The Geranium Dress

I have been really enjoying making clothes for my new (and only) grandchild.  I bought this pattern ages ago with the hope of making one for her, but as a non-sewer, the whole thing seemed a little overwhelming to me.  Not so for my intrepid sister-in-law, who while also not a sewer, has way more confidence in her abilities than I myself had for either of us.  But no one says no to her, and with only an afternoon to complete the task, off we went.
I had to google which foot for my sewing machine was the buttonhole foot, tried to find a YouTube video to learn how to make the button hole itself, all while my SIL was tracing, cutting and sewing this adorable dress.  We were so proud of ourselves (I made some matching bloomers to go underneath to complete the outfit), and even put buttons from her great great grandmother's button box onto the back, giving it a foot into the past.  Very satisfying.

The pattern is absolutely fantastic in its construction.  The bodice is entirely lined and mush of the dress has no raw edges whatsoever.  So wash it once a week until it no longer fits, the edges will not fray.  The basic dress, which is on the left, is supremely easy, and then once you master that, there are literally dozens of variations that can be made (you need to buy what is called an expansion pack in order to get all the way to dozens, but this one pattern could be all you need until you get up to the 5T size).  Pockets, long sleeves, short sleeves, frills if you want frills, simple if you want simple, no sleeves, capped sleeves, zippers or buttons, it goes on and on, and requires only that you master this one pattern.  I love it!