How to save a dress with appliqué…

When I first started Jacks & Kate, I was still fairly new to appliqué. My first pieces were nothing to gab about. No really. It has only been through practice that I’ve honed my skills and developed a technique that works for me. One of the biggest draws to appliqué for me, was it’s versatility. You can appliqué many, many things. Even paper. Plus, if I could draw it, then I could transform it into appliqué. Because I love it so much and I want to encourage others to pursue this art, I’ve decided to start a weekly series on things you can appliqué. If you’re new and not sure where to start, you can view my two part tutorial here and here. First in the series, how to save a dress with appliqué.

I love hand me downs. I love the stories they tell. Simple or not, I can remember something about each hand me down I’ve saved. This was one of my favorite dresses on Savannah. It fit her perfectly, and her big blue eyes just radiated in this dress. I remember it was a Target find. At some point, it got a little blue stain that I could not get out. I knew then I could save it with appliqué, but she was so close to outgrowing it, I put it away in one of the rubbermaids in her closet. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago, I pulled out one of the rubbermaids and began sorting clothes that Annabelle could now wear. I think I actually squealed when I found this dress. It had been tucked away for a couple of years, so I had long forgotten about it. I was so excited that I had saved it! All it needed was a quick appliqué treatment and it would be ready to wear again.

I decided on a simple “a”, because the bodice was small, so I didn’t want anything too intricate.  I used just a scrap piece of Osnaburg fabric, as I wanted something neutral that wouldn’t compete with the skirt.

Appliqué saved this dress. Yes, I do realize how ridiculous that sounds. But, it’s true. And now, it’s Annabelle’s story to tell.