Bonjour! Welcome to those who are visiting my blog for the very first time. I hope you enjoy reading about my sewing and crafting adventures. Today, I'm thrilled to participate in my first ever blog tour for Elegance & Elephants' Mira Dress Pattern. I'm a longtime fan of Heidi's patterns and was so thrilled that she allowed me to try out this dress and share my opinions with you. If you'd like to purchase your own Mira Dress Pattern, the coupon code "MIRATOUR" has been set up for the week, and it will be for 10% off your entire order from Elegance and Elephants shop. This code will expire on Monday, March 27 at 11:59PM PST.
In my house, Halloween costumes make an enthusiastic debut for parties and trick or treating and then get worn again and again throughout the year (more about that here and here). This time, I decided to make a dress just for dress-up . . . in March. I was inspired by the new Beauty and the Beast movie and can't wait to see it with my girls. Belle is one of my very favorite princesses . . . so let's talk about this dress!
The sleeveless Mira dress includes three different views, each with a lined bodice, invisible zipper, squared neckline and full, gathered skirt. Two of those views have a center panel in the front, gathered or plain, that to me seemed perfect for all sorts of princess-y variations. In these pictures, my daughter is layering her dress over a shirt that we already owned, but it can be worn without as a sleeveless dress version. She is also wearing a petticoat slip, that we've had for ages, to add a little extra volume to the skirt.
I made the center panel out of a pretty red/orange cotton floral and pieced together a sort of corset-y, wrap look that would be comfortable on a little girl. Because this is a dress-up dress, I didn't want a lot of parts or pieces that would need to be put on separately. The faux laces on the bodice are stitched down, all except for the bow at the end which I may decide to tack down later. The bows on the straps are removable but not essential to the costume - it can be worn without them.
With the same goal of easy wear, the apron, towel and pouch at the skirt are all attached to the dress. Hooray! No need to tie them on every. single. time. And while I'm complaining about dress-up pitfalls, can I brag that this dress has no fussy satin, delicate/scratchy tulle or hook-and-loop closures to snag on other items in the wash? I added some stripe-y in-seam pockets because I just love pockets. Long live pockets!
Invisible zips are so pretty and Heidi's directions and many, many pictures demystify the whole process. Much of my sewing takes place at the end of the day so I appreciate easy, step-by-step instructions.
My eldest daughter loves this twirly, comfortable dress and plans to proudly wear it to the movie theater . . . So, please excuse me now, it seems I need to get started on a second dress for my youngest daughter. Happy sewing!
