The Dress Part 2

I was so excited to create this special blessing gown for our first daughter after three sons. I teamed up with my mom to sew this once in a lifetime gown. Read about the prep work (compiling ideas, creating our own pattern, finding fabric on clearance for $4.50/yard, and coming up with the design) here: The Dress Part 1. The finished result is below!

And now, on to the details:

The bodice: Mom's vertical corded pintucks with lace shaped into a 'v'. Three perfect pink buttons and sweet, soft lace around the neck. A triple layer of lace runs over the shoulders, threaded with pink ribbon.

We thought we had finished the dress and decided that it needed the big sash, which is now one of my favorite parts! Mom hand-gathered the ribbon and then made the loops that hold it in place. Also, we added three rows of lace below the pintucks on the bodice. You can't have too much lace, right?

Details of the front panel: (from the top) gathered lace, alternating with strips of flat lace with beading (the stuff you run ribbon through). We cut a piece of plain organza and sewed the embellishments on to it before joining it to the rest of the skirt.

A row of double-layer lace and a group of flat laces and beading.

Puffing, flat laces, more puffing. I used a ruffler foot for the puffing. It was awesome (thanks for the tip Emily M!). I foresee LOTS of use for the ruffler foot in my future.

Finally, Mom's vertical corded pintucks. Each was sewn individually and took hours! She worked on the pintucks while I assembled all the other parts of the front panel. Then she sewed lace beading over the top and threaded it with ribbon. We finished it with a layer of triple lace. Awesome.

My underskirt! Okay, Mom sewed the underskirt. I love the stripes on the lace that match the stripes of the pintucks. This lace coordinates with the double and triple laces used on the front panel and the shoulders of the bodice. All from Joann's. The flat laces were from G Street.

The back. We got the buttons from the going-out-of-business Joann's. We paid about 30 cents for them. Although a last-minute addition, the sash was perfect! We cinched it tight to fit Cosette for her blessing.

We cut the panels for the skirt by laying strips of organza on top of each other so the patterns would line up. The panels are joined with lace beading with pink ribbon run through it. We added the pink bows at the bottom for added awesomeness. We love pink. And ribbon.

Finally, the poofy sleeve! We used a McCall's pattern for the bodice and sleeve. The lace is the same that's on the bottom of the slip. And of course, we added lace beading and ribbon.

One of the things I've LOVED about having a girl is the accessories...check them out in the next post....The Dress Part 3.