Happy Hinamatsuri! I made new baby dresses for the twins for the occasion. (Hinamatsuri was yesterday.) Hinamatsuri is a Japanese holiday that celebrates girls. I made the dresses inspired by the traditional Hinamatsuri sweet, hishimochi, which is three layers of pink, white and green.
The dresses were made using Oliver and S’ Family Reunion Dress pattern. I was really happy with this pattern! It’s the second I’ve made from this company and so far my favorite. I loved that you didn’t have to handsew the hem of the dresses, instead there’s 5 lovely bands of topstitching. They had lots of tips for making the dresses look clean and beautiful which I mostly followed and I really liked the pintucks, the shape of the dress and the lovely collars. I followed the pattern pretty closely except I added the contrast green band at the bottom by using the “shirt version” of the pattern as a guide. All the fabrics and supplies (except a small 3/4 yard bought on 50% sale) were stash fabrics! Go me! These dresses are 6-12 month size and my girls are 5 months old, so the dresses are a little big for them. The last time I made a dress for them they barely got to wear it before they outgrew it, so this is better.
The flower headbands were a sweet gift from Sarah! I love them! If you like them, you can buy some on her etsy page!
The gold screen and the lanterns behind them are actually meant for a large Hinamatsuri doll set. I bought them years ago on ebay, but they’re perfect for baby photos, too, right?
Omake: Miss J about to devour Sophie the Giraffe.
As I said on FB – the girls look adorable! I love that you make interesting fabric choices – it adds a layer of sophistication that most children’s clothing doesn’t have.
Still can’t believe how quickly you made these! When they get older you’ll have to teach them to sew too because I can’t even imagine having to sew two full prom outfits by myself! When I made mine I even had to have help from my great-aunt (she made my date’s matching vest). Of course even then it was last minute so maybe you will be able to teach the girls to pre-plan and it won’t be so bad. 🙂
You are a busy sewing bee! Loves it!