Grandma’s Tea Cup Dress 

Grandma's Tea Cup Dress

When Spring Stroll Liz arrived without a dress to her name, #2 Teal for Tea came to the rescue. Volks SD10 Liz has such a timeless beauty, so I used a fabric that reminded me of Grandma’s tea cups. The trims at her neck and hips are tea-dyed to match. 

The dropped waist bodice pattern in #2 Teal for Tea is used along with the upper sleeve in #10 Takeshita-dori. If you prefer a fuller sleeve, select the alternate upper sleeve in #11 Takeshita-dori Supplement.  Add elastic and lace to finish the sleeve. 

For the skirt sections of the dress, cut the top ruffle 4 1/8” x 36”. Cut the lower ruffle 4 ½” x 36”. Cut 1 joining strip* 1” x 12 ¼”. (Shorter dimensions runs on the straight of the grain.) Add 5/8” flat lace to the hem edges of the ruffles and top stitch. Turn under ¼” at the center back of the ruffles and the joining strip and press. Gather the top edges of the ruffles. Draw up the gathers of the top ruffle to correspond to the dimension of the lower edge of the bodice, pin to the bodice, and machine baste. Draw up the gathers of the lower ruffle to correspond to the length of the joining strip. With right sides together, stitch the lower ruffle to the joining strip, press seam toward the joining strip and topstitch to secure. Make one row of machine basting stitches along the raw edge of the joining strip and draw up slightly (ease) to correspond to the dimensionof the lower edge of the bodice. Pin or baste to the bodice (you will be pinning the eased joining strip on top of the gathers of the top ruffle). Stitch, press seam upward toward bodice and finish the back with snaps. 

*Pleas refer to the instructions for #1 Lilac Afternoon for ruffle and joining strip construction methods:

http://www.gracefaerie.com/patterns/pattern1.html

The joining strip functions to reduce bulk along the seam line that joins the ruffles to the bodice. 
 

#2 Teal For Tea:

http://www.gracefaerie.com/patterns/pattern2.htm

#10 Takeshita-dori:

http://www.gracefaerie.com/patterns/pattern10.htm 

#11Takeshita-dori Supplement:

http://www.gracefaerie.com/patterns/pattern11.html 

Refer to pattern instructions for all other cutting and construction information.  Embellish as you wish!