Good morning! We had such a jam-packed weekend, it’s actually a relief to have the quiet of a weekday routine. What with a school ice skating event, K’s first ever piano recital, a holiday cookie party (which was as drool-worthy as it sounds) and an impromptu sleepover at our house, I helter-skeltered all weekend.
I also whipped up a recital dress because c’mon, how could I not? I received this velveteen fabric in a peachy-pink from my mom years ago, and until this past weekend, I wasn’t too inspired by it.
The color is truly lovely on K, and I should make her more clothes in this hue. The whole dress is self-drafted and although the hem is slightly puckered, overall, I’m happy with the outcome. K wanted the dress to sweep the floor, but I felt it wise to avoid any tripping accidents during the recital, so I figured tea length would be a decent compromise.
This fabric behaved exactly like a knit, so I treated it as such. The dress is shimmery, fancy (thanks to the added silver lace trim that never got used for Halloween) and comfy. What’s not to love?
Here she is, smiling nervously just after she finished her performance. We were so proud! The lighting was horrible, so this was the best I could do, but I love how she accessorized with her “lucky ring necklace”. I thought of including in this post the video of her playing “March” by Tchaikovsky (or, as K likes to joke “Chai Coffee”), but K begged me not to.
Actually, I made two recital dresses because I was gripped with indecision the night before. That was serious fast sewing I executed Friday night. This one is self-drafted as well and I made it first. You can see that I used the same silver trim — I wish I’d gotten some photos of her in it because it’s a sweet frock. I was sure that K would choose the blue dress, but a niggling voice told me I should also sew up the peachy fabric. I’m so glad I did, because she looked so pretty and happy in it:
I hope you had a fun weekend, friends!
Hello Sanae,
Your blog’s full of lovely creations and experiences, and it’s a joy to read its every post. Can I ask you how long does it take you to sew something for your daughter or yourself? It seems like you can sew one easily in in a few hours of a day, and it’s amazing! How I love to be able to make clothes too, but one garment might take me days to complete 🙂 thanks!
Thanks for your sweet words, Jen! The sewing time varies greatly depending on the project, but generally, knit garments take me about an hour and a half or less from start to finish. Stuff I sew for K usually takes a lot less time than clothes I sew for myself, though I’ve spent upwards of 10 hours on a coat or dress for her before. I’ve noticed that the more I sew, the faster I am. 🙂 On average, I would say I spend about 2 to 5 hours per garment – I usually make very simple things, and I’m certain that you’ll be able to whip clothes up in no time!
This is a beautiful dress especially paired with a black cardigan. K looks gorgeous, and so mature all of sudden. Congratulations on her first recital. Did you cry? I had tears in my eyes just watching my daughter on stage in her pre-school concert. 🙂
I did get a little teary-eyed, Jing, though her segment was so short it was over before I could bust out with my customary weeping. 🙂 K’s had group performances before, but this was her first solo recital, so it was a big deal!
As you said “What’s not to love? ” Amazingly pretty.
Thanks so much, Greta! She adores the dress 🙂
What beautiful dresses! And you made two? Just in case? what are you? Mental? It is maybe is a side effect of being more excited and nervous than the performer. She looks just right for a recital! Congratulations. I am very proud too!
Ha, I AM mental, Max! M said the same thing about the dresses: very recital-appropriate, and K hammed it up 🙂
She does look great in the peachy pink. Pretty dress!
Thanks, Liza Jane! I always love it when I have just enough of the fabric so there’s very little waste, and that was the case with the peachy-pink!
Wow! Two dresses, look at you go! You’re right that peachy pink is a gorgeous color on her. They are both lovely dresses. Glad she did so well on her recital.
Thank you, Em! We had some touch-and-go moments when we weren’t sure if she would be able to (she worried about stage fright), but she was a champ!
love how you turned “helter skelter” into a verb, because that’s exactly how it feels sometimes! Busy weekends are fun, but then the routine of the week comes and that’s nice too:)
So sweet of you to make not just one, but TWO recital dresses for K! Such a worthy event to warrant all your sewing – a first piano recital is a big deal. Hope it went well and K enjoyed it enough to want to do it again:)
It felt like a big deal, Lucinda! My girl…all grown-up! She did really well and was SO proud of herself afterwards 🙂
Congrats on the recital. How wonderful and exciting! The peach one looks perfect on her, the length, trim everything! But how sweet of you to make two–just in case, and just so that she can choose.
Thanks Asmita! It was more my uncertainty about sewing with velveteen and making up my own patterns for the dresses that made me a crazy person and sew two dresses. I wasn’t sure if they would turn out okay…she likes the blue one too, but the peach was definitely the winner! 🙂