Fastest Dress Ever.

You guys, I think I need rehab.  The past two nights I go to bed thinking about fabric and designs... I wake up dreaming about fabric.  My name is Jennifer and I'm a fabric-aholic. 

I blame a friend of mine for getting me to join her sewing group on facebook.  All the cute stuff they have been making stoked up my sewing interest again.  Oh, and after all the fabric I bought last week... well, one of the ladies decided to destash and guess who has about 10 more yards on the way to her?  I tried to resist, but then she put up pictures of a dragonfly print and it was all over.  Plus, it was like $2/yd. 

No more.  You hear me?  Easter dresses will not match in anyway because I'm going to force myself to use what I have.  My kids don't have to coordinate.

Anyway.

I had a little idea simmering in my head all day.  When I put up pictures of my last Square Twirler, a friend of mine asked if it was all one piece, so my brain has been trying to come up with a way to make it just one piece.  I had an idea, but I didn't want to ruin a big chunk of fabric for a trial.  I would have to use knit and I have about 6 yards, but, like I said.... I don't want to go cutting into it for something that might not work. 

My husband, being wonderful, offered to let me nap while he picked up the girls from school.  When I woke up, I knew what to do. 

I grabbed an old tshirt and went to find Olivia's American Girl knock-off doll (whose name is probably Lilly because Olivia names everything Lilly).  I picked that particular doll because it had the most realistically proportionate body.  Most of their dolls have ginormous heads, like those Lalaloopsie dolls.  They're cute, but not really useful as a miniature dress model.

I did a few measurements and cut a 20" square out of the shirt.  I cut a neck hole smack in the middle and then two arm holes.  I tried it on the doll and the arm holes were way big.  So I cut up the other half of the shirt, making the arm holes much smaller.  I had cut the hem off of the shirt, trimmed it and tied it around her waist as a belt.

And voila...


Yes, that's the screenprinting on the side.  I messed up the blank side ;)

It took about 10 minutes, including the dress that didn't work.

I am going to give it a try full-size for the girls.  And I think I may crochet a simple edging on the neck and arm holes just to kind reinforce them.  The girls are rough on their clothes and I can see them ripping it.


My helpers, who mainly just fretted about the fact that I was cutting up a shirt.