The Little French Dress

Wednesday October 6th 2010

So Octobers' dress was supposed to be 'The Jump Rope Dress' by Oliver & S but I got a little distracted by a package I received in the mail from Amazon UK. You see in wandering the internet I come across all sorts of different websites depending on what catches my eye. A couple of months back, while reading a blog by Alison Paulson of Posey Gets Cozy, she referenced a little top she had sewn from a Citronille Pattern. So, attracted to the design and style, I went in search of the pattern here in the US. I finally figured it out, it is a French company and what cute pattens. With the help of google translate, I was able to browse their website. After more searching the web for a shop that sold the pattern here in the US, I resolved myself to having to purchase from abroad. But then I saw their line of books.

 So my dear kind husband, who loves to shop the internet, also began looking and found that Amazon UK had the best pricing and shipping costs. The book, Imtemporels pour Enfants, arrived via Denmark in September.

Timeless Children

Freezer paper patterns

 On a trip up to Oceanside to Maisonette, a little gem of a fabric shop, I took the book with the hopes of finding some cute fabric to sew the first dress in the book, 'La Robe Trapeze', which on Citronille's website is the pattern Sidonie, I think, with the addition of a ruffle on the hem. But instead I came away with Anna Maria Horners Coloring Gardens Sea and Water  in voile, to sew the little dress on the cover, La Robe a Encolure Ronde, which on their website is the pattern Primerose.

Coloring Gardens Sea in voile

bias with voile

It is a dress  with a rounded yoke. I used google translate to help. The pattern has six pieces, front and back of the dress with a double sided curved yoke and  two button holes and buttons down the back.

strip of bias

Instruction for making bias

The armholes and back opening are finished with bias tape made from the fabric of the body of the dress. Sometimes google translate had some funny translations such as 'tear proof paw' so I used iron on interfacing and 'left leg' but it is a dress pattern (I never figures this one out...yet!).  And I never got the correct translation on 'endroit contre endroit' but I think it means 'right sides together'????

ironing interfacing between parchment paper

Yoke sewn together

Ready to sew to body of the dress

The voile is rather shear so I made a lining using muslin and sewed it into the dress.  I also found that freezer paper doesn't adhear to voile like it does regular cotton. But I sure do like the way is glides through the sewing machine. I had a little trouble the the curved yoke. I used the iron-on interfacing on one side which helped with the curve of the yoke. I was intending to use that for the inside but the voile just wouldn't keep the curve on the side without interfacing. I love the book but unfortunately there no diagrams in which to help me. I think I'll ask for a couple of patterns for Christmas. I think I would like to sew 'La Chemise de Nuit' nightgown next and possibly 'Le Manteau a Capuche', a little coat with a hood.

Buttonloops and buttons for back

Muslin lining

Voila!

 In all the translating that I have done for the pattern, it had never occured to me to translate the title of the book. Intemporels pour Enfants translates to Timeless Children which is exactly what these patterns look like.

Bonne Couture

Ileen