DIY Flower Girl Dress

I wanted to do something special for our beautiful 8 year old flower girl and decided to make her dress. After shopping around, I found that most 'flower girl' dresses are poofy, frilly nightmares really intended for those of the toddler variety. Rather, I wanted something simple and elegant for our very mature and sweet attendant, and decided to model her dress after mine.

The gown started as three yards of ivory silk (yes, silk! I found a great sale on it and love the way it drapes and photographs) dupioni, 3 yards of cream lining, and a yard of purple polyester dupioni (the same fabric we'll be using to make the bridesmaid gowns).

The pattern itself was very simple, and is a standard, round neck tank style a-line sundress. I modified the pattern so that the back of the bodice would close as a v shape, not round.

Because I was working with silk, I took extra care to trace and cut the pattern as perfect as possible, and used sharp scissors to keep the edges from fraying.

Once the dress itself was constructed, I worked on the sash. I originally made a sash out of a purple charmuese, but once we had decided on the dupioni I changed it so it wouldn't clash with the bridesmaids. Changing it actually inspired me to make it more like the sash on my dress, and I think that the result is so much nicer than what I had originally created!

The photo to the right is the original sash. Above and below (left) is the new one, that closely models mine without being an exact match. To make the
new sash, I sewed two long tubes that would cross each other in the front, inverted them, and ironed them flat.

I also made the sash tails by creating a pattern on tracing paper, sewing the edges, inverting it, and again ironing it flat.

I pinned the bodice part of the sash to the dress and tacked it on from the inside; the tacks don't show because they are hidden by the lining! The sash tails will be attached to the gown with snaps, and the bodice part will close with buttons. This finish work will be done by our Flower Girls family, because we want to make sure that the dress fits her (she lives in another state) before sewing in the zipper or cutting the sash to fit.

I cannot wait to see her in this dress! Other finishing touches will include a row of ivory bridal buttons down the back of the bodice (which will close with button loops) and a small crinoline specially made just for her (the skirt is very full in this pattern and to make it more formal I wanted to fill it out).

Dyed Crinoline

The initial vision of my dress included a colored sash; now that I have the dress and the sash is such a muted, earthy tone I wanted to find some other way to add a pop of color. I was quickly inspired by brides who had dyed the crinoline under their dress: not only is it unexpected, but it's a fun way to surprise people while spinning on the dance floor or picking up the skirt.

If done right, the color won't show through the dress, and will only appear when it pops out underneath.

My dress definitely needs a crinoline to fill out the skirt properly, however they are ridiculously overpriced (as with most things in the bridal industry!) To purchase one new I was looking at $45.00 or more, which is not something I could justify considering that I could *potentially* destroy it (and/or the washing machine, other clothing, etc.) in the dye process. Not only that, but my lingerie budget for the wedding needs to go towards a good strapless bustier.

A few years ago I had purchased several dress patterns from a local fabric store that was closing, and among those I had a pattern for a bridal crinoline that was part of an evening wear collection.

I went shopping for fabric, and purchased 6 yards of ivory dress lining ($2.00 / yard on clearance at JoAnns), and 10 yards of light green sparkle tulle ($.89 cents/yard). I purchased thread ($1.75) and bias tape for the drawstring ($1.25) The total cost, including the pattern (which was $1.00 several years ago), totaled about $24.00. Some of the lining and thread will be used in other projects for the wedding, further lowering the actual cost of my colorful slip!

The pattern I had only gave instructions for an un-lined, tulle-free slip. Since that defeated the point of having green tulle, I had to get creative. One option was to cut two of the crinoline pattern, sew them together, and put the tulle in between the two layers. However, not wanting the same pleated skirt lining the crinoline, I pulled a generic skirt from another pattern to make the lining out of. This way, the interior of the slip fits like a regular 3-panel skirt (so that the tulle adds the bulk, not the fabric) and the exterior is pleated to make room for the tulle.

I began by tracing and cutting the pieces of both patterns, including an extra yoke (1st / top tier) of the crinoline pattern to sew to the lining.

I sewed the lining together first, attaching the lining portion of the yoke to the top. The lining pattern had to be modified slightly to fit properly with the crinoline pattern.

The third (bottom) tier of the crinoline had so much fabric! I almost shortened this, thinking it was way too much, but once I started sewing it became obvious that doing so would have been a mistake.

