peer pressure |

peer pressure

February 10, 2013 by gail

I think An of StraightGrain said it best with this: I couldn’t resist The Power Of The Geranium Dress. How true, how true.

It was only a matter of time before I made one for Lila, and Robin and Kristin kindly expedited my plans by informing me on Friday afternoon that both of their lovely daughters would be wearing Geraniums to our Saturday lunch date, and wouldn’t I like to join in on that photo op? A little more notice woulda been nice, ladies! Just kidding, I’m always up for a friendly sewing challenge.

This wasn’t the fabric I had envisioned for my first Geranium dress, but given the time constraints I ended up having to pick something from my stash. Though not before driving in Friday rush hour traffic with two disgruntled children to the fabric store looking for exactly what I wanted, and then to a second fabric store later that evening, both times to no avail. But I had 1.5 yards of this Amy Butler print on my shelf, and it’d been sitting there for a year, which is probably long enough. So I settled for that. The print is maybe a little bold/loud/large for the dress, but I’m happy enough with it overall. Or maybe I was just happy to finish it on time?

I went with the pleated, side-seam pockets version and left the neckline intact, mostly because I was working against the clock, but also to preserve the big red flower centered on the bodice.

After completing my first Geranium dress I can assure you that the pattern lives up to the hype – besides just yielding an adorable dress, it’s really well written, there are lots of fun mix-and-match options, and the fit is great. This is a 4T, and while Lila will in fact be four next month and it’s totally cliche to say, I am still in utter disbelief I’m sewing anything for this girl in a size 4….

33 Responses

on February 10, 2013 at 11:20 pm | Reply kristin

MWAHAHAHA! That is correct, ma’am. You were doomed, both on the Geranium front and the peer pressure front. 🙂 So glad you pulled this one off, though, it was so fun to have our three girlies in Geraniums together! Hmmmm maybe every playdate we have from now on should be centered around their coordinating outfits?
- on February 11, 2013 at 8:56 am | Reply Cherie
  
  Hilarious idea. I see a new series forming . . .
  - on February 11, 2013 at 1:08 pm gail
    
    oooo, i like where this is going!!
- on February 11, 2013 at 10:00 pm | Reply nestedinstitches
  
  Yes! Oh and also, C wants to have Lila and Em over for a pajama /movie night. Perfect.
on February 11, 2013 at 1:59 am | Reply marisa

It’s stunning – and I don’t think the print is too large at all.
on February 11, 2013 at 2:05 am | Reply Justine

Love it in this print, and love the styling too 🙂 Perfect!
on February 11, 2013 at 5:58 am | Reply Carla

It is darling! I love big prints on little people.
on February 11, 2013 at 7:35 am | Reply Sarah

So sweet… but please DO tell… what fabric were you dreaming to make it in!?
- on February 11, 2013 at 1:14 pm | Reply gail
  
  Definitely planning many more of these dresses….so stay tuned!! 🙂
on February 11, 2013 at 8:36 am | Reply Erin

Oh, it’s adorable! I actually like that bold print- cute for spring…. And she probably loves it 🙂
on February 11, 2013 at 8:57 am | Reply Cherie

I think it’s adorable!! I love the fabric that you ended up using, even if it’s not what you had in mind. And don’t worry, most kids will need several geraniums, so you can make the next one in the fabric of your dreams.
on February 11, 2013 at 9:35 am | Reply Alissa Moghtaderi

I’ll take one in a women’s size 6. You’ve got my address. kthxbai.
on February 11, 2013 at 9:58 am | Reply rachel

so funny gail – the second i saw that dress on my google reader, i thought to myself, “whoa, gail, way to switch it up and move away from ‘understated’!” you had mentioned in a previous post wanting to branch out from chambray, i believe. i really like this dress. i generally shy away from using large scale prints on children’s clothes as well, but the way you centered the flower on the bodice made it totally work. did you find that Lila liked this one better? my girls love colorful and flowery!
- on February 11, 2013 at 1:20 pm | Reply gail
  
  ha, that is funny! see, not really my style, but yes, lila really does like it! maybe i shouldn’t sew her such boring stuff, haha 🙂
on February 11, 2013 at 12:30 pm | Reply Sanae

