Addressing the Dress

I recently decided that I want to attempt to make a few little items of clothing for my daughters. I mean, what good is knowing how to sew if you can't even make something adorable for your 4-year-old to wear? (And by "knowing how to sew," I really mean "I have a sewing machine and a vague idea of how to operate it.")

The problem is that I'm intimidated by anything with more structure than a quilt or a pillow. There's something about that third dimension that scares the crap out of me. So aside from a couple of uber-simple unlined tote bags (tutorial here - I highly recommend it if you're in my boat), I've stayed far away from garment and/or bag sewing.

But then I saw this kit from Above All Fabric and impetuously snapped it up (with a 15 percent discount courtesy of Jaybird Quilts!) It's an adorable dress. It says it's "suitable for beginner sewers." Come on, it's just a matter of reading and following directions, right? How hard could it be?

Oh my. This looks scary.

My goal is to complete this by Thanksgiving. We're spending the holiday at my mom's in Florida, so for once Miss E. can actually wear a sleeveless dress on a major holiday. Wish me luck!