Hand-embroidered and smocked dresses for little girls. Rabbit Whiskers designer-original children’s clothing is lovingly styled to inspire your child’s imagination.

So, you’ve seen the photos of my completed dresses and I’ve told you a bit about my background and interest in smocking. I thought you might like to see the process of sewing dress #393 (Rabbit Makes a Friend). In the next four posts, I’ll try to show you what actually goes into composing one of these dresses.

I like to keep a wide variety of colors and prints of fabric on hand because unless I’m working on a special order, my choice of fabric for any particular dress is dictated by my mood at the time, although I do try to have a variety of colors and designs in all four sizes. Sometimes, if I don’t feel particularly drawn to any fabric or design, I’ll just open the trunk where I store my fabric, close my eyes, and take the first piece that I touch. I chose the fabric for the previous dress, To the Swimming Hole, because I felt a strong desire to do something with ducks on it. I settled on the lavender-blue fabric because it suggested water and because I thought that white ducks would contrast beautifully with the deep lavender-blue.

The Rabbit Makes a Friend dress is a bit more difficult to explain. I went through all of my fabrics three times trying to decide which to choose. I had no particular design in mind so I was hoping that as I looked at the fabric, a particular piece would suggest something (as often happens.) When still nothing suggested itself I chose this fabric simply because I thought it was pretty, but in making this choice, I also challenged myself. The rose-print fabric is beautiful–but it is also very busy, which makes it difficult to work with because it’s hard to make anything show up against it.

When I began smocking the sides, I decided that two white lambs would look good in the middle section. Choosing the right colors of embroidery floss always takes me a long time, there being so many colors to choose from, but after many minutes of looking and matching, I made a decision. With the selected floss laid out on my workspace, I put the other floss away and sat down to begin my work.

As I picked up a needle to thread it, I got a strong sense that no, lambs would not work on this dress but a rabbit wearing a pretty dress; something frilly and feminine, would better suit the fabric’s “dainty” design. Back went the embroidery floss I had originally chosen, and after several more minutes, out came a new selection. Switching my design from lambs to a rabbit made my work more difficult. The lambs, being white, would easily stand out from the background fabric, while it was going to require some creative thinking to bring the rabbit out–I definitely set myself up for a challenge!

In the next post I’ll go through the gathering and pleating process.

Last post, I wanted to talk about why I started making dresses, so in this one I thought I’d describe the process a little.

One dress takes a week to complete, of which five days are spent doing hand work; embroidery and smocking. Working exclusively for so many days, I develop a close relationship with the dress I’m working on. If, for example, I have stitched an animal, the dress has acquired a personality. I find myself curious to know what that animal is thinking; what she likes and dislikes. The rabbit on dress #390 is on a swing suspended from a tree in her garden. I wonder what she appears to be daydreaming about while engulfed in the colors and scents around her.

As I sew, these scenes play themselves out in my mind. There is no set amount of smocking, characters or objects that each dress must have. The dress is given what it needs to complete the thought in my mind, and is finished only when I am satisfied that that has been accomplished. That is why some dresses have more or less rows of smocking or characters than others. I don’t think about the next dress until I’m satisfied that the present one has everything I want it to have.

As a child looks at pictures in a book and lets them talk to her, my hope is that she can have as much fun imagining what might be happening in the scene on her dress as I have creating that scene, and imagining the little girl who will be wearing it. I will never make two identical dresses, that way ensuring for me continued challenge while staving off boredom, and giving you the knowledge that your child will have something that she will enjoy wearing; something uniquely hers!

This is the first part of two posts explaining some of the background on how I started making dresses for little girls.

I began making smocked dresses thirty years ago when my daughter was born, teaching myself from a pattern that had six rows of simple smocking. When she could no longer wear the dresses I had smocked, I was sad to think that I would have to stop making them. Then a friend suggested I make them to sell. That way I could continue doing what I loved, while giving other children the opportunity to wear them. Twenty-five years later, I’m still smocking and eager more than ever to try the new ideas that continually present themselves.

My first dresses were experiments with different smocking designs, but after a while I got bored simply stitching designs. Gradually little flowers began to sprout amongst the rows of smocking. I enjoyed making flowers and found them to be a pretty addition to the ever-increasing rows of smocking, so they became a staple in the design. A short time later, the flowers were joined by a little bunny, and I liked it even better. I liked the way the addition of embroidery added a third dimension to the dress, making the scene come alive. It made me realize how many other things were just waiting to take their place in the spotlight of a child’s dress. These dresses were different from other smocked dresses. In addition to the beautiful intricate designs that distinguish smocking from anything else, they had life; they had personality!

Over the years they continue to grow; more and more animals, children, flowers- entire scenes framed by as many as twenty-five rows of smocking make their way onto dress fronts. I realized then that the dress backs were in need of embellishment, so hand-stitched trim and an embroidered flower or two were added to the button placket of each dress. The sleeve ruffles as well, are edged with hand stitching or lace, with the exception of a few dresses, where to do so would detract from the dress design. Often, on a whimsy, a flower may pop-up on a sleeve, collar, or near the hem of the dress as a little surprise.

Welcome to the grand opening of Rabbit Whiskers, my Internet store! For years, I have sold my dresses at specialty children’s stores and craft fairs in Northern California. Now, I am very excited to be able to share them with all of you. I hope this web site makes it easy for people to view and purchase the hand-embroidered and smocked dresses I design and create, every one an original.

Each dress tells a story, with its charming characters, and poetic moments, all stitched with care. In my blog I will share some of my stories, as well as ideas for new dresses and children’s clothing designs. I also hope to be able to share the stories of the lives these dresses take on as they are enjoyed by little girls around the world, helping to create beautiful moments and memories. If you send me your story, I’d like to post it here too.

The lamb in this scene discovers a small group of chicks. A few friends are waiting just beyond.

A closeup image of this dress

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