So fun and I’m getting so close to jumping on the geranium bandwagon too! Love the way you centered the flower and I bet the three girls were absolutely stylin’ together!
on February 11, 2013 at 1:13 pm | Reply Cindy

The dress looks wonderful in this print! You did a fab job with pattern placement.:)
on February 11, 2013 at 3:12 pm | Reply Jill

I love it! My little girl has already requested geraniums (I made her one at christmas) in at least 3 different fabrics. The girl knows what she likes.
on February 11, 2013 at 10:03 pm | Reply nestedinstitches

So great! I think the dress is very sweet and feel bad that you were fabric hunting during Friday rush hour. I had just finished C’s geranium and was showing her pics of Em and Lila when I saw Em in her geranium dress… So sorry my brain spark didn’t happen earlier! Can’t wait to see your next Geranium iteration!
- on February 12, 2013 at 11:09 am | Reply gail
  
  no, no, it was fun! and it was totally my own craziness that had me out in rush hour! 🙂
on February 12, 2013 at 10:03 am | Reply carolyn

I love this dress with such a bold print! It really is gorgeous! (and look at those perfectly placed flowers!) Apparently peer pressure can be a good thing sometimes 🙂
on February 12, 2013 at 12:51 pm | Reply straightgrain

Wow, gorgeous geranium! Good to see that I’m not the only one under the Spell of the Geranium. Should we start a self-help group? 😉
on February 12, 2013 at 4:13 pm | Reply Lucinda

Just gorgeous, plain and simple. love it. must get that pattern, though my Lilah will soon be too big for the size range – they grow too fast!!
on February 12, 2013 at 10:08 pm | Reply Elizabeth Wallace

I’m gonna blame you if my husband asks why I bought a new pattern, mmkay?

😀
on February 14, 2013 at 6:41 pm | Reply Rae

GAIL!! I love this. She is just super adorbs. And seriously, what is up with the Power of the Geranium? I don’t get it either.

That is cruel and unusual that they gave you less than 24 hours to coordinate. I would retaliate with a Sunday Brunch Jacket or Jumprope Dress.

😉
on February 17, 2013 at 6:17 am | Reply Sabrina

This is a lovely print for an adorable little girl! I’m thinking of buying this pattern so I can sew dresses for friends’ daughters. I’m glad to see your enthusiastic endorsement!
on February 21, 2013 at 5:01 am | Reply Jamie

I just discovered your blog and all I can say is, WOW! I love it and all the clothing you sew is so adorable. Wondering if you could suggest a good Oliver + S pattern to start with? Thanks so much!
- on February 21, 2013 at 4:44 pm | Reply gail
  
  thank you! the sailboat pants and the ice cream dress are two of my favorites, and are both great beginning patterns. all the O+S patterns are rated (1-4 “scissors”) so any level 1 or 2 pattern would be a good place to start. happy sewing!
on February 22, 2013 at 12:04 pm | Reply Jamie

Thank you so much for the recommendations! Off to order some patterns 🙂
on February 26, 2013 at 3:15 pm | Reply sweetprairierose

I got reeled in myself and am in the process of making one for my little girl. What a great pattern!
on March 3, 2013 at 2:57 pm | Reply Jaime

I ordered it as soon as I saw someone else’s version. Since then…I have made 4. I am addicted. I even ordered the Washi Dress to make myself something.
on March 13, 2013 at 9:05 am | Reply Catherine

I just finished my first for my 4 year old and I’m also in love. I got some bubblegum pink seersucker cheap online with another project in mind and when it arrived I cringed a little since it’s not something I would have picked out otherwise. To my surprise it turned out as a really sweet geranium dress, perfect for spring and summer. I have another in a tiny size for a baby cousin in the works, and a couple fabrics lined up for new ones for my 4 year old.
on March 27, 2013 at 4:10 am | Reply Jessica at Me Sew Crazy

this has got to be one of the prettiest geraniums I have ever seen! Love it!!! So well made.
on September 8, 2014 at 11:44 pm | Reply magonomics

I bought a yard and a half of this fabric when I saw it this weekend (after getting over my shock it was still around) with the intention of making my niece a playtime dress (Michigan winters require long sleeves), but now I’m thinking geranium….