A Little Blue Dress and Pinafore
Tuesday, Dec 11th, 2007 by Janna
While my cousin Krista Fafach and her family were visiting us Minnesota relatives for Thanksgiving, Krista’s sister Karen called with an invitation to a baby shower for little Sabria, the Fafach family’s newest member. The invitation just happened to coincide with a rare “I-Want-to-Make-Something!” mood of mine. Perhaps this mood had been brought on by all those vintage sewing patterns I’d been listing for sale on Etsy; or perhaps that whole bolt of pure white muslin was calling me from my closet… I don’t know. Lazing on the couch that evening, inspiration struck. Digging through the vintage toddlers’ patterns, I discovered a darling little pinafore and dress set. Visions of frills and gathers, and a yoke embroidered with dainty flowers and swirls filled my head. Hmm… Yes, Amanda is a genius for embroidery!… Erica could design the embroidery pattern in a wink!… Before my ambition had time to cool (quite a real danger), I cut the first chunk off my bolt of muslin, washed it, dried it, cut out the pattern pieces, and began sewing. Katelyn observed the progress with interest, and, partway through the project, announced suddenly that she intended to sew a little dress to match the pinafore. In our fabric stash, she discovered a blue cotton with a tiny floral print. With only one sewing machine up and running, she and I had to juggle a bit, with me hurrying to complete the pinafore while she was busy with her school-work. One sews while the other gathers… Pun. Sorry.
Katelyn’s blue dress, finished with an impeccable blind hem
On Friday evening we arrived at the shower, our calm faces concealing the fact that our present had been completed and placed in its gift bag mere minutes before hurrying out the door. 
Our efforts were definitely rewarded by Krista’s appreciation of our gift. : Hint: If you want a quick self-esteem booster, try making a gift for someone. 
: The shower was delightful; those Schmidts sure know how to have a party! But now, I’m looking forward to “next time”, whenever that may come… Sewing baby clothes is just too much fun!
Both dress and pinafore are adorable! What a special present.
How darling!!
Janna, the dress and pinafore are simply too sweet for words! Few things can make a baby look any cuter than it already is, but I think your outfit will do the trick. And I liked the pun, by the way
Oh, so sweet! I bet the little girl will look beautiful
My, my, my! How very sweet! I am in the midst of two vintage pattern projects myself. I hope my end product is as lovely as yours here…
Oh yes, I was at the shower, and I tell you the truth, ALL the ladies in the room were drooling over this amazing creation! Ohs and ahs were uttered at the moment Krista pulled out the dress from the package. Amazing work - so very thoughtful and sweet! Something to cherish!!
Love you! Can’t wait for Christmas Eve!
I feel so honored to be the owner of this fine creation! I can’t wait until Sabria is big enough to wear it.
Thank you so much for all your hard work! You girls are so amazing!
So glad that we had a chance to visit with you all while we were there. I just love spending time with you Berge girls!
The dress and pinafore are just too adorable! What a great job!!! It was so sweet and thoughtful of you both - alot of hard work was put into that!
I agree with Mindy! Everyone at the party DID drool over it a little!! You girls did a super job creating the whole outfit! I can’t wait to see a picture of Sabria wearing it!!
Have a GREAT Christmas!
What a beautiful outfit! Homemade gifts are so fun to give and get!!!
I came over here from Mindy’s blog. Your blog is very well done!
absolutely adorable white little dress