DIY Butterfly Party Dress

"I love parties.  I've loved parties ever since I was a little girl."  Betty Ramsey

Here at 623 E 68th Street, the Ricardo's are gearing up for Jonah's 2nd birthday tomorrow, themed around...

...The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

For Jonah's 1st birthday we used The Poky Little Puppy theme- there is a definite correlation between these hungry critters & our "Big O' Boy":)

I did lots of Pinterest browsing for ideas and picked out a few pins to use as a springboard for creativity and then added a few ideas of my own ideas...

One such idea was that Livy should have a vintage party dress for the occasion:)



You see, my seamstress skills haven't advanced to tailored boys clothing at this point so no special suit for Jonah, yet:(



Since this project was a bit last minute (surprise, surprise), I opted to do a variation of The Party Dress (free tutorial) that I made for Livy's birthday by shortening the length...



...plz forgive the night time lighting...that's just when this Mama has time to sew:)

Gramma unearthed this butterfly pique & bright pink satin that I purchased in high school before I even knew how to sew anything!  Heaven knows what I intended to do with this fabric, but it was perfect for this occasion involving a butterfly & Livy loved it:)



This was my first time sewing on something with a silky texture and it was a bit challenging for this novice but it looks lovely & is ultra soft, sure to be appreciated by my picky Peanut:)

I also took the plunge and made my own bias tape for the first time using this tutorial...

...love it!

This dress is fully lined (another first attempt) with all seams enclosed- I'm quite proud of the inside on this dress and glad I took the extra time to make it scratch free for Peanut:)

And instead of making a fabric sash, I simplified by using some yellow grosgrain ribbon (stash raid) that matched perfectly:)

 This dress lay on my sewing stack for weeks, waiting for the final touches...

...which finally came about, in the wee hours one night this week:)

 And here is my Peanut, donning some matching patent sandals...

 ...checking out her new butterfly party dress:)

"This my new dress, Mama?"

"Yes, Baby, that's your new party dress for Olivia!"

Getting ready to test out the twirliness...

...ready...

...and twirl!

"I did it!"

In my hurry to get Livy in her new dress & sneak outside for a few seconds without Jonah (who was avidly watching Mickey Mouse & working a puzzle!) , I neglected to get the button loops on straight...oh well.

And the cherry on the top?  I didn't have to make this!  I found this butterfly headband at Gymboree last week on clearance & it matches perfectly!!!  "Matchy, matchy!"

Now Livy is patiently awaiting her debut tomorrow at Jonah's Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday party:)

Cost:
Fabric & Notions: $0 (had everything on hand)
Gymboree Headband: $2

Thanks for stopping by,
Tiffany