Country-style Playdate Dress from Oliver+S

I had purchased this fabric at Quilt Festival a few years ago and then let it sit for some time.  I had the cute floral and the matching stripe.  My taste seem to have changed and I wasn't thrilled with the choices, but I knew I should use it.  I settled on using the Playdate pattern from Oliver+S.  

The dress construction starts with attaching the yoke, which is the hardest part of the dress.  The trim I chose was a decorative muslin piping.  It had little give in easing around the yoke. (So the wise would think about trimming it with something that gives, like bias trim.)  My piping also shrunk a little with repeat washings and gives my yoke problems in lying flat now.  The yoke was not difficult and the rest of the dress went together in a snap.

The pattern calls for a decorative element around this yoke.  The pattern shows rows of gathered fabric put on like ribbon.  My dress was country enough and I felt doing that would not add anything, but make it look more homemade.  So, I grabbed some trim that I had that looked like crocheted flowers connected together.  I cut them apart and doused them in seam sealer.  The flowers looked like the daisies in my print.  After they dried, I attached them to the dress with a yellow button to perfectly match my dress.

My daughter loves this dress.  It is comfortable and has POCKETS.  The sleeves have inverted pleats to add a little variety to the dress.  I made the dress last year and my daughter has now grown into the width, so if you are sewing for a tall, slim girl don't go too much higher in pattern size, but add to the overall length.   I hope you enjoy my country-style Playdate dress.