Simplicity 1787 from 1956 in red gingham and the dreaded term TWEEN

My daughter is at a new school this year.

They do wear uniforms but being Halloween today, they let the kids come in free dress.

But not their Halloween costumes.

Boo!

Here is what Lily chose to wear for her day of freedom dressing:

Simplicity 1787 from 1956

Sewn in a vintage red gingham.

Trimmed with white crochet.
Worn without a petticoat.
I love that Lily is at an age where kids want to fit in by dressing like their peers, yet she still has her own style.
 She is becoming what the media now calls a tween, a new demographic between 9 and 13 and the target of a lot of age inappropriate advertising. Lame shops at the mall with clothing full of sparkles, dumb sayings on the butt of pants, and peace signs all over them cater to this age group.

I don't know about you, but instead of calling my 9 year old a tween, I like to refer to her as a little girl.

Yes, she might decide it's dorky to wear her mom's handmade clothing at some point, but I hope not.
Peer pressure is hard to deal with though, especially in middle school.

The pattern I used for this dress was part of a collection of vintage patterns, and a 1948 Kenmore I call Mabel, I bought through Craigslist.

Mabel, my 1948 Kenmore.
Runs like a tank.
But very noisy.

I have an extensive collection of vintage patterns from estate sales and flea markets.

I should probably sell a few I can't bear to part with them!

 Fully lined, with bodice darts and a separate midriff piece.

This dress buttons up the back, so she needs help putting it on.

I also love the view with the 3/4 cuffed sleeves and the Peter Pan collar.
These dresses were made to be worn with petticoats but that is a bit much for most little girls to deal with nowadays.