Valentine's Pillowcase Dress - and kid sewing!

FYI, I'm on Funky PolkaDot Giraffe today - come say hi!

I think the PERFECT beginner sewing project is a Pillowcase Dress - you learn straight stitching, even making a casing, and you get a super cute item when you're done (versus sewing a lame pillow or something).  And if you mess it way up, what are you out, a $0.25 used pillowcase- worth the risk!

Themed dresses, in review - Snowman, Pumpkins, Ghost:

 Did I mention my daughter got her own sewing machine for Christmas??  She's already made the customary lame pillow for her doll, so moving on, I put HER in charge of designing and sewing the Valentine's Pillowcase Dress.  So it was all her - I think she did great.

 

She picked out her fabric and trimmings.  I love that dangly ball stuff (does it have a name - pom pom trim?) and would have used more of it, but I think it was kind of hard for her to sew because after adding it to the top, she said that was enough.  She stuck a big ole heart in the middle - I would have made a small heart in the bottom corner or something.  You can tell it's not perfect, but that's part of the charm.  

With a young sewer, it's really important that they have a good spot to work.  We have a couple of these kid desks, so I just moved one in to my craft room - it's perfect because she can reach the pedal on the ground.  In other situations, I've put the pedal on a box so kids can reach it.  I love her little sewing machine - it's a Janome, and it just goes forward, backward, and zig zag (which she was excited to use around the heart) - all you need.  I went to a sewing group and I took her machine instead of my own - it's so light and easy to transport, and sews great, so it was the logical choice.

And yes, there was snow out when we took the picture - but light is so much better outside - here's the "I'm cold - are we done yet??) look:

The Patched Jeans are a different fabric, but I still think they look cute with the whole outfit.  And yes, you may have noticed in the sewing-in-action pictures, the girls are loving the Curly Hair Trick.

So now, look forward to the next seasonal pillowcase for March - actually, just kidding - what would it be, a big creepy leprechaun head?? I'll pass.