Ava sings with the Kinderchor, (a German choir) from German Village in Columbus, and I wanted to make her a special dirndl for her to wear.
Last winter as I was browsing a Goodwill store, I came across this lovely skirt and immediately thought that it would make a beautiful German-style dirndl because of the embroidery detail. 
That same day, I found this sweater, and knew that I was onto something good, as the closures were perfect for lacing up the dirndl's bodice.
Using another dirndl as a guide and putting together three patterns, I set out to design an original :)
Below is the front of the dirndl before the back was attached. The colors of the top do not look like they match very well with the skirt's embroidery, but really, they go together well enough, as you can tell in the pictures of Ava wearing her new creation.
I built the dirndl with growth in mind, so hopefully Ava will wear it during many concerts and Octoberfests :)
I built the dirndl with growth in mind, so hopefully Ava will wear it during many concerts and Octoberfests :)
And here is the choir performing. :) Aren't the kids adorable?
The sweater was not sacrificed just for it's beautiful metal closures, the sleeves were up-cycled into leg warmers, that are featured in this post (with instructions).
During the Great Depression, it was common for people to make-over garments to be able to use them longer. I can imagine the pride that those people, who were forced into being thrifty because of the economy, had when they were able to create something new from the things they already had.
I like creating new things from older things; it gives me a feeling of pride and accomplishment. I am happy that this is something that I do for pleasure, to make 'one of a kind' garments, and not something that is part of my everyday survival. It took 10 hours to make the dirndl. Believe me, once was enough (for now, at least!).
During the Great Depression, it was common for people to make-over garments to be able to use them longer. I can imagine the pride that those people, who were forced into being thrifty because of the economy, had when they were able to create something new from the things they already had.
I like creating new things from older things; it gives me a feeling of pride and accomplishment. I am happy that this is something that I do for pleasure, to make 'one of a kind' garments, and not something that is part of my everyday survival. It took 10 hours to make the dirndl. Believe me, once was enough (for now, at least!).
Marcheta *designing woman
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