Kids' Clothes Week: A Milly-Molly-Mandy dress
October 22, 2014One of my favourite storybook characters as a child was the sweet Milly-Molly-Mandy.
The stories were written and illustrated by Joyce Lankester Brisley and were set in a quaint little village where Milly-Molly-Mandy would get up to exciting adventures with little friend Susan and Billy Blunt. Adventures like, Milly-Molly-Mandy plays shop, goes to the seaside, goes sledging and goes carol singing.
The stories have been re-illustrated and published but I prefer the old drawings. I remember pouring over this map of the village as a child...
Since Juliette also loves the stories of Milly-Molly-Mandy (we only have a newer edition book), and also resembles the main character, I was excited to sew her up a Milly-Molly-Mandy inspired dress for the Storybook inspired season of Kids' Clothes Week!
I drafted the pattern myself - it is made up of a front, back, button and belt loops and a tie. It is fully lined with the lining peeking out the bottom of the hem.
I couldn't find a stripe that represented Milly-Molly-Mandy in my local fabric store so I purchased a cherry pink and ivory voile and pieced the fabric together myself. (OTT, I know) It took a bit of time but Juliette loves her new dress and loves pretending to be Milly-Molly-Mandy.
The back closes with two button/loops and the small sash can be tied in a knot or small bow.
Are you sewing along for KCW? I have two more things planned for the week...will see how I go with my time!!
13 comments
It's adorable Suz! I love the casual shape and the little belt. Happy KCW!
ReplyDeletethanks Erin!!
ReplyDeleteOTT? Naaaaaaaaaaaaah! Totally worth it!
ReplyDeleteThanks jenya! Sewing obsessed people understand!
DeleteThat's so lovely, Suz! Simple design and very well drafted pattern.
ReplyDeleteLove the dress, Juliette looks gorgeous in it. My daughter also loved Milly Molly Mandy and is about to have her own daughter so I look forward to the pattern so I can make it for my daughter to put away in the cupboard for her daughter when she is old enough. Well done and thankyou for drafting the pattern - and the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteJenny
Gasp! This is breathtaking, Suz! Love the fabric you used! xo
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute cute dress! I love those stripes!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute book! And the dress is just adorable! I love it.
ReplyDeleteLovely!
ReplyDeleteWe adore Milly Molly Mandy, with 'Muvver and Farver'
Wow! I was "googling" for "Milly Molly Mandy dress patterns as my 7 year old has requested to dress up as her favourite heroine for "World Book Day" (we're in the UK). I've got til March but will wait eagerly for your pattern!! I've sourced some material with a narrower stripe (13mm) that I hope will give the right effect. I was beginining to think I was going to have to tie a white ribbon round the waste of a striped shirt, but you've reinspired me to do this properly! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteOh! Milly Molly Mandy! Had almost forgotten... You've revived 35 year old memories. Isn't it funny how childhood books stay with you forever! And lovely dress - I really love stripes, and red and white...gorgeous
ReplyDeleteThat little dress is so sweet. I LOVED Milly-Molly-Mandy books, they were soooooo far removed from my everyday (outback Aust cattle station mostly in drought) that I thought such a world could never exist. And for something completely random, there was a trivia question recently "what was the children's book character Millicent Margaret Amanda better known as". And I couldn't believe that no-one on the table had ever heard of Milly-Molly-Mandy!
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day☼