the princess dress
July 28th, 2010
I’m really not one for the whole princess thing. And I thought we had avoided it, until on her fourth birthday my daughter wished that “all princesses would be sparkly.” There has been a health dose of princessness since then, even though I rarely ever buy princess paraphernalia–and wow you can buy just about anything save for major appliances with a princess slapped on it.
It’s not so much the prince saving the princess that annoys me, it’s the total lack of substance on the part of the princess. Well, that and the rampant consumerism of it all (see above). For the most part the princess just lies around looking pretty all day long. Because of that I rejected them outright until I found myself looking at a fashion magazine in the check out line and realized it was just grown up princess crap. So I guess if I can indulge in pretty girly things, I can indulge my daughter a little too.
And so the princess dress. It’s not sparkly or even very flooffy, but it’s pink and princessy and she loves it. The pattern is from Carefree Clothes for Girls and with it’s quilted bodice (that’s for you nan) and raw edges it’s more Cinderella before the ball than at the ball. The pattern was easy and a lot like the other dress I made from the book. The only part I couldn’t figure out were the button loops. There was a diagram on how to make them, cut I couldn’t decipher it out, so I just crocheted some chains with quilting thread and sewed them in. And it worked out well, washes up nicely, and gets dirty often. For me it’s a dress with a silly amount of baggage, but to her it’s just a pretty dress to pick flowers in.
Lovely! I loved the extra stitching on the bodice. So sweet. And I’m with you on the princess thing…I’ve found a way to make it a little deeper. If you are interested, you can find what I did for my little “princesses” here: http://lilyandthistle.blogspot.com/2010/07/turning-thrift-store-frame-into.html
Holy Crap…LOVE! oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…
oh I love it so! that’s what I want to do with my heather ross too. cute cute cute!!
Read The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munch.
I was just about to suggest The Paperbag Princess as well! It does take a dragon to change her, though…..
I love the rawness of the dress and the stitched bodice is simply wonderful.
About Princesses – my in-laws constantly call my little one ‘their little princess’, which annoys me no end. I keep telling her that the important thing about a princess is that she looks after her people and is good and kind and generous, and she doesn’t always have to wear pink, that it’s about more than her being pretty or having good things happen to her.
L-O-V-E the dress! so whimsicle, fun, and pretty! Do you make them in adult sizes? lol ;)
Paige Marro
CreatingTheHive.com ~ A Social Community for the Arts and Crafts Industry
**whimsical
Hi I just came over from Craft. Love your blog! Great dress! I made the same pattern into a princess dress for my daughter too. Actually I am hosting a sew a long for the book. You might be interested. Here is the link
http://elementalstitches.typepad.com/my_weblog/sew-along/
I added your blog to my reader. Have a great weekend!