The Design: From Idea to Reality

One of the things that is most satisfying to me about crafting is seeing my ideas become a reality. By the time I actually begin working on a new design, I've been thinking about it for weeks, sometimes months. I think about all of the intricate details, the materials, how to assembly each tiny part. I think about colors, in some cases fabric though right now I am using tulle for the majority of my designs, length, layers, accents, all of those components come together to create a new, hopefully fabulous! design.

This dress is one of my favorites dresses. The inspiration is probably obvious to anyone under the age of 10 or anyone who spends much time with little girls. Of course, it is based on the dress Cinderella wore to the ball, wear she met Prince Charming, fell in love, and had all of her dreams come true! My wish is the same for the little girls who wear it.

This was one of the first dresses I made with the woven bodice. I had seen a lot of pictures posted on etsy and other sites of beautiful, full dresses, and a crotchet-elastic bodice that was practically see-through. No offense to anyone who makes or wears those kind of dresses, but I am a very modest person myself and I wouldn't want to wear that! Why would I ask my daughter to? Other designs try to cover up with fake flowers. That doesn't work for me either. I don't sew on a machine and, quite frankly, can't follow a sewing pattern very well. So I had to come up with a way to create a top without having to sew. After nights of pondering this problem, I invented the woven-bodice top. It's simple, really, though quite tedious. I simple weave the strands of tulle through the holes in the crotchet-elastic top. When finished, the top is no longer see through and we are left with a beautiful dress anyone would be proud to put on her little girl.

I wanted this dress to be very full and elegant. I used light-blue for the majority of the gown but also accented it with silver tulle. I also used light-blue and silver ribbon. There are six layers of tulle and enough ribbon that it almost creates a layer by itself. When I first put it on Lucy, it was very poofy at the top. I thought it looked cute but I also knew it would bother her so half-way through the photo shoot, I decided to tie a ribbon around the waist to keep it down. I absolutely love the way it looks with the ribbon sash.

This particular dress was sold on etsy to a wonderful family in Florida. Coincidentally, we happened to be in Florida, in Cinderella's castle, when I got the notification from etsy that someone wanted to buy it! Since that time, I have gotten to know this amazing woman and her beautiful, incredible daughter and we have become very good friends. It's funny how a dress can bring two families together! Though I don't have this exact dress anymore, I would love to make another one! If your little girl loves Cinderella as much as mine does, let's chat. We can make her the perfect gown as well. Who knows, maybe someday that little boy next door with the skinny legs will turn into her Prince Charming!