A Birdy Bubble Dress for Spring...Wherever It May Be.

I've been sewing up a storm around here lately. Even if the weather isn't spring-like at all, I'm secretly hoping that the more spring-y and summer-y the clothes I create, the sooner the weather will heat up so we can start wearing all our pretty new handmade outfits. Tonight, I just wanted to make something. I've been making tops and bottoms this past week so I figured it was time to make another dress. The last one I made was almost two weeks ago! I just wasn't feeling it with this subzero spring we're experiencing this year. But today, I decided it was time to be a bit more positive and to use up some of that pretty fabric I've been hoarding. So I made a bubble dress. They're my favorite- and my daughter's too- because they're poufy without being bulky. They can be made casual so they can be worn for playing and running or having tea and acting lady-like. They're a multipurpose dress style that looks so freakin' cute on little girls!

I started with a bubble skirt that's banded on top and bottom with elastic, with an overlap at the top like a paper bag skirt usually has. I didn't line it because I wanted it to be as lightweight as possible for wearing in the summer heat (if we ever have any this year!) and the woven cotton fabric I used was slightly thicker and stiffer than most wovens too.

I sewed reverse pin tucks into the center of the square-necked top and edged the neckline with ruffled tulle. My daughter said it was very "ballerina-like." =) She's currently obsessed with becoming a ballerina in the future and she's been begging to go to dance school for the past year. At 4 years old, I think it's about time to enroll her. I didn't do so sooner because I'd just had a baby last March and being a SAHM with three kids doesn't make it very easy to constantly travel around town. Now that baby's a year old and a big boy, life has gotten a little easier. I can now travel without packing a baby bag full of all the necessities that an infant requires. 

I sewed my first zipper ever onto the back and it was soooo easy, I don't know why I avoided these for so long! I even felt more comfortable doing buttons but this time, I decided it was time to at least try it out and if it didn't work out, I'd just rip it out and do buttons instead. But I really liked the how the zipper turned out. And it doesn't look half bad for a beginner, does it? 

Here it is on my skinny K. She's a toothpick but the bubble skirt hides that fact very well. =)  I like how the simple pin tucks stand out without overwhelming the dress. It makes the overall effect look quite modern, even with that little bit of ruffled tulle at the neckline.

The dress is about one size too big for her at the moment but I intended for it to be worn this summer, not right now during our wintery spring. 

And did I mention that I made this dress up as I sewed? I had no plans other than the paper bag style bubble skirt but once I'd finished that, it just begged to become a dress so I set out to make a top without even drawing out a pattern. I knew I wanted a square neck top though and it needed to have ruffles, per my daughter. I'm familiar with her measurements so I just winged it and voila- a dress that she adores. She actually pre-approved the bird fabric before I bought it too. Now if I weren't too old for bubble skirts and dresses, I'd totally make myself one too. But I'll leave the cute to her and keep my dignity. =)