Red Party Dress
I made the girls matching party dresses to wear for Christmas this year. My mother-in-law gave me a bunch of this red knit with glitter that I knew I wanted to use for the dresses. Both of my girls love to feel fancy and were so excited about the glitter! I loved the glitter because it wasn’t over-the-top-glitter. I had an idea of what I wanted the dresses to look like and then Melissa from Bella Sunshine Designs called for pre-testers for the Alice Dress and it was almost exactly like what I had imagined!
Fitted bodice, box pleats in the skirt, sash/belt around the waist, zipper in the back, completely lined. The Alice Dress does not have long sleeves like I had imagined. Cute little cap sleeves are the only sleeve option in the pattern. I also had not imagined the Peter Pan collar, but decided it would add a nice contrast to the rest of the dress and pull in the black belt. In the pattern, the collar also has a option for an accent trim.
I passed on the pre-testing because I needed to finish sewing some gifts. When I finished my gifts and was ready to work on the dresses, Melissa so very kindly let me join in a second round of pretesting so I could use the pattern for my dresses.
And they turned out beautifully! I lengthened the skirt portion of the dresses because my girls and I prefer longer dresses. Melissa’s design style has a vintage flair and so her dresses are usually drafted to hit right at the top of the knee. I also added some tulle to the lining to make the skirts have a bit of poof. The girls love them and feel comfortable in them because they are completely lined. They are very high quality dresses-thank you Melissa!
The pattern just released and is now available to purchase. It makes a great party dress with fancy fabric! We are so happy Melissa let us join in the pre-testing and make these for Christmas!
And they have pockets in the side seams!
These dresses were made with the pre-testing version and are already gorgeous. Even though I haven’t sewn a dress from the final version of the pattern, I was like a fly on the wall in the testing group-I could read all the chatter and feedback and changes being made to make the pattern even better. I’ll be sure to write up a full review when I get a chance to sew up the final pattern-probably closer to Easter.
That being said, I recently signed up to be a Bella Sunshine Design affiliate because I have been really impressed with my experiences testing for Melissa and all her patterns I have used. (Remember the Gabriella Winter Coat? Nut-Nut is wearing it a second winter and I get compliments on it All The Time.) I mean, she let me join in a pre-testing the week before Christmas when I mentioned I wanted to use her pattern and needed to start sewing. Such a nice person! Melissa does not rush releasing patterns-she makes sure they are done well. I often have a slightly different aesthetic (vintage isn’t my thing-but classic is!) but her patterns are solid and allow for small adjustments (like skirt length) to make just what I am wanting. if you click here to get to her website and then decide to purchase something, I’ll get a little cut of the pie. 😉
Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission. This helps fund fabric for testing and reviewing patterns. Regardless, I only recommend what I believe is quality.
Pockets! How fun!
I like the little sparkle that they have, it’s just the right amount!
Yes! They love it! The Hubby has already requested the next one not have sparkly or Tulle though. He doesn’t like that his suit ends up covered in glitter!
Haha, I can see how sparkles on a suit aren’t so fun 🙂
the girls are soooo cute!!!! and so are the dresses!!!!