Finch dress

Today is the first of the month, which means a new theme for a Sewpony sewlong is revealed! The month of October is all about sewing with stretchy fabrics.

Sewpony has a number of patterns specifically designed for knits, like Cosi swimsuit, Catherine cardigan and Issie top (available for girls and women). But I know that the Finch dress works for knits also. I made a test version in a knit fabric to see if it would work, and it did. Now it is getting warmer on my side of the globe I decided to make a short sleeved Finch for my little love.

I recently went through Miss L's clothes to see what she could still wear and what had to be replaced. I was pleased to discover that both her Issie top and a dress still fit her well. In fact, they were her absolute favourite outfits last summer.

Australian sun is very harsh. It is a policy in Australian childcare centres and schools that children's clothing needs to be covering their shoulders.

After I examined Miss L's wardrobe I decided she needed a couple more childcare friendly items in her wardrobe. A summer version of the Finch dress in nice stretchy fabric sounded like a perfect solution!

Miss L is happy to wear any colour as long as it is blue. Yep, she is very specific! I have made a couple of things for her big sister lately, and Miss L decided it was her turn, so she came up to me and said, "Mummy, can you make me a dress? A blue dress?"

It is not that I mind that she has a lot of blue things to wear. I love blue, and it looks fantastic on her. I just love seeing other colours on her also. So I decided to try to persuade her to let me make her a dress in a colour other than blue.

We headed to our local Spotlight. I saw this bright fabric on a clearance table and I fell in love with the colours. I showed it to Miss L, and she declared she loved it too and even insisted she would carry it to the cutting table! Praise be!

I sewed this dress over two nights. You see, during early Spring temperatures in my corner of the world fluctuate a lot! While I had plenty of time to sew the dress in time for this post, I only had two days to take photos of a summer dress before temperatures dropped! Luckily this dress is an easy sew, even more so in a knit!

I am not sure where childcare policies stand in regards to long ties on children's clothing. I really wanted to make a dress with ties, so I did. If this is against the rules I will chop them off and replace them with a button and a loop closure, just like I did for Miss L's first Finch dress.

I also opted for a three quarter elastic for this dress. I think it works better for gorgeous owners of delicious toddler tummies! Besides, this options allows me to use decorative buttons, and I love buttons!

Miss L still managed to add blue to her outfit! These sandals were worn by Miss L's sister when she was younger. They are too narrow for Miss L's feet, but hey, they are blue and therefore the most comfortable thing under the sun. Note to self, hide them when little love is not looking and give them to someone who can wear them without hurting their feet!

Do you like sewing comfortable knit outfits for precious little humans in your life? If so, join us for a Sewpony sew-along this month. We would love to see your projects! Tag your gorgeous creations with #sewponystretch on social media. At the end of this month you may win a Sewpony pattern of your choice and AUD40 voucher from MaaiDesign!

My fiends Audrey and Deborah are joining me today with their gorgeous creations, so please make sure you visit them as well!

Project at a glance:
Patter: the Finch dress by Sewpony
Fabric: 100% cotton knit purchased from Spotlight
Size: 2, no alterations.