Wait, what??! Two blog posts in one week - and I've got two dresses to share for this one, too! Miss P has been asking for a fancy dress for some time, and our casual family life just hasn't obliged. Cue a bat mitzvah invitation for my cousin's daughter, and my girl was beside herself with excitement. The Bluezette was a great choice, and was versatile enough to be easily modified for different fabric types. The light aqua dress was her "real" dress for the party, but I felt like I needed to sew up a sample before I cut into those fabrics.
Miss P and I agreed that the gathered skirt from the Bluezette needed to be amped up into a twirl-worthy circle skirt. I used the skirt from the Cartwheel Collection (also by Love Notions) and compared waistlines to make sure the widths were compatible. Lo and behold, it was nearly a perfect match! I lengthened the two edges of my skirt pattern piece along the double folds to make sure the skirt was long enough.
For my practice dress, I used about a yard of this bright coral knit and about 2 yards of the soft nylon tulle (a clearance find from Joann Fabrics) - this dress was a huge hit with Miss P and it cost me less than $12 to make! I made the underlining per the Bluezette pattern, since the tulle was sheer even with two layers. I basted the three skirt layers together at the waist, and attached to the bodice per pattern instructions. Since the waist seam was a bit bulky, I pressed it open and only sewed the bodice portion of the seam up and in place to form the elastic casing. The elastic gently gathered the waistline and there was still plenty of ease for comfort.
For Miss P's "real" dress, I found these beautiful light aqua fabrics in the Casa Collection section at Joanns - the special occasion fabrics are organized by color, and since they introduce new colors seasonally, you can often get great deals on discontinued colors.
There are always basic fabrics like the stretch taffeta that I used to line the skirt, but there are often a few exciting options in the color family. In this case, the net overlay had chiffon flowers and little swirls of sequins, and Miss P nearly lost her mind.
I used a yard each of the two skirt layers, and skipped the underskirt since the taffeta was opaque. For the bodice, I used about a half yard of stretch lace and lined it with cotton lycra. Super soft and definitely more comfortable than most of my own dressy dresses! This time I didn't add the waist elastic and just left the seam with a little more ease - since the skirt was woven and not terribly stretchy (and I was also adding a chiffon sash), I thought it would be more comfortable for Miss P that way.
She was thrilled, and the dress was perfect for the occasion. Dressy without being over-the-top or out of place, and certainly age appropriate and full of twirl. She wore it "backwards" since the weight of the skirt pulled the bodice down a little too low for our liking - so versatile!
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| Poor little brother got a new tie, at least. ;) |
If you'd like to purchase your own copy of the Bluezette (also available for ladies!), both size ranges are on sale this week. You can enter below for a chance to win a shop credit at Love Notions, too!
"Rafflecopter code: a Rafflecopter giveaway"
And last but not least, please make sure to check out the other stops on the tour this week!
Monday: Sew Shelly Sew, The Wholesome Mama
Tuesday: Me Made
Wednesday: Sew and Tell Project, Harper Lu
Thursday: Doodle Number 5, Handcrafted by Red, Tales From a Southern Mom
Friday: Sew Sophie Lynn, Sewing Curves
Tuesday: Me Made
Wednesday: Sew and Tell Project, Harper Lu
Thursday: Doodle Number 5, Handcrafted by Red, Tales From a Southern Mom
Friday: Sew Sophie Lynn, Sewing Curves
