McCalls 2434 in neon pink lace

Myra graduated from Preschool last week, which seemed like a totally logical reason to make her a neon pink lace dress.

Because lace dresses are totally logical for a 4 year old...

Fortunately, her BFF wore sequined stars, so it was all good.

While it's pretty from the front, the action here is all in the back. I used McCalls 2434 again, but made a few alterations from the last one.

For this one, I shortened the skirt an inch, slimmed the bodice an inch and added about 6 inches to the width of the skirt, which added a lot of volume. I also added an tank underdress for modesty, given the sheerness of the lace. Both the lace and neon pink jersey came from Cali Fabrics. It was my first time ordering from them and I was so impressed with their customer service as well as the quality of their fabrics. I'll be ordering from them often!

In back, instead of a plain strap, I made a bow and bound the necklines of the two dresses together using a lace binding. I really love how it came out. Sweet and a little sassy, just like Myra.

McCalls 2434 dress

I made a maxi dress last year out of some completely awesome floral and frog printed Qiana. I love this dress and wear it constantly. Every time I wear it, Myra asks me to make her one, but I only had a tiny scrap of the Qiana left. What's a sewing Mommy to do?

Fortunately, my mother had a scrap of pink sparkle jersey (left over from this wrap tee) that was a perfect match for the dark pink flowers in the print. The dress is not quite maxi length, as I was severely short on fabric, but Myra's a pretty busy girl and I think a maxi would slow her down.

The pattern I used was McCalls 2434, published in 1986. It's drafted for woven fabrics, and the neckline is finished with a facing. Since I was using a knit, I decided to finish the neckline with a band of the skirt fabric.

All the action in this pattern is in the back. The neckline is low and scooped, with a strap across at the shoulder level. I love how sweet this looks. I think that since the dress is unfitted, it escapes any "sexy" overtones and just looks girly. The pattern also offers a square and vee neck option in back, which are also very cute.

My copy of the pattern is a size 5, which matched Myra's measurements. Since it is meant to be a woven, pull over dress it is quite loose on her. I could probably take out some ease, but I think it works as is for a simple summer play dress. I did alter the pattern by lengthening the bodice 2 inches. It is drafted for the seam to fall under the bust, which has a very juvenile look, almost babyish. I knew Myra wouldn't go for that, so I compared the length to the Skater Dress bodice and adjusted accordingly.

Myra is very pleased to finally have her own froggie dress to match mine. It passed all the playtime tests, and  it's even bike friendly! It will definitely be a summer staple this year.