Fairy Tales Can Come True

Once upon a time this dress only existed in my head.  I bought this lovely double-gauze Thumbelina print by Trefle on Superbuzzy a couple of years ago on a whim, but when I got it I knew exactly what I should make.  A classic dress with a gathered skirt with a big purple bow. 

The dress was originally going to be for Lucia, but she grew too big, too fast and I couldn’t make that particular dress with the one yard I had in her size.  I considered making her a tunic instead.  And that would have been cute, and probably would have gotten more use, but I didn’t get around to that either.

When Oliver + S released the Fairy Tale dress pattern there was no question that this was the pattern for this fabric.  Not only does it have the big bow and the full skirt in my head, but these same design elements also mimic the dress Thumbelina is wearing, AND the tulip sleeves work perfectly with the tulips in the print.

And even more serendipitous, I had a second daughter.  Elena came and before I knew it, she had learned to walk.  I'm convinced that certain outfits just look better on toddlers than on tiny babies, this is one of those. It was perfect timing--she was passed the stage when dresses can’t be worn because they get in the way of crawling.  And no bow like this would be nice for a baby who spends most of her day on her back. 

twins anyone?

I had everything I needed right in my stash, the pattern, the Thumbelina print, a wonderful burgundy stretch cotton shirting for the lining, bow and collar and tulle.  The only (new) purchase I made was the zipper.

This dress would be extra special, I took my time to hand sew the hem (twice, because the first time it was too long) and hand sew much of the interior so there are no exposed seems.

Finishing this this little dress made me so happy.  Even if she’ll only wear it only twice, I brought to life something that only existed in my head and that makes it all worth it.  (Plus, she has two little cousins who don’t mind hand-me-downs…at least not yet.)