Belle Dresses

I finished the Belle dresses just a couple of days after starting them. They were so much fun to make!

For Gracie's dress, I used the same pattern that I used for her Little Mermaid fabric printed dress and for her orange preschool graduation dress. I really like the way those dresses fit her and she enjoys wearing them.  For the Belle dress, I just added another layer to the skirt and improvised a shoulder thing. I have no idea what that shoulder thing is called. Is it the "yoke"?

For Libby's dress, I used a cute little peasant dress pattern. I love it because it doesn't require any buttons or zippers. It's super easy for her to dress herself!  I also had to improvise a bit to make it princessy. And I totally messed up with the off-the-shoulder piece; I forgot! I added a waistband before I realized I had it in the wrong place. Oh well. So far, Libby hasn't noticed. Shhh!

Both dresses are from the same fabric. The under layer is a yellow glitter infused satin and the top layer is a bright yellow glitter infused taffeta (I think, or maybe its a tightly woven tulle, I don't know).  I added little store bought red ribbon roses.  By the way, glitter infused fabric leaves a trail of glitter everywhere you go. After one wearing, the dresses are no longer glittery. However, the interior of my mini-van may forever sparkle!

Luckily, both dresses fit like a charm! Gracie said her dress was itchy, so she had to wear a cotton camisole underneath it; she didn't complain once about any itching after that.

Mostly I used my serger to sew them up.  It sure is nice for satin and taffeta! Quick and easy, looks nice too. I think my husband is happy to see me getting more use out of it; he paid a fortune for it and its been hard to find the time to devote to learning it well. I'm beginning to get the hang of it.