Isabelle's White Easter Dress with Ruffles, Appliques, and Fabric Roses

So. I'm finally showcasing Isabelle's Easter dress. At least it's still 2015, right?

I was waffling between gathers and pleats, pastels and polka dots...and I was having the hardest time making a decision! Sometimes I get like this, and I simply cannot choose anything! I'd already cut out two different dress patterns for her, but then I got the idea of a white dress in my head and couldn't stop thinking about it. It feels sort of little girl to me, and I'm clinging to that. Goodness, my knuckles are bone white my grip is so tight! And I know the days of her wanting to twirl around in long dresses is coming to an end, but they haven't yet and went for it.  =)

The dress is a combination of two patterns, plus my just winging it. As usual. I opted for pleats, added special little touches for details, cut the back slightly lower, and chose buttons instead of a zipper. The bodice is fully lined but I left the skirt unlined, knowing she'd wear a slip skirt I made her last year. The pink ribbon adds just the right amount of interest and color, as do the fabric roses on the lower skirt front- they were lots of fun! I'm thinking of embellishing a plain t-shirt or tank top with fabric roses for her for summer.

I was thinking of attaching the green ruffle to an under-skirt so they would both hang loosely, but I really didn't want the skirt to get bulky. Instead, I sewed the green ruffle to the lilac band, and then attached them both to the skirt hem. It worked well, which was a relief. Sometimes my ideas don't translate quite so well from brain to paper to fabric, ha ha.

Lastly, the bodice looked a little too plain before I had the idea to snip the rosette lace (from around the neckline) into individual rosettes to then sew on. It was just what I was hoping for! So pretty! I  was afraid it was going to make forever and a day, but I easily finished tacking them on in the span of a movie we watched with the kiddos. (Though at times, the hot tears and massive laughter did not make for the best sewing companions...it was Big Hero 6...such a wonderful albeit emotional little movie!)

Here are the pictures:

I regret that the photos aren't the best- we'd just gotten home from church and the sun was out full force; plus we were hurrying to get to the beach for the afternoon so I was snapping snapping snapping without adjusting adjusting adjusting {settings}. I'm going to have to get some better pictures because my girl looks absolutely beautiful in this dress!

A Fabric Roses Birthday Brooch Pin for Isabelle

We've had quite the week of birthday celebrations in our home this past week! Caleb turned 11 on 12/12 (gulp), and Isabelle turned 7 (seven? SEVEN!) yesterday on the 15th. Our family came over on Saturday for a festive Hot Cocoa/ Coffee Bar Birthday Party, and it was so much fun! I'll be posting some pictures of that later this week. For this post, I wanted to share something special I made for my sweet Birthday Girl.

I think birthday shirts and outfits are just about the cutest things ever, and I've enjoyed making them for Isabelle over the years. But last year she had her little heart set on wearing her favorite summer dress on her birthday. I probably tried to talk her out of it but eventually agreed, and she was thrilled! I still wanted to make her something special, so I opted for a Birthday Brooch- she was in love! She wore it for the whole week!

This year? Same thing. Summer dress and a special Birthday Brooch. I think it's becoming a cute little tradition. =)

Since this brooch pin is removable, you don't have to worry about it holding up in the wash. You can make it as simple or as glitzy as you like. This is the first time I've used all of these materials together and I'm so pleased with the result! It is even prettier and lovelier in person!

Felt is the obvious choice for the number because it is stiffer and holds its shape well.

There are so many wonderful tutorials on making roses out there, so I'm not going to add one more to the mix. These roses are a combination of cotton, knit, and felt. I will say that I prefer to use a needle and thread as I'm "wrapping" the material to secure the underside. Then my trusty glue gun does the rest of the work, and in mere minutes, it's all done!

I adore the colors and textures, so bear with me as I post way too many pictures. =)

 I liked how this pink felt rose looked when I loosened it up a bit; the grey rose is rolled up pretty tight. Any edges that stick out too far are easy to snip right off.

For added dimension, keep some ribbons flat and curve others. 

That green ribbon on the left bugs me just a little, ha- it was supposed to be tucked underneath the grey rose more, but once that glue hits, it sticks! I couldn't move it! A toothpick helps with this part, too (and will spare your fingertips).

I added the white felt to act as a stabilizer, and stitched the safety pin on. You could use the glue gun, but I prefer to stitch it in place.

You could easily cut two of the numbers out and glue them back to back if you want a more stable number. This one seemed fine on its own so I left it as is. Of course, please ignore the glue! I didn't even notice until I was editing pictures, so it really doesn't seem that messy in person.

My happy, toothless Birthday Girl!

Notice the ensemble? I had laid out her pink dress and sure was tickled when she came flitting into the room wearing all this!  ha ha

 

And if you'd seen her just five minutes prior, this is what her hair looked like:

She moves. A lot.

Here she is last year:

Just a preview of our Hot Cocoa/ Coffee Bar Birthday Party...

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seven thirty three
Have a wonderful week!