Rapunzel Practical Princess Dress

 The latest in the Practical Princess line-- Tangled's Rapunzel dress! 

I gotta say, I think this may be my favorite so far.  See the listing here for more pictures! :)

 This was actually my second attempt.  I tried to do the pink accents out of ribbon at first, but I was NOT a fan of how they turned out.  This not only looks better, but I like that using fabric for the pink also keeps the dress 100% cotton.  Double bonus, people. :)

And just in case I don't post before then, Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm thankful for all you readers out there! 

Practical Princess

Just in time for the holidays, I just started creating a new line for my store-- the Practical Princess line.  Really, I should probably wait till all the samples are finished to tell you about it, but I'm just so excited... and I'm REALLY bad at waiting. 

Plus, until next Sunday, you can get 20% off your order with the code "practicalprincess".  How can I NOT share that news??

The Practical Princess line was created with the following things in mind:

• lots of little ladies like to dress up
• most storebought princess dresses aren't really fit for the park/school/grocery shopping 
• some little ladies are very adamant that they get to be a princess in public (I've definitely brought Cinderella to Target with me).
• it's really really nice when clothes will fit your child for more than one season
• it's really really nice when you can find a dress that makes both Mom and Kiddo happy
• it's even more really really nice when those dresses are wearable and washable.

So these dresses fit all those.  They're a perfect compromise for your little princess!

First, the Ariel-inspired dress...

And, second, the Aurora-inspired dress...

 Rapunzel and Cinderella are up next!  I should have the Rapunzel sample done by tomorrow!  So stay tuned. :)

They would make great Christmas/birthday/any time presents!  And for your 20% off, make sure you hit the store before November 25th! :)

Pink and Silver Princess Party skirt

I've been seeing skirts like this all over the place. And they're really quite easy to make. So when I was strolling through Jo-Ann's (for, uh, maybe the third time this week) and saw this pink and silver mesh...

...I decided it was about time to make one of these sweet little numbers.  Plus, I wanted to make something super girly for my friend Jenni, who is having a baby girl in July (YAY!!!).  I don't think she reads the blog, but if she does-- sorry, Jen!  I ruined the surprise! :)

But back to the skirt... You can use tulle, too-- instead of the mesh-- which doesn't fray, so you don't have to worry about finishing edges.  The nice thing about this skirt is that it can be made in an infinite variety of colors and sizes.  Love that.  (I'm thinking I might make a rainbow one next...)

Materials:
Tulle or mesh, about 3/4-1 yard
Coordinating satin for the underskirt  (I don't usually work with satin, preferring quilting cotton or knits, but for this fancy-schmancy skirt, I went with it.  A quilting cotton would work just fine, too!)
1/2 inch elastic
Sewing get-up

Instructions:
My measurements are for a 12-month size (finished measurements-- 11 inches long with 16 inch waist).

Cut one 12.5" (length measurement plus 1.5") by 32" (twice my waist measurement) piece of satin for your underskirt.  Sew the short sides together to make a loop.  Finish with a zig-zag stitch.

Hem the bottom, folding over 1/4-inch, pressing, then folding and pressing again.  Topstitch close to the edge.

Create a casing for your elastic on top.  Fold down 1/4 inch then 3/4 inch, pressing both times.  

Topstitch close to the edge, leaving an opening through which you'll pull your elastic.

Now leave your satin be for a bit while you cut your mesh/tulle.  Cut 8 3-inch strips all the way across the width.  I fold mine into quarters, to make it easier to cut.

If your selvage is noticeable, trim it off. 

Using a zig-zag stitch, sew two strips of mesh/tulle together at both ends, making a ginormous loop.  You'll hardly be able to see the stitch, which is good. :)

Run a gathering stitch down the middle of this long strip then gather it up until it's the same width as your satin skirt.

For some reason, my machine did NOT like doing this (something with it being so thin and hole-y, I'm thinking), so I just gathered by hand, which was easy and quick since perfection is NOT the name of this game. :)

Starting at the top, pin your ruffled mesh/tulle around the skirt.  After you get it pinned, stitch it in place, down the middle.

Repeat with the rest of your strips, lining them up so they're slightly overlapping (though you can also make them closer, which would make it fuller).

Now cut your elastic (mine was 16" for a 12-month size).  Using a safety pin, thread it through your casing.  

Stitch the ends of the elastic together.  Close your casing up, making sure you fold the mesh/tulle down, so you don't accidentally catch it! 

And you have a cute party/dress-up/princess skirt! :)