Elsa and Anna

Hey there!  It's been a pretty busy couple of months.  I've begun and completed so many projects that I'm really having a hard time organizing my thoughts.  Trying to decide what to post: which projects deserve blog space, it's pretty tempting to just not post anything and move on with the next project.  But I'm going to persevere and try to keep up with this blog of mine.

Frozen Mania invaded our house right around Christmas, and soon after, I made these costumes for the girls.   My intention was to make each of them Elsa and Anna dresses, but I ran out of steam on that last Anna dress.  In the picture above, S is actually wearing B's Anna dress; you can tell that the waist is a trifle short on her as is the length. 

The base pattern for the Elsa dress is a Jalie leotard.  The leotard had the sweetheart bodice I was looking for.  I modified the neckline by lowering it by a few inches and making the back scoop necked.  I also omitted the bottom half of the leotard and lengthened the skirt.  The skirt is a simple A-line and below-the-knee length, which I found was a pretty good length for play purposes.

Now for the Anna Dress.  I started with this embroidery file.  The bodice was based on this dress by Fairytale Patterns.  I ended up not using the pattern's skirt due to a couple of printing mishaps, and just added a circle skirt.  By the way, if you are ever in need of circle patterns, the Scientific Seamstress has a free one that includes a pretty wide range of circle sizes. 

And then they were ready to meet the real Anna and Elsa!

The Mimi Dress!!!

My baby is turning four this week.  Here she is a couple of months ago wearing the Mimi Dress Pattern by Filles et Maman.  I love this chic little dress.  It's made entirely out of knit but is constructed as you would a woven dress.  The collar is interfaced to make it easier to sew.  And the best part, Mel shows you how to turn the button loop tube in the most clever way.

I added flat piping to the collar and sleeve cuffs to differentiate those features from the rest of the dress.  I think my favorite part of this dress is the asymmetrical peter pan collar and the keyhole opening underneath.

There is also an option for a collar-less top, or a dress, or a collared top.  Plus long-sleeves.  You can mix and match to your heart's content.

She looks very Parisian, don't you think?