Spotty summer dress

To three of my 8 neices, I am an only Auntie. In addition to this particular status, I am the only seamstress in their extended family (my mother-in-law quilts, but doesn't sew garments). I have been happily making them frilly things as presents, but as they pass out of toddlerhood, wondered if they might be feeling these gifts were rather dull, sort of "Oh, no, Auntie Kbenco has made us another dreadful thing we have to pretend to like"

I suggested to my lovely sister in law, that maybe this year a book or some Lego might be better.
She was very quick to tell me that the girls did not think this was a good idea.This is called making a rod for your own back.
Here is the dress for neice C, turning 5 on Monday. She told me she likes red flowers.


The pattern is self drafted to the measurements of my niece, with a loose waist so that it is comfortable to wear during hot weather.
I would also like her to be able to wear it straight away, so chose a limited colour scheme to allow the dress to be worn over a skivvy or t shirt whilst it is still cool.
I am prone to overembellishment, but think I have restrained myself adequately this time. I pleated the skirt using counterchange smocking in a lozenge pattern, only two rows, and used red piping, with a red and white spotted grosgrain ribbon as the sash.

Not being quite able to completely restrain myself, I added some lazy daisy flowers to the bodice and peeping from the smocked pocket.




I gathered the ruffle using the ruffler foot on my hand cranked Singer28. I wish I had owned this machine when my girls were small and I seemed to be enlessly gathering. It was very quick and easy.
The ruffle is bound with purchased bias binding (I also used this to make the minipiping at the neck, armscyes and waist seam), and I used a decorative stitch on my Janome, flowers, to topstitch the ruffle seam.

Unfortunately, I could not find any red flower buttons. I like the strawberries though the middle one is a little different. I am hoping this looks deliberate.