Twirl Power!

When my daughter asked me to make her a dress for the daddy/daughter dance this year, I was relieved. Not because I had more work to do, but because I knew I’d spend significantly less making a dress that she would wear only a handful of times.

This was a fairly easy sew. From cut to hem, the project took about 2 hours, which is not bad, considering I was working with 8 layers of fabric at times (and two children running wildly all throughout my house).

Pattern is Me Hearties by Patterns for Pirates. They also have an adult Sweetheart version here. Both patterns sell for $9 a pop, or you can buy the bundle for $17. This is a pretty versatile pattern. I used the Me Hearties for my daughter’s Tinkerbell costume this year.

Normally I shop for fabric online, but with a little one, it’s just easier to go to Joann Fabrics to let her touch all the pretties. I purchased everything I needed for the dress there.

Underlay Fabric is a navy refined ponte.

Overly fabric is a Casa Crushed Satin. Unfortunately, it’s sold out online, so I can’t link it, but if it restocks, I’ll update the post. The skew number is 400155283677.

Hem finishings for neckline and sleeves is a 5/8 inch fold over elastic in royal.

Mixing the sale prices of the fabrics, plus additional coupons, I spent less than $30 for this dress. Circle skirts eat up a lot of fabric. A similar dress at a department store would run in the $55-$75 dollar range, so I consider this a win!

Because of the full circle skirt, this dress has unbeatable twirl power! She’s in love, I’m in love, and now I’m just crossing my fingers that the crushed satin comes back in stock because I think I need it in my own wardrobe!