Oliver + S Building Block Dress - The Rocket Ship Dress!

At LONG last, the Rocket Ship Dress (as it's known in these parts) is finished.

This dress has been a long time in the planning and kept getting pushed down the list of things to sew. It was meant for A's 5th birthday last October, but she decided on another dress, then Halloween came along, then the mad rush to Christmas. Finally, at the end of January, I had time to pull out the pattern I'd drafted, make sure it still fit, and get sewing.

The details, in a nutshell:

• 1 yard (150cm wide) of Liberty of London Tana Lawn (with rocket ships and lightning bolts of course!!)
• Oliver + S Building Block Dress with partial cap sleeves, fully flared skirt (as wide as I could go in 1 yard), invisible zip closure, fully lined (with navy cotton lawn fabric), hem facing (in lining fabric)
• Size 4 lengthened to a size 5 in the skirt

The Liberty lawn is a dream to sew. The only small nightmare was getting the partial cap sleeves to sit properly - I think I ripped out the seams on each sleeve at least 3 times, and even now there are small mistakes that I'm sure a discerning sewist will spot (i.e. my mother...).

I needed to pay full attention while sewing this dress, but despite the work and the frequent use of the seam ripper, I was pleased with the outcome. Of course, it was all completely worth it when A saw it and said, 'Oh Mama, it's the most beautiful dress I've ever had!' Who needs more praise than that?!