A Cinderella (Dress) Story

Five years ago I had a baby.

And the time came for us to bless* him.

And I did not feel like paying $100 for a tiny suit her would wear one time.

There was a little suit at the Distribution Center, but it was a little too "Peter Pan" for me.

It was all shiny and kind of effeminate.

Sorry.

I mean, I know baby boys can get away with wearing something a little more feminine,

But I had a way more manly vision in mind.

So I made him a tux.

Complete with coattails and a bow tie. 

There were no patterns out there for such a project, so I took one for a simple romper and added my tux parts. It was a ton of work, but I was pleased with how it turned out.

And he looked so super handsome!

I mean have you ever seen a more beautiful 3 month old?!

Top 3 anyway.  

Three years later, I had another baby and this time it was summertime.

And hot.

The tux was just too heavy to put my new babe in.

So I sought out another pattern, which proved to be pretty hard to find.

Why can I never find a good pattern for boys clothes?!

But I found this cute little number and thought it just might work.

And it did!

Especially without the jacket.

Such a cute tie!

And the suspenders?!  Adorable.

Although the jacket was pretty cute as well.

And speaking of cute, have you ever seen a cuter baby?!

Well, technically, I know he's one of the three cutest babies that ever lived

But honestly.  So so so CUTE!!

Well, fast forward two years and along came Amelia.

And I finally got to make a blessing dress!

Well, sort of.

You see, before I had Amelia my Mom did a super sweet thing and bought a blessing dress for her.

She's the best, you know.

 But I fear my mom got taken a bit.

She paid quite a bit for this dress.

And the fabric it was made of was SUPER cheap.

And thin.

And I knew something had to be done.

 Also, I wanted to add a couple if my own little touches to it to personalize it.

You know me.

Can't leave well enough alone.

And here's what I came up with. 

 I took the bodice off the skirt.

I removed the trim and large daisy.

I took the top tier off the skirt so it wouldn't be as long.

I bought a yard of satin and cut a skirt out of it.

There's no zipper in the back, just buttons, so I lucked out there.

I added three rows of ribbon at the bottom and some beaded lace daisies.

I added lace from my wedding dress around the waist, and added a tie in the back.

I used the original skirt as a petticoat and sewed tulle along the bottom to make it more, uh, poofy.

It turned out better than I could have ever imagined!

And I only spent $5 on fabric, tulle, and ribbon.

I had everything else.

HOORAY for saving scraps!

I also whipped up a headband using the trim I used on my wedding veil. 

And I used the big daises on my wedding dress, so I had to incorporate them somehow.

To top it off,I felt she needed a bracelet.

So I made one.

But I also made one for myself.

Mother and daughter matching bracelets.

 With a matching charm.

And I think it all came together beautifully.

A pretty princess dress...

...for a pretty princess.

 Honetsly.  One of the three cutest babies you've ever seen, amIright?!

*In the LDS religion, we give babies a name and special blessing when they are young, as in months old.  It's probably most comparable to a Christening or a Name Dedication etc.