Super Simple Fancy Dress

I don't know about you, but I love fancy little dresses that look like it took me forever to make when in fact it didn't take much time at all.  This project is just that. 

This was one of Aiyanna's Easter dresses. She had 3. We have a lot services Easter weekend. 2 Friday, 2 Saturday, and 8 services Sunday. We volunteer at all the services, so there is a need for sooo many Easter dresses. Anyway .......Everyone oohing and ahhing over it.  A lot of the ladies at church know I sew. The first thing they ask is if I made it.  When I say yes they think I'm pretty awesome  (I happily let them think that). If they only knew this how quickly I whipped this dress up and how little it cost me they would probably be shocked. The secret is a lacy skirt. Seriously, you can't get much easier than that!

Pretty, huh?

This is my new favorite dress.  I love that it's very vintage looking, yet is very fashionable.  A lacy maxi dress....what's not to love?!   I fell in love with this dress as I was making it. I'm not a Momma that likes to be all match-y with my daughter, but if I could find  that lace I would make myself an identical dress in heartbeat.

Wanna make one?

Go raid your closet for a lacy skirt. 

  The one I used was tiered, but it doesn't have to be. I just like it because it adds fullness. Aiyanna likes it because it's twirly.

What little girl doesn't love to twirl?

 

First thing I did was grab my seam ripper. And pull the lace, lining, and elastic apart.

 Then I measured Aiyanna's chest to see how wide it needed to be.

I measured from the middle of the lining and marked where it needed to be cut.

 

Cut and sew.

 

Repeat with the lace.

Next I cut arm holes just like in the Pillowcase Dress Tutorial.

 

Next I put the lace and lining back together with wrong sides facing each other. Baste the edges.

Then I pinned the elastic to the top on the lining side.

Stitch.

Fold the elastic down and top stitch close to the bottom edge of the elastic. 

It'll look like this on the front side.

Serge the arm holes.

If you don't have access to a serge you can sew a straight stitch and then zigzag the edges.

 

Fold the arm hole edge down and stitch close to the serged edge.

 With the extra fabric I cut off earlier I made straps for the dress.

I cut 2 rectangles 4" wide and 6" long.

I didn't take pictures of the rest, but here's what I did.

I sewed the straps to the front of the dress.  Then I had Aiyanna put it on and I pinned the straps to fit correctly.  Then I made some fabric flowers out of a thrift-ed silk curtain and sewed them onto the one shoulder.  On the other shoulder I made a bow with satin ribbon.

We had a fabulous photo shoot with the dress!

 

 

 Hope you have a HAPPY DAY!!!