Fabrics, Sun Dresses, & More....

A good friend of mine that I talk with online, shared some pictures of her daughter, of some sun dresses she'd made for her. I was like hmmm, both girls are constantly asking to wear thier dresses for going out to play, and not wanting them ruined, tell them nooooo, go get some play clothes on.

So I was on the hunt for the shirred fabric, and we did well! :) JoAnn's has it on sale for 1/2 off right now! Just double check what is and isn't on sale though, as the minnie mouse fabric below about broke the bank and I didn't realize it until after in the car and headed home.

I was able to do a set of dresses for the girls and a set of dresses for thier American Girl dolls plus head bands for them. Meaghan's dress I need to cut off shorter as it's too long and my plan is to make headbands for the girls too. but it's super late and I'm catching up here, so will have to do that later on today (after I get some sleep though)

These are incrediably easy to make. Seriously, if you have a sewing machine, you can do it. You measure around the kid, at a 1/2 inch shorter than that measurement, turn the fabric inside out and fold it back half the measurement amount. Then sew along the cut end with a straight stitch and then go back up it with a zig zag stitch. Then take your good scissors and cut just outside of the seam you've just created.

Next measure how long you want your dress down, and add an inch. Turn up the end the width of your sewing machine foot and straight stitch around. Turn it up a second time the width of what you did before and put the edge of the foot again on the edge of the fabric and go around again in the straight stitch.

Then you put the strap material on the kid's shoulder, pin it in place, and stitch it down and Voila! You have a sundress. Each dress took me maybe a half hr? 45 mins tops for the sun dresses. Super simple and easy! :)

So here's the girls in thier new sun dresses I got made today. Katie helped me pick the stuff out and the strap lace/ribbon/etc.





And here are thier dolls below. I didnt have enough width on the shirred fabric so cut the lower part off and made a top and skirt for the second doll. :)





I also have these fabrics, which all but the white eyelet and the Little mermaid stuff, I'll make matching dresses for both girls and hopefully stuff for thier dolls too. :) Hoping to make these for this summer and for the trip to Disney too. :)







(For the record- Katie picked out those primary dots...)