quilting cotton–perfect for summer!

I chose to make this Geranium dress with faux cap sleeves and a pleated skirt. The only modification I made was to lengthen it by an inch and sew up the sides of the skirt with French seams. Froo did not want pockets, saying, “pockets are not fancy”. She has a point, I guess.

Froo picked matching buttons in a frosted aqua.

I used muslin as my lining. Since the cotton voile is somewhat sheer, the ivory lining keeps the colours looking a bit “softer”. I was going to use white lining, but somehow, the fabric seemed to brighten up too much at the bodice. The dress is sheer enough that you can see Froo’s silhouette in sunlight, but I think the fullness of the skirt makes it acceptable without lining.

Froo’s first pose:

Froo was really excited to try on the dress as soon as she woke up. We don’t have the best light in the morning, so my photos are not stellar. Which is perfectly fine with me–what really matters is the smile on her face.

In the next photo, you’ll notice that Froo got a haircut! A couple of weeks ago, she went to a hair salon for the first time–my mom used to cut it, but since we’ve moved, it has grown out of control. I think she looks much older, but I still deny it every moment I can.

The pink tulle and bead trim adds a delicate touch to the dress. I bought it months ago at Fabrix in San Francisco for $0.25/yard. I bought 10 yards, not knowing what for, except for the fact that it only cost me $2.50!

Froo says the cutest things sometimes, such as: “I’m not a princess, I just look like one” or “people think I’m a princess because I wear princess dresses” or my favourite, “when I turn 5 years old, can I still play with my bunny?” Of course you can, my princess. To which she would respond, “I’m not a princess, I just look like one!” Sheesh.

Froo is in a 5T Geranium dress, so I think this is the last year that she’ll be able to fit into it. Rae recently released the Big G, Geranium Dress in sizes 6-12, which I might have to pick up soon. It’s crazy how fast my little girl is growing!

As for Boo, he is still our photo bomber extraordinaire:

Finally, a couple of Instagram photos of our weekend spent at Half Moon Bay and having some carnival fun, with Froo & Boo in their new KCW summer outfits:





We have traded in our swimming suits for snow pants with iceskating lessons on Saturday afternoons! Keeping it Canadian in the Froo & Boo household, even though the kids are the most tanned they’ve ever been. Hope the rest of your weekend is ever so lovely!