Advice for MarMar

Last week, you may have noticed that MarMar left a long comment on my blog. She said:

...I have a project...my sister-n-law is getting hitched in June and everyone(including me) is in the wedding party. I decided instead of driving myself crazy or broke buying a dress for Ms. Abigail [Mar's infant daughter], that I would buy the traditional white flower girl dress in an infant size and add an apron to it with a teal sash and a pretty skirt(no bib).

JD thinks it is because I kinda ODed on last seasons Project Runway episodes since being on maternity leave (they run on Sundays on one of the Lifetime channels). He said very supportively, "make it work".

So, I got a swatch of the teal bridesmaid dress and went to JoAnn Fabrics(no independents here in CT). I found a close match for the sash in teal taffeta and pretty organza in a very light blue(goes well with the taffeta).

Now I have fabric, thread and needles. MMM...any advice? I don't have a pattern cause it seems nobody makes aprons for infants. My sewing machine is circa 1880(no lie) and I think I trust my hands more.

If all else goes wrong, little Abby will just wear the white flower girl dress!

Mar, I applaud your can-do attitude. And I think you have picked a pretty straightforward project that is absolutely do-able. Here are a few suggestions:

• Many people swear by the old sewing machines. They are made of metal parts (rather than the flimsy plastic of today) and have very long lifespans and consistent results. I would test out the machine on some scraps of fabric and see if it is perhaps better than you think.
  
• Scraps - since I am on a muslin kick, I would suggest that you make a test version of the apron before cutting into your beautiful fabric. It will help you figure out how to go about the project and make you more confident when it comes to the actual sewing.
  
• Check out some similar patterns - I'm going to copy and send you some pages from an apron making book that I own. Even though you will be making a mini-version, the basic way to make an apron is the same at every size. So, this should give you a road map for constructing your apron.
  
• If you are worried about how large or small to make the apron, why not buy a pattern for a baby's dress or skirt and use the piece for the front skirt as the pattern for your apron front. Then all you have to do is create the sash.
  

Well, I think that is the most crucial info. And if worse does come to worse, you can always just make the sash. I have no doubts that a daughter of yours can make it work!

Happy sewing, MarMar! And love to your mister for being so supportive.