Some Berry Lovely Dresses for a Berry Good Friend

Some fabrics just speak right to your heart. Last year, a favorite fabric host ran a Nostalgia round and I gotta be honest, my inner child took my wallet and ran with it! I'm mostly a Rainbow Brite fan, but I still remember Strawberry Shortcake fondly. I have a friend who's the other way around, and when I saw this fabric, I knew I needed to get her some.

This was my first foray into working with a Double Border print. Border prints are interesting because there's only one "layer" of artwork, and it runs parallel to the selvage on both sides; in 60" wide fabric, that leaves a pretty substantial center section. It also means the artwork can be tall and panoramic, with long repeats and plenty of features interspersed along its length.

To show this fabric off, I chose the SLPCo Isla. Since I was going to make two (one for each of my friend's girls), I wanted a pattern that was simple and familiar.

I based the options off my daughter's well-loved Jack's Back Isla. Truth be told, it was storm season and most of this cutting was done while home with the kids watching the weather and hoping we didn't have to make a sudden dash to our storm shelter. Hey, you take your opportunities where you can get them, right?

Ever the fussycutter, I elected to put the border on the skirt and try to center the strawberry house as much as possible. I was also able to coax the entire outer bodice + 3/4 sleeves out of the center section of the fabric. I did thin the skirts slightly from what the pattern suggested (24" instead of 28" - I didn't want the artwork to get lost in the folds), and both the flounces and the bodice linings came from inexpensive Purpleseamstress solids.

And.. the dresses were a hit! I was lucky enough to be able to hand these dresses over in person, and both girls were happy to try theirs on right away. I also have it on good authority that they wore the dresses to daycare the next day, where they received much admiration from teachers and staff.

Little C even recognized the characters from another gift I had given her mother long ago - A Strawberry Shortcake stuffed cat that might be a little worse for the wear now, but is clearly well loved around the house.

It's good to see a long-ago sewing project getting such love. And It's also exciting to help cultivate the next generation of Strawberry Shortcake Fans!