one queen sized sheet = three little girl dresses

A while back I read an ariticle that said our generation of women is reviving our grandmother's mantra of "waste not, want not". Given that we are on a severe budget these days, it has definitely been true around here. And I like it. It's challenging to see how much we can save. If we weren't teetering so near the edge, I might say I enjoy living on less. But back to "waste not, want not", I learned this weekend that one queen sized sheet can make three little girls dresses. A while back I bought a bunch of old sheets at a thrift store for 99 cents a piece. (for you germaphobes out there, I washed them. three times. in bleach.) They have sat in my craft closet staring at me but I had no time to do anything about it. This weekend I made the time. Using some vintage dress patterns I made these:

This one is for Analiese. It's the first time I've done a pleated waistband. It's a little tight so I might have to go back and adjust that. The flowers on the bottom weren't part of the plan. She took one look at it and said, "It needs flowers here, here, and here." Ok designer; if you say so. Overall she was pleased, so I was pleased.

This one is for Sicily. It's a simple A-line with pleating at the neckline. It was super easy and only took me about an hour to make. It's comfy and fits her no frills personality. I like this one a lot. Once again my little fashionista insisted it needed a flower.

This is my favorite of the bunch. It's for Analiese. It's the same pattern as Sicily's. (She's a lot thinner than Sicily though. Shhh. Don't tell Sicily.) It's simple but really pretty on her.

And the ultimate test of a good dress: does it spin?



Yes, they spin very well. A very well spent 99 cents, wouldn't you say?