Have you stumbled on Renee's blog Nearest the Pin? I first discovered Renee's  impeccable sewing when she created some of the most imaginative outfits for the Secret Squirrel adventure. See here, and here! She sews so creatively, for herself and her daughter and son. It's particularly great to see imaginative boy sewing - and if I'm totally honest I love Renee's adorable boy almost as much as her sewing. Isn't he gorgeous! And now she's here for the Take One Dress challenge! Over to you Renee...

Thanks so much Victoria for the invitation to participate in this fun series! Did you see the amazing dress that Sophie chose for me? WOWee!! If you didn't, here it is. 

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I love this dress! The first feature I wanted to incorporate into my creation was the squarish shape of the bodice - it reminds me a bit of a sailor's collar, but I like it's subtlety. So, what did I create? The tunic is a cropped version of Dress b from the lovely Japanese sewing pattern book 'Happy Homemade Vol.2'. I chose a black cotton which has some nice detail close up (see below). I realise that black is not a traditional colour for little girls, so I also wanted to use the watercolour feel that my inspiration dress has. The skirt, as you may have spotted, is Nani Iro double gauze, which may be the most beautiful fabric in the world ;) There is no pattern for this, just a simple little skirt. Fabric this amazing does not need a fussy pattern - the simpler the better, to let the fabric shine. This challenge was just so fun! Little Miss A sat on my knee while we sewed up her skirt. My sewing machine has a 'start/stop' button instead of a foot pedal, so she took great delight in starting and stoping the machine. This was our first collaborative sewing project - I'm looking forward to more! The next fun part of the challenge is to choose a dress for the next Take One Dress participant - none other than the super talented Tasha from Glitter + Wit. Here is Tasha's inspiration dress:

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Thank you so much for having me Victoria!


Ah Renee, so cute! I love that you have made something practical, and that your daughter has been involved with. I'm going to have to start doing that more, my little girl keeps rejecting my creations! Can't wait to see what Tasha creates in September!