Flashback Friday: Katy from No Big Dill

Welcome to Flashback Friday! I’m a little bit sad (a lot sad) that today is our last guest post of the series. But ya know what I’m not sad about? Our guest is Katy from No Big Dill! Katy really needs no introduction. We all know her as the incredibly artistic and creative mom to six baby dills.

I’m sure we can all agree that Katy is definitely one of the most original, unique, and inspiring sewing bloggers around. I love that she is a true artist, and even her simplest projects like this baby blanket have her stamp. And how could we not love the dresses that Katy makes for her girls?! I love that her flashback today includes one such dress :).

There are very few items of clothes I’ve made that have survived the entire gauntlet of the Dill Girl Quintet. Those who say boys are rougher on clothes than girls have apparently not met mine.

This dress, however, somehow managed to make it through them all: Divine, Pearl Estella, Olive, Azure, and now Clover. It was made when I only had 2 (maybe 3?) of my kids and I foolishly made it from dupioni silk, not the recommended material for little ones who don’t really consider not dripping maple syrup down their finery.

I made it from silk, however, because it was back in our starving student days, and my mom found this for $2/yard (gasp!) and sent me a whole bunch of it. You can see it’s been marked up with love, sent to the dry cleaners on more than one occasion, but still scarred from the little Dills that it has wrapped around.

This is not something I would make today. My style has shifted and so has my dress making, but I can’t help but admire the time I put into this (obviously I didn’t have 6 kids, right?!) From the mitered corners on the collar to the careful, exact hand stitching. I pleated that smocked section by hand, gathering each one of those folds, added that micro piping and the carefully placed pleats on each side.

The buttons aren’t in the exact correct place, but I still do that occasionally ;).

Even the inside! Please don’t check something I’ve recently made to see if it’s as pretty on the inside as it is on the out. I covered the armhole with bias, people!

So, while it’s not something I would endeavor today, I love it because it has been so thoroughly loved by each one of my girls.

It’s just a good thing that my last baby was a boy, because I don’t think it’s going to make it through Clover ;)

Thanks, Katy! I can’t imagine doing all the detail work that she put into this dress! And how special that it’s been worn by all five girls. It’s fun to see how Katy’s style has evolved over the years, isn’t it? Happy Friday to you all!

12 Comments

It’s beautiful!
I don’t manage to get many clothes through my three girls either ….

Wow, Katy… is there anything you make that isn’t absolutely amazing? I love all the details in this dress! It’s beautiful.

Truly Myrtle-Sunday dresses stand more of a chance than everyday clothes, don’t they?

Charity-Oh, you are kind. Thank you :)

PLEASE save one or two special dresses for each of your daughters to give them when they are older–perhaps when they have a daughter. It’s so special to dress my girls in the clothes I wore–especially the ones my mom made for me.

Blogful–Yes, of course! :)

Beautiful and so old fashioned! It reminds me of a dress I had when I was little that my daughter now wears. Lovely.

Crystal

Those details are spectacular! I can’t imagine letting my daughter eat in that dress – ha!

And I thought Katy’s garments were beautifully detailed NOW! Wow, so pretty. Very cool it’s gotten so much use, too! :)

Love the details!

I adore this so much. Wow…such stunning detail. Just…I am in awe!! Katy, you’re the best! Really the best!

oh wow. that is a precious dress.

katy, you are so good at what you do (and not a bad seamstress either!)

;)

Flashback Friday: Katy from No Big Dill

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