Make the London Dress!
I found the London Dress pattern while perusing Pinterest and it is just beautiful. My granddaughter loves how twirly it is! I created mine with a longer bodice...The directions are on the pattern to create either a small bodice or a longer bodice. I think the empire waist that is created with either style is super cute. Take your time when cutting out the pattern, carefully taping the pattern pieces together. If you are unsure how to work with online PDF patterns, check out this link here.
I used a nice, crisp cotton for this dress and I purchased bias tape in pink because I wanted the straps to really stand out. I think for my next try on this dress, I am going to make my own bias tape out of my fabric. Either way, the trim is your choice and I suggest experimenting with different fabrics to create design interest.
Another cool feature of this dress is that you can really change it up by cutting out the bodice and ruffle in a different fabric or maybe just changing the ruffle. Lucy wanted me to use two different pink fabrics, and I think next time, I will take her suggestion. This dress sews up very quickly and I really like how the bodice is lined, so the waist sewing line is encased, making the inside of the dress neater in appearance. I usually serge all inside seams to give a more professional appearance or I use pinking shears, either way, take the time to make the inside of your dress tidy looking. I used about 2 yards of material for this dress, total cost was only 10 dollars, including my purchased bias tape. I even have enough fabric left over to make another ruffle for another dress. I really like the longer length of this dress.
Often, when I make dresses and skirts for Lucy, she wears these shorts underneath so that her play isn't hindered by wearing a dress. If you would like to check out some of my other sewing projects for girls, I suggest 'Circle Skirts Done a Different Way.' I find sewing for little girls very satisfying, they are easy to fit and appreciative of the twirly factor!
Fun Stuff...
Thank you for visiting my blog! My name is Colleen Mallory. I dream about cooking, Sometimes, I actually think about how ingredients will mix together and then first chance I get, I try my crazy combinations.