Lydia (Helen Kish's Peyton) with her Zelf friend.
I wanted something spangley and sparkly for Lydia's first outfit as a girl. Something partyish and pretty. What I came up with was a fairly basic design. A simple dress with a round neckline, high waist, puffed sleeves, and full skirt. I added a sheer overskirt and attatched half-sash to make it a little more interesting.
The result:
It may be the pale blue or the long hair with the headband but
the overall look feels a little Alice in Wonderlandish to me.
The sleeves and bodice are actually made from a pair of sequined gloves I found at a junk shop, with the sequins scrubbed off. The bodice is lined in pale blue cotton/poly and the underskirt is of the same fabric. The overskirt is Ivory Crystal Organza with pale blue stitching at the hem. There's also a half sash of blue nylon tying at the back.
I couldn't get a good picture of the sash, so here's a bad one.
This close up you can see where the sequins were, that's not going to wash out.
To make this is simple.
Make up the bodice and bodice lining, if you're using a lining.
Sew the ends of the sash (If you want one) into the side seams of the bodice.
Sew a casing along the lower edge of each sleeve and thread with hat elastic. (Shirring elastic isn't strong enough and normal elastic is too bulky.)
Gather the overskirt (If you want one) onto the underskirt.
Gather both layers of skirt onto the bodice and sew the back seam.
Add fastenings.
It can be fun experimenting with different sheer fabrics over different fabrics. You don't have to make it white over a colour, or make both layers the same colour. Two different colours can give interesting effects, but check what they look like together before doing all the work.
And now the rest of this post is mainly going to be Lydia/Peyton photo spam.
Her hair is really WAY too long, but I can't decide whether to cut it or curl it, so I'm leaving it until I make up my mind. (Although I did discover long pigtails really don't suit her.)
Lydia (Helen Kish Peyton) looking cute, just before she did a nose-dive
off the table!
It actually wasn't until I saw these pictures that I realized
how much the blue of her dress brought out her eyes.
Making a wish on a falling star.
Lydia (Helen Kish Peyton) with her new friend.
And now the pattern:
Until next time.
