Well, technically it was no one’s birthday, but sometimes you just need an excuse to add a little sewing to your life, right?
And to be honest, isn’t it wonderful to end the year (and celebrate the New Year) with a lovely new dress?
I though so, as well 
The Oliver+S Birthday Party Dress is a favorite mine (aren’t they all?) since it was first released.
While, this is not the easiest Oliver+S pattern (rated as three scissors out of four) I think it’s totally worth the effort|time involved. The instructions are very accurate and detailed (as expected from Oliver+S) and as always, I was very pleased with the final result.
I love both versions of the Birthday dress, but I’ve been tempted to try something a bit different: a Liberty front panel (part of my attempts to incorporate smaller cuts of Liberty into my sewing).
A bit of “sewing outside the box” for me
(trust me, the front tab is “straight”. Somehow it just looks “wonky” in the pictures)
The main fabric is a beautiful navy wool/cashmere blend from a local shop and the Liberty print is called D’Anjo (beautiful print based on a 1930s design and a new favorite around here).
I completed this dress in 2 short sewing sessions (about 3 hours/each), just in time for the New Year (insert happy mummy smile, here)
Miss M loved the dress and was even more pleased with all the “bribery” involved in the photo session: mummy’s new pearl bracelet, a (play) princess tiara (not shown) and a sparkling magic wand.
So, are you in for a little celebration?
Happy sewing,
Ana Sofia
oh, this is so very beautiful! What a lovely pairing of Liberty with wool/cashmere. Surely will become an heirloom dress!
Gorgeous! The birthday party dress was one of the first O+S patterns I sewed and it makes such a beautiful, classy dress – ESPECIALLY when you put some Liberty in there like you did!
I love this dress, the combination between the navy wool/cashmere and the liberty is lovely. Your little girl is very beautiful and she knows how to pose
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I bought the birthday party dress pattern last summer and I intend to make a couple for my daugther and for sure I’ll combine with liberty like yours after seeing how it turned out.