Simplicity 2526

If you'e been following this blog for more than about five minutes, then you know how dress obsessed my 2 year old daughter is. What you may not know is that she wears multiple different dresses as the day progresses. She loves to dress up, and Logan wants to play along, too. So, he's been asking me to make him a blue dress. This required some thinking. I don't want to stigmatize or restrict creative play, but he is a boy. So, I let him choose some fabric and a pattern. I was so relieved when he chose this one!

So, here is Logan's blue "dress". The fabric he chose is a poly peachskin given to me by my Mom. It's very plastic-y, but totally fine for dress up clothes and should be easy care. It was the devil to sew, though. Part of this was because the pattern is designed for fleece or coating, so this thin, slippery, impossible to ease stuff is pretty much the opposite of that. The pattern is very basic, and in fact I wouldn't use it for an actual coat. It is unlined with a one piece collar with facings to the shoulder. The pattern calls for the collar to be handsewn to the back seam, but I just finished it with bias tape.

I think this is neater and easier to do. Instead of buttons, I used snaps. Logan wanted red, just like Mr. Conductor on Thomas the Train. The other gripe I had with the pattern was the utterly ridiculous amount of ease in the sleeve cap.

After fighting with it, I finally just shifted the sleeve up in the armscye until it fit, then trimmed off the excess. That is nearly an inch wide at the shoulder point! In a child size 4! I'm all for a little cap ease in a heavy, tailored coat, but that is insane.

Here it is on Logan. The funny expression is his current facial response to the request for a smile. Anyway, he's very happy with it, and spent the afternoon dancing in it. I think the sizing is a bit off though. He's generally a pretty standard size 4 in the big 4. If anything I have to shorten them, but while there seems to be enough room in the body, it is quite short both in the arms and the overall length. I took smaller hems, but even as a dress up coat, they're too short and I can't see them working at all for an actual winter coat. When I get ready to sew for the Utah winter next year, I'll definitely be sewing from Ottobre.