Last weekend, Ronja was going to a princess gala party at a friend’s place. A few days ahead of it, I accidentally promised her, that I would make a new dress for the event, and I thought it would be fun. Furthermore, I thought that it wouldn’t be that much work – doh…! I was planning on using one of the patterns from Ottobre, that I used previously, so tracing wouldn’t be an issue, and I would just modify, whatever I needed to.
It took longer than expected… I even think it took longer than the original tie-back tunic which did also present a bit of a challenge, mainly due to the ties. This challenge was different, though. I never made a tulle skirt before, so I had to figure out how to do that. I found a Danish tutorial online, and used that in combination with my own thoughts on how to do it.
For the bodice I used crushed velvet, and for the skirt I found this funny fabric that has elastic sewn into it, gathering it up in points, which I found to be very princessy. I didn’t foresee how heavy it would be on top of the tulle skirt, so the skirt doesn’t stand out quite as much as I imagined it. The belt is made with a dark purple confetti sequin knit fabric like this one (though not quite the same colour), which you can’t see very well in this photo – it’s rather dark around here at the moment, even during the days, so it’s hard to get good shots. The belt fabric might have worked better in a lighter colour, but this was what I had lying around, and Ronja likes it. The belt is tied in a bow on the back of the dress, and above that the bodice is closed with two bows. I didn’t sew the ties to the outside of the bodice, the way it’s originally designed, instead I sewed on some ribbons into the seam between the bodice shell and lining.
A few things don’t show very well in these pictures. For instance I sewed on sequins all the way along the neckline, and I gathered up the skirt in four places to make the tulle skirt visible, covering the gathers with rows of sequins. Also I found a star appliqué in one of my local sewing shops, which I used to embellish the bodice. I could have done much more, but I ran out of time, and it ended up looking very much like a princess dress, I think. The only thing I’m not entirely happy with is the belt – in spite of the belt loops, it crawls up above the waist line, so I may have to sew it onto the dress, and just leave 20 cm loose in the back, so that it can be tied to fit the waist of the princess. I’m still wondering whether I should make a belt that’s lighter – white with stars maybe… I think that would fit Ronja’s taste as well. 😉
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she is definitely a little princess!
That is so adorable. Ronja is so lucky to have such a great mom! I’m afraid Tabitha’s dress has been sitting on the ironing board, completely ignored in favor of Christmas decorating. I’d hoped she’d wear it for Thanksgiving, but perhaps it will be a Christmas dress!
Oh, Astrid, what a spectacular dress! Ronja will always remember it.
A beautiful dress for a beautiful girl – way to go mama! 🙂
Just gorgeous!
This is so cute and she looks wonderful in her princess dress!
I bet she had a blast dressed like that!
So beautiful!
She looks silently proud. It looks lovely, the skirt fabric is very princessy. Great job!
Isn’t she just beautiful! You did a fantastic job with the dress.
Oh, man….what a beautiful princess she is.
What a beautiful princess, and the dress is gorgeous. The detailing is simply divine. Great work Astrid.