Hide and Seek Dress

My daughter really has a thing for cats.  Hello Kitty seems to be in her blood.  I've made her at least 10 dresses within the past year, but she repeatedly only wants to wear this one:

So I decided to grab some more Lizzy House Catnap fabric to make the Oliver and S Hide and Seek Dress.  I feel so intimidated when I am about to try a new pattern, but my fears were definitely unfounded.  This felt like a really easy sew and I really enjoyed making it.  Charlotte really loves it, I let her try it on before the sleeves were attached and she would not take it off.  When it was finished, she wore it till bedtime.  

This dress has lots of fun details: large front pockets and sleeve cuffs.  If I skip the pockets on the next one, it really will come together much faster.  But I am not sure what I am going to do because my daughter really loves pockets on her dresses.

Oliver and S patterns are a lot more expensive than the $1 specials on patterns you can often pick up at Joann's but the extra money is really worth it, in my opinion.  The patterns are so thorough and well written, I've never taken a class on garment sewing and I feel so accomplished that I have been able to make cute, wearable clothes for Charlotte.  I should also point out that it's not difficult to find Oliver and S patterns on sale.  Signing up for the Oliver and S newsletter often avails itself to significant savings, especially on Black Friday.

I've gone through my patterns and fabrics and am preparing to make three more dresses, hopefully before the baby comes.  I know I am being over ambitious and there's a lot to do besides sewing within the next week, but finishing this dress gave me a huge psychological boost and I am craving that satisfaction again.  I also know I am going to be SO busy when the baby comes and Charlotte is only going to be a little girl who loves what I make her for so long.

I finally invested in a grown-up pair of scissors with a Joann's gift card I had.  The scissors I have been using are at least a decade old and are very dull.  They're the kind with a spring and the springs have stopped functioning too.  Hopefully cutting out all the pieces for these dresses will feel less like a chore now.

Linking up to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.