An Adaline Dress- for Cordelia

When I was pregnant I really wanted to take beautiful family photos. Pregnancy was months of throwing up, being dizzy, and not getting out of bed. I wanted beautiful glowing photos to help me forget all of the misery and focus on the wonder of growing a human life- because it's a pretty amazing thing to do. So we booked a photographer, I picked out Brendon and my outfits, sewed Cordelia this dress- and then ended up spending the week in the hospital connected to an IV, a fetal monitor, and receiving steroid shots in my hips. So we missed our opportunity for family photos and in my sad hormonal state I have to admit I cried about it. 

But Cordelia did end up with this lovely dress! Which was a good thing because we had one of those moments where we woke up and nothing fit her! Do your kids do that also- just grow two sizes overnight?

I used the Adaline Dress pattern from Bella Sunshine Design. I've sewn Melissa's patterns tons of times before and I always find them to be clear and straightforward- the end results are always nicely finished on the inside too!  

I made this dress in a size 7 but added two extra inches in the hem for my super tall girl. One of the things I have found I like a lot about Bella Sunshine Designs is that if Cordelia wears a seven in this pattern I know she will wear a seven in any of the other BSD patterns- and a 7 is also what she normally wears in store bought clothing, so when I forget to measure her (don't do this, don't be like me- always measure your kids lol) I can guess pretty well what size to make. I also deviated from the pattern by adding extra volume to the skirt and thinning out the sleeves a tiny bit. 

The sleeves and upper bodice are made from a lightweight jersey (the pattern has you cut them out of a woven, but I don't think this affected the fit too much) and the body of the dress is cut from a soft flannel. 

I added pockets too because Cordelia is offended whenever I make something without pockets (she doesn't know how good she has it!) but I think the pattern includes an update for adding pockets so this isn't really a modification anymore. 

This cute micro house we took pictures at was made by Forty Third Place and installed in one of our local parks. Cordelia is now itching to have her own micro house in our backyard because it's so fun to play in- there is a little bench in there too. I can't get over how pretty it is- I love the hexagon pattern on the roof- something they are known for. 

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look!