Classic Heirloom Party Dress

Would you like to sew this dress? It really is easy and a lot of fun!

You can make it in any color. If the dress will be a party dress for a little girl it is always nice to use their favorite color for either the dress fabric or the accent colors.

Ready to sew?

A good pattern for the party dress is French Sewing By Machine II by Martha Pullen. (I suggest getting the pattern first so you can read over it and plan your size, the length, etc.)

Next, you must decide on fabric.

The fabric used for this particular dress is white Bearissima. I favor the Bearissima because it is a gorgeous fabric of exceptional high quality.

If you want the dress fabric to have a shinier finish than the Bearissima you can use Nelona.

Purple is the favorite color of the little girl this dress was made for so this one has purple accents.

Before you cut.

The shadow embroidery on the yoke is completed BEFORE the front yoke pattern piece is cut out. With a washout fabric marker, trace the embroidery design onto the front yoke piece.

Make the fancy band.

Do the embroidering first. I stitched the little hearts on the fancy band strip using my trusty old Viking 1100.

The French laces in the fancy band are zigzagged together, then they are attached to the fancy band fabric by entredeux. The completed fancy band is also attached to the skirt with entredeux.

Assemble the pieces.

When the pieces are ready, follow the instructions that come with the pattern. It will tell you in what order to assemble the pieces. Close the back with either mother of pearl buttons or beauty pins.

Weave matching (accent color) silk satin ribbon through the holes of the beading lace and tie in a bow.

This is only a brief overview of sewing a dress like this. If you get the pattern referred to above, you will also be getting detailed, step by step instructions and illustrations.

You may be interested in:

Beginning Heirloom Sewing by Machine DVD by Martha Pullen - Excellent instructional video, highly recommended.

Dress Length

In today styles, it is fashionable to make the dress long. Dresses do look beautiful when they are long and full.

However, some moms prefer not to have the dress cut to a long length for practical purposes. Especially if the dress is for a toddler.

With a shorter length there is a less likely chance of the toddler tripping and ripping the hem or fancy band.

Bottom line - you are the designer, make it the length you choose

Heirloom Sewing
For Children

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