Adding pleats to each tier was the most time-consuming part of the project. I could have done smaller pleats, but again i wanted the fullness to come from the tulle - not the fabric.

Once both the exterior and the lining of the crinoline were constructed, I sewed them together at the top (waistline). I then closed the back of each piece, sewing the seam only 3/4 up from the hem. I finished the remaining 1/4 to the top by inverting the raw edges of each and sewing them together as one piece.

Almost there! I put the drawstring into the top, and sewed a straight line underneath it to seal it into a pocket. The only thing left to do was to sew in the tulle!


The tulle was a bit of a task as well, since keeping it folded and straight was somewhat difficult.

On it's own, it looks so full! However the weight of my dress compacts it.


The green doesn't even show through the lining fabric, which is great because then I know for sure that it won't show through the dress.

To the left: before the hem. To the right, after the hemming and addition of a bit more tulle.














To the right: the dress with the crinoline underneath. It fills it out just enough to keep the skirt from falling flat, but doesn't get too poofy which is exactly what I was going for! It also balances out the bottom vs. the top, and smooths out the waist/hip area (my dress needs to be cleaned and pressed, so you can't tell by looking at this picture!).

Another added benefit of the crinoline is that is will help the train and the bustle lay properly, which it would not have before.

My only concern is that the added fabric will be hot - this I know and accept. I would rather a little extra fabric than a frumpy skirt! :)

Bridesmaid Gowns

On Saturday I had my bridesmaids join me for an entire day of wedding planning. We had several decisions to make, first and foremost being their attire.

Our day started at d'Anneli bridals, where Theresa and Kirstin were given free reign to pull dresses off the rack that they liked. I didn't want to be the bride with exacting specifications, and to be honest I didn't have much clue about where to go with the bridesmaid dresses in regards to our wedding.

After about 30 minutes of searching and trying on dresses, we were all getting weary of seeing the same thing in a different color: a-line, satin, tea length, sash bridesmaid dresses (which make up about 80% of the dresses available. The rest are absolutely ridiculous or inappropriate!).

To the right, an example of the type of dress we saw 100's of---->

We went into it knowing that we would avoid strapless dresses, and probably floor-length as well. I was worried that floor-length gowns would be a problem for my sister to walk in; but was also not resigned to tea-length imagining that Chandra's dress would simply be shorter if that is what it came to.

Noticing our frustration, our consultant (with good intentions) brought one out that we all laughed at on the hanger. It looked a bit dowdy and was a complete 180 from the dresses we had been trying on. In looking through the racks I remember passing it by because it really wasn't what I was thinking of in my mind. However, because this one was a bit different, we decided to bite and threw it over Theresa's head.

Our reaction to it was both instant, and unanimous. Not only was the dress stunning on, but it was universally flattering on both Theresa and Kirstin. I can only imagine (after having tried it on myself as well) that this will also be a good choice for my sister. It is floor length, which is how Theresa and Kirstin will wear it. Chandra's will be tea length (so she doesn't trip on the hem).

This dress is seperates, so the top and the skirt can be paired with other things in the future. The skirt is made of silk dupioni, and the top is made of silk with a lace overlay(which is hard to see in this photo) and a sash to match the skirt.

The caveat? A nearly $400 price tag. However, we knew it was very likely that we would be making the bridesmaid dresses. As if it were a sign, just a week before I had found a beautiful, purple polyester dupioni that would be ideal for the skirt. It has the same texture as the silk version, without that price tag! It is a gorgeous, dark grey purple and will look beautiful against our mountian backdrop.

Cost to purchase dress in bridal salon: $370 + alterations
Cost to make it at home: <$50.00 + time
Not only that, but the designer of this dress doesn't offer it in a purple that we would all agree on, especially considering the price-tag! When we got home, we pulled out all of the fabric samples I have collected during the planning process, and oooh'd and ahhh'd over the purple dupioni paired with ivory lace over a champagne satin. The sash on my dress is champagne, and having that showing through the lace will tie the entire wedding party together. Carina's dress will have a purple sash made out of the dupioni.

Photos: Theresa in fabric samples! Please excuse the complete lack of shape, we're looking at colors here :) Also, my dress from the back with the champagne sash.