Before Bippity Boppity Boo

Project Run & Play Week 2: Let's Go to the Movies

I was very excited when I saw the theme for week 2 for Project Run & Play. As a mom of two little - VERY GIRLY - girls, I knew I would be blogging about a Princess... I just had to decide which one to showcase!

Once upon a time....

I was a stay-at-home mom of two looking for a hobby. My mom had sewn while I was growing up, but it had been a couple decades since I had even been around a sewing machine. About 15 months ago, I took the plunge and purchased a sewing machine of my own. And thus, my story begins...

I LOVE to create! Being able to take a plain piece of fabric and turn it into something magnificent is more than a hobby for me; it's my passion. A customer of mine recently gave me the challenge to create a Cinderella dress for her daughter. The catch? Her 4 year old was adamant that it be pink in color. Great! The dress that the mice and birds created for Cinderella was pink and in my opinion doesn't get the spotlight it deserves. I turned to the Internet to look for images from the movie for inspiration.

I had the perfect pattern to create the ultimate princess dress - The Candy Castle Princess Dress by Candy Castle Patterns. It was a pattern begging to be turned into Cinderella and really, I only added a few extra details that were not in the pattern to create Cinderella.

Here is what I added:

Additional lace to the bottom of the sleeves and enclosed it in the seam by making my sleeve band two separate pieces. This way, the top of the lace which can sometimes be scratchy doesn't touch any skin.
The ribbon on the bodice. I hid the seam of the ribbon under the bow and then took it down into the side seams of the bodice.
A white satin collar on each side of the neck.
Tiny bows sewn on the back bodice to conceal my the stitches of my sewn-in snaps.

The pattern contained everything else - the scalloped and ruffled top skirt, hemmed underskirt, puffy sleeves,and the bow pattern The pattern is wonderful! It comes in sizes 6m - girls 10 so it will last for years. With its plethora of options (4 sleeves, 2 bodice fits, 2 top skirts and 2 underskirts), it can be made so many times before you repeat! (210 times if my math is correct!). This is a PDF pattern and I love that it's instant gratification. You can purchase the pattern from Candy Castle Patterns and it's instant download.

Sewn-in snaps with tiny bows sewn on top.

Of course, every little princess needs a pettiskirt! I decided to make this petti with a base of satin so it can be worn alone. I just love how it turned out! I used the Pettiskirt Party pattern by Foo Foo Threads.

Of course, if you'd like to skip the work, but still dress your little princess as if she's off to the ball, I take custom orders! You can contact me via Facebook at That's-Sew-Kari or Etsy and I can make your little girl's dreams come true. This is actually one of 3 of these dresses I've made. I've also made Sofia the First and Minnie Mouse (and many more princesses on the way)! I've also blogged about all my Candy Castle Pattern Creations (HERE) so you can get a peek at all of the Candy Castle Patterns there as well!

Of course, I can't end this post without pics of my other two dresses made from the same pattern!

Now presenting..... Sofia the First!