Celebration of sisterhood
Hi! My name is Hwee Ke from @kekesews, and I’m hopelessly addicted to sewing up beautiful patterns.
When the Geneva Vintage Bow Dress first got released, it stole my heart instantly. The gathered skirt and pretty bows in front are complete show stoppers, and the centre panel paves the way for endless possibilities. The flutter sleeve and sleeveless options are also perfect for our tropical climate. Geneva was calling out the name of every little girl I know, and I was determined to sew it.
When the opportunity for a blog post came, I jumped at the chance to sew up special occasion dresses for the perfect celebration. You see, I got to know a pair of little sisters who are each other’s best friend and permanently joined at the hip. Sadly, I don’t have a sister. My two brothers are great of course, but the bond of sisters is just different. I do feel a little twinge of envy whenever I hear about their love, and so for this blogpost, I wanted to celebrate sisterhood.
I immediately chose a Laura Blythman quilting cotton and matching coordinate that I had picked up from Spotlight some time ago. The main fabric is pink, sparkly and featured rainbows, and definitely right up their alley. Miss 2 is the spunky rough-and-tumble type, while Miss 4 is a sweet princess-in-training. Hence, I sized up only for Little Sis so she would have enough room for vigorous play.
The whole project, from cutting to sewing proved to be enjoyable and stress-free. Projector files are important to me so I can spend more time sewing and less time playing jigsaw with pattern pieces. SLPCo projector files feature thick lines and a large grid, both of which are easy on the eyes. The Geneva tutorial is also clear and concise, with helpful pictures guiding each step of the way. The trickiest part for me was deciding the position to place the lace trim framing the centre panel. Marking out the seam allowance on the centre panel before basting the lace on made things so much easier.
I was originally going to leave the bows off the dresses as I was worried that there would be too much going on. On completion though, the outcome was pretty, but definitely missing that special something that made Geneva such a knockout. Hence, I sewed up the bows and laid them on top of the dresses. Oh no, now I really couldn’t make up my mind! Then the idea hit me – it was going to be a celebration of their love, so why not let them decide? Good thing too, because Elder Miss wanted both bows on, while Little Sis only wanted one – off-centre! I acceded to her request because it IS her dress after all, and happy
In the spirit of making their dream dresses, I also cut the dress skirts an inch longer and let them decide on the hem allowance. Both decided they wanted the dresses as long as possible – princess-long please! Oops. Luckily, there was just enough of the coordinating fabric for a contrast hem, bringing the dresses to a midi length. We didn’t quite manage princess-long, but they were thrilled!
According to their mother, the sweetest reward for them post photoshoot is looking through the photos and showing her their favourites. And in a show of pure sisterly support, they never fail to point out and complement the other. Aaaaw.
Now, these dresses will occupy a special place in my heart long after they have been outgrown. They would remind me that even in a time of uncertainty, friendship and their sisterly bond would make it better.
Oh yes, and a sewing machine. And Simple Life patterns, of course.
-Hwee Ke
