Sweet and Simple – Simplicity 1207

There’s nothing like the simple lines of a toddler’s dress in crisp cotton to counteract the fussiness of making a silk evening gown. For me, Simplicity 1207 was the perfect antidote to Vogue 2241– fun, straightforward and quick!

Even better, this also doubled as a stash-slasher project. I’ve had this piece of paisley floral cotton in my stash for years – it was part of a pile of fabrics passed on to me when one of my Mum’s friends was downsizing. I’ve pulled it out quite a few times over the years and have never known quite what to do with it. While I really like the fresh zingy colours, green isn’t a colour that I feel comfortable wearing, and I just couldn’t picture it on me beyond a pair of pyjamas. The contrast watermelon pinky orange colour fabric for the contrast yoke also seems to have been part of an inherited collection of fabrics – I can’t even remember from whom – and it was a pretty close match to the colours in the paisley, so I figured it was meant to be.

This is one of Simplicity’s new reprints of an old vintage pattern. I was surprised to find on the cover that the pattern dates from the 70’s – to me, it feels like it has an older 50/60’s look about it. Anyway, regardless of its era, I was instantly attracted to it. I liked the clean, non-fussy lines of the dress, and the scallops add just the right amount of low-key interest. I also like that the dress has little sleeves – it’s a bit more of a sun-smart option to many of the adorable vintage sundress patterns out there that are all cross over straps and pinafore/romper styles.
The dress went together quite smoothly, apart from a few silly mistakes I did (like sewing a sleeve in inside out). The only real alterations I made (if you could call them alterations), were to use an invisible zipper and to hand sew the hems on the dress, sleeves and bias binding neckline. It was good to see that the dress wasn’t massively oversized – I’ve found that many baby and toddler’s patterns just seem to be huge when they are sewn up – for once, this seemed to fit almost perfectly!

I would love to whip up another of these dresses – they are quite fun to make! I just wish that I could find a good pattern to make some little matching pants/knickers to cover her nappy.

These photos were taken on the first really hot day we’ve had here in Melbourne. Sadly, it’s gone back to ridiculously cold weather and we have the heater back on, despite the fact that it’s mid-November. I hope this dress gets another outing soon!

In the meantime, I’d love to make the matching coat!