Last week we were at Disneyland, and TheBean asked for one of the (overly-priced, nasty-polyester) dresses in the BibbityBobbityBoutique.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Disneyland. But… ICK. She’s never seen any of the princess movies (her choice! Darren has, and I’m fine with them)… But the dresses.. I see these kids at D-lamd, tottering around in uncomfortable plastic shoes, soaked in sweat in these dresses, unable to run and play and climb, and I just CAN’T DO IT.
SO. I remembered reading some blog some time ago about making the dresses from T-shirt fabrics… I searched, and couldn’t find the one I remember, but it seems that it’s such a smart idea that LOTS of moms have done it.
The key is to start with a simple dress, and then embellish it with enough details that it resembles the princess but is still washable and comfortable…
So this morning I re-drafted a simple bodice with puffed sleeves and a full A-line skirt.
it passed the spin test
the sleeve band was too big
the bodice was too short, and the neck too high…
that’s why it’s just a muslin. But it was comfy, and she’s sleeping in it right now, so I can’t fix it.
After looking at LOTS of pictures of Snow White (who knew there were SO many versions!?!), I’m starting with the sleeves. I’m going to reverse applique the red bits of her sleeves a la Alabama Chanin at bedtime tonight.
I’m already plotting the next dress!
(the blue is from an old t-shirt of mine, and the red is a scrap of silky jersey remnant from JoAnn)