embellishing a simple dress

I wouldn't put jems or mirrors on a toddlers outfit: they may *say* washable, but they aren't very, in my experience...

How about some butterfly or flower badges? And sew them on!

second that - especially if said toddler is still of choking age.

Any kind of sew-on trim - ribbon, rickrack, embroidered patches are fine. Try applique in a contrasting fabric, or explore the free-embroidery possibilities of your machine. But, skip buttons, beads, jewels, and the like for the under-three crowd.

-Liz

You could add lots of stuff around the hem area, and then one more related item on the chest. I am envisioning several appliques that look like flowers in a garden, with simple leaves, and perhaps a butterfly higher up.

Coloring books or cookie cutters might provide applique shapes with simple lines.

HTH

--Karen D. bikes! boats! fruit! paper doll kid shapes!

Dear tedneeley,

Stuff to do with ribbon. If you gather it along both sides and pull it up, it forms a lovely "puffing" type of trim. If you use a basting stitch on your machine, and form Vs back and forth (zigzag), then pull that up, you get a pretty shell design. Ribbon of any size past 1/2 inch makes great flowers by gathering one edge and forming into a tight circle, then put a button or pom pom in the middle for the flower center.

My daughter's favorite outfit when she was a toddler was a plain red pinafore, on which I appliqued a puppy on the front, with a very long tail that went all the way around the back. I made a matching outfit for her doll, which she still has (she's now 31).

Teri

Is there a Hobby-Lobby nearby? They have the neatest iron-ons for all ages. I just finished a sundress for DGD, who is 7, and used some flowers on it. They are iron-on, but because they are beaded, a press clothis definitely needed, an old pillowcase of any smooth fabric to lay on top, then just follow the directions on back of the package. I've used some on dresses for the other DGD and on adult sweatshirts as well. Emily

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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not even reading others before I respond. Do you *really* want "stick-on" embellishments on a TODDLER dress?? Choking hazard ring a bell?? However, you can purchase trims that are easily sewn on...pompoms, mirrored trim, ribbons, etc.

Larisa, mother of a toddler who REMOVES or stitches down any trim that is just "stuck on"

On 29 Jun 2006 07:24:57 -0700, snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

I wouldn't, for a little one. The two sparklies I would consider for a little one would be metallic thread or braid, and sparkly paint.

Metallic thread can sometimes go though the needle, or be hand-wound onto a bobbin. Then you just stitch with them. If you use metallic thread in the bobbin, you may have to loosen the tension, and you will have to work "wrongside up".

easier method, imho, is to couch it down, which justmeans you lay the thread or trim on the fabric and use a stitch wider thanthe trim, yarn, or thread to sew across the trim, anchoring it. Zigzag willdo; you can get fancier, too... try a stitch that makes little boxes ordots on each side of the trim... or any other stitch that catches your fancy.http://www.blogigo.de/elfenundkampfzwerge/entry/76665There are some very fun metallic or other sparkly fabric paints around:Lumiere is one I particularly like: easiest way to apply it, imho, is by stamping... you can make your ownstamps with pieces of styrofoam meat tray cut to shape, or use rubber stamps, or... or... quick and easy method is applique... one of the fastest is to choosea print you like a motif on, perhaps a sun from a print like this: Get some very lightweight fusible interfacing and place it over thesun you want to use, right sides together. Stitch all around the edgesof the motif (well, I'd stitch just a hair outside the edge), and thencut out the motif stitched to the interfacing, leaving a very narrow(1/4" - 1/8") seam allowance. Slit the interfacing, and turn themotif through the slit. Fingerpress the edges well, so the seam allowanceslie down and the shape is right. Put the motif down on the dress andfuse it with the iron. Stitch around the edges -- plain straight stitchingjust barely on the motif, zigzag, blanket stitch, feather stitch, just aboutany decorative stitch on your machine. Add some further embellishments with thread or trim or paint if you like....Have fun!

Years ago I made toddler sun dresses from white batiste and added a pocket in the form of a fruit or vegetable or a flower or even an umbrella turned upside down. I fashioned them like a lined applique and sewed them on. I did strawberries, peaches, apples , pea pods (green beads were the "peas".) They sold quicky and I enjoyed doing them. Dot in Tennessee

If you're thinking of doing appliques or patches, consider putting a squeaker underneath before attaching. They're available at craft stores like Michael's. My son had one behind a chest patch on a sweatshirt and he absolutely adored it. Washing and drying didn't seem to be a problem. A big bang for your buck.

Pora

Another method of applique', which I used to use a lot: Draw the outline of your decoration on contrast fabric, baste it in place, sew around it with a narrow, slightly-open zig-zag, trim close to the stitching, cover the raw edge and the first line of stitching with a wider and closer zig-zag.

Nowadays, I'd dip the applique' in starch and dry it smoothed out on a flat surface before drawing on it, also starch the dress, and tack the applique' in place with more starch instead of pinning or basting.

(The more experience I have, the longer it takes to get anything done!)

Joy Beeson

Well, for *really* simple you can't beat fabric paint. It comes in every color you can imagine, and in tons of different textures - shiny, matte, puffy, sparkly, metallic, etc. It can be as simple as a few dots and squiggles or fancy as you like.

I used to do painted jewelry on my daughter's sweatshirts; elaborate necklaces done in thick dimensional paint with embedded jewels. My son's favorite was a painting of a car at an intersection with 3D gems for the traffic signals and headlights (he was past the stage of putting things in his mouth). They both liked splatter painting and anything to do with dinosaurs or Pokemon as well.

Splatter painting is especially fun. Lay the garment out on some cardboard, dip a toothbrush in acrylic paint and start splattering and spraying. Wait until the paint dries, flip the garments over and do the other side.

One year I bought white sweatshirts, sweatpants and painter's caps for all of the granddaughters on my mom's side of the family. I splatter painted them with yellow, blue and red, which turned out very cute and was quick, cheap and easy. I figured the girls would probably wear them as PJs but over the next couple of years they turned up in a number of very nice school and family photos.

Kathleen