It appears we have a tiny gypsy in our midst.
Since her very first trip to Marburger at the very tender age of "almost two", Stella has been asking why she cannot wear any of the magical clothing from the iconic Robin Brown of Magnolia Pearl. All the beautiful ladies in the booth, wearing all of the incredible outfits with flowers in their hair... she has never forgotten it.
And whenever her mother wears the exquisite ruffled silk skirt that she got there, or a romantic and beguiling Magnolia Pearl top, Stella is mesmerized. These clothes speak to her. But alas, they do not come in her size...
As a total homage to Magnolia Pearl, I made her this...
She loves it!
It is comfortable, girly, and it swings on the bottom! All of these things are important to her...
It clearly brings out her outdoorsy side. She picked a bouquet of leaves and seed pods, took off her shoes and explored the open spaces.
Have you guessed what this is yet?
It is merely one piece of fabric ~ a 16" x 45" cotton and Batterburg lace table runner!
Folded in half, with the central Battenburg circle motif carefully removed, it was just the right size for her diminutive frame.
The finishing touch was lots and lots of oyster colored seam binding, used as fringe along the bottom, and at the sides where it is not sewed all the way down.
I am not going to lie, this took about 25 yards of seam binding! I lost track while I cut more and more strips, but I wanted a very full fringe, so I kept cutting.
The neck opening was a bit large for her, so I sewed a scrap of lace with a satin stitch to the front, along the edge. It added a nice detail.
The shoulders looked a bit wide on her, so I folded the fabric back and tacked them in place along the neck and at the edge. Much better!
I used the circular motif that I removed to add a pocket to the front, and wove a long strip of seam binding around the design in the front, finishing it off with a bow.
She felt like she needed a purse to gather a few small stones and seeds, so we added the linen purselette that we made as part of the August Gilded Girls Stash Society. The perfect pairing of these two items was not planned, but was certainly a happy accident!
The finishing touch here was a dunk in some coffee dye and a run through the dryer, for a vintage, rumpled look. More authentically gypsy, don't you think? The original runner was white, and the ivory is better suited to Stella's coloring.
I know that I will need to re-dye each time this top is (hand) washed, but I don't mind. It only takes a moment and the look is so, so worth it.
Cropped cargo pants ~ Old Navy
Flower hair clips ~ H & M
A few "kits" for making this little top are available at $35.00 each. It will include the white runner and 25 yards of oyster seam binding. Click here for details.
Have a great weekend!
