Last year for my niece’s 1st birthday I made her a skirt and sock monkey appliquéd shirt to go with the theme of her party.
This year my sister-in-law told me that she had chosen to go with a Minnie Mouse theme for my niece’s birthday party. She had some ideas of what she wanted my niece’s outfit to look like and I was happy to oblige.
I ordered the fabric from Fabric.com and just decided to make up my own pattern. I took pictures of the process, up to a point, so I could share a tutorial with you.
However, I am going to have to make another dress or two before I am comfortable sharing my pattern.
I can tell you that I used my toddler skirt with ruffled hem tutorial to make the skirt part of the dress except I didn’t make an elastic waistband.
I created my own pattern for the bodice, but I had to have my mom come and spend several hours helping me figure it all out. (It pays to have a mom who is an expert seamstress. 
)
We put a center zipper in the back which is something I am going to be practicing so that I can get over my fear of zippers. Would that be zipperaphobia? Maybe zippersewaphobia, since I don’t have a fear of actual zippers, just sewing them.
I appliquéd the Minnie Mouse to the bottom left side of the dress using a template I found at Positively Splendid. (I used the smallest one.) I machine zig-zagged around the appliqué, but I hand tacked on the bow.
I think my niece looked adorable in her dress (She would look cute in anything, though.) and had a great birthday party.
We couldn’t leave her little brother out, so I appliquéd Mickey Mouse onto a onesie for him using black fleece.
I think he liked wearing his shirt, but…
his aunt loved holding him more. My little nephew is so squishy and chunky and I can’t get enough of him.
Anyway, I am hoping to make a dress for Janna with my pattern and to try to simplify the process, if I can, so that any tutorial I write will be easy to follow. At least that’s the plan anyway.
I also made a purse to match my niece’s dress for her to open at her party.
I guess I will have to make one for Janna so that I can write up a tutorial for it, too.
Have you done any sewing this week?
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