Signature Style

Its Signature Style week over on Project Run and Play and while I know I said I wasn't going to sew a long this year as I was working on this project I think I figured out my signature.  I've struggled with this concept before so imagine my shock when I figured it out by accident.

Let me give you just a moment to digest why anyone would show you this dress as their signature style and then I will explain.

So here is what I've figured out about my sewing style.

1. I like to make things my kids really want even when they would not be my first choice.
2. I like a good pattern.  Its not that I can't alter bc I can but I think there are quite a few lovely wheels out there already so I have no desire to recreate them.
3. I don't mind using crazy character fabric.  Sometimes I even like it.  My favorite is when she wears something like this and other little girls stop her to tell her how much they love her dress.   To me that's better then when adults do.
4. I love to try new patterns, styles, and techniques.  

This is the Oliver and S book report dress.  My husband got it for me for Christmas and truth be told I was not thrilled at first.  You see if I could have told you the one Oliver and S pattern I didn't want this would have been the one.  He picked it though and Emily loved the cover art so a few weeks ago on an icey weekend we decided to give it a try.  She also picked the fabrics.  I really wanted to do red dots instead of green but she was sure the green would be best.

I ordered these cute little strawberry buttons from Etsy.  The only design choice the little fashionista left to me.

All in all I'm happy with the finished project and so is she.  The pattern was a dream to work with.  I had forgotten how pleasant it is to sew something that is truly well drafted with well done directions.  I guess that's why I'm willing to pay more for these little patterns.

Oh and just for fun here's my tutorial for letting a 5 year old design an outfit.

1. Take the little bugger to the fabric shop and let her pick out one thing.  
2. Bring it home and hide it in your sewing room for a few months bc you have no idea what to do with it.
3. Buy one or two equally wild fabrics that cordinate with the original or dig through your stash to find them.
4. Let the little bugger dig through your fabric one day when you really want to finish another project.  Trust me she will find the wild and crazy fabric she picked out a while back and bring it to you.
5. Feel a bit guilty and present her with a pile of patterns to go through plus some coordinating prints.  Let her pick while you continue to try and finish whatever brought you to the sewing room in the fist place.
6. Listen to her as she tells you what she wants, suggest other options, and then do what she asks.
7. In the end be glad that you followed steps 1 though 6 bc it ends up being a really cute dress and we all know that you can only get buy with some looks for so long.

Hope you like the dress.  In the end I certainly do and while it may not win any contests its just what Emily wanted and that's more important to me any day.