Since Katie, Cici’s mom, is an active member of the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild I figured she would get lots of quilts for little Cici so I wanted to make her something more than just a quilt. I hadn’t sewed garments in a LONG time so I wanted to do this and I wanted it to coordinate with the quilt without being too matchy-matchy. So for the dress, I picked one of my favorite of the Art Gallery Paradise prints called Ivory Double Bloom and picked a coordinating Art Gallery print, Ashy Tealight for the bloomers and the trim of the dress. I loved working with the Art Gallery fabrics! LOVED! They are super soft and have a very high thread count. I loved the little details of this project like the bias binding facing on the inside of the arms of the dress which match with the bloomers.
Then, the pattern I picked (Simplicity 2668, see below) had the cutest coat that I wanted to make as a lightweight coat for Cici – so perfect for Los Angeles nights. So, I searched for a light to medium weight suiting that would coordinate with the two prints that I had already chosen. No major name brand, just suiting fabric that I found at Michael Levine’s in downtown Los Angeles. I think it’s a wool blend but, I’m not 100% sure. Don’t you just LOVE IT though?
As I mentioned this whole set was was made using Simplicity Pattern 2668.
A few detail shots. . .
The fun thing about sewing patterns is making them your own. I made the dress as is but, I changed a couple things on the coat. For one, I added a lining. Linings make things like coats and jackets hang a lot better and I thought it would feel better on Cici’s skin.
Also, I changed the sleeves. The ruffle at the bottom of the sleeves were actually gathered and not pleated but, I thought a pleated sleeve would look a lot classier.
