Another Twirly Easter Dress!

You may recall that I made the clever girl a twirly Easter dress last year.  She LOVES that dress.  I mean to say she wears that dress at every opportunity.  When looking over photos of the clever girl for the past year, in practically all photos, she is in that dress!  So it was abundantly clear that I  needed to make her another one!  This time, I changed up the bodice a little bit. 

In this photo, the original front bodice pattern is in the back.  On top, I placed the new pattern.  Essentially, I measured over 1/2 inch on the upper right side, which is the width of the bias tape trim.  Then I drew a diagonal line from there to the bottom left corner.  Use the same pattern for the opposite side, just flip it over so the diagonal is going the other way.  Done!  I first added the bias trim to the diagonal parts of the parts of the bodice and had the halter straps come up from the under arm section.   I recommend, however, doing it the other way.  First sew the bias trim to the under arm sections, only the length of those sections.  Then add the trim to the diagonal sections, and continue these up for the halter ties.  I think this will lay more smoothly.  Once the bodice front(s) and back are sewn together, sew again up the bias strip on the bodice front top layer, affixing it to the bodice front bottom layer.  This way the criss-cross won't gap as your kiddo dances around! 
 

 

I love how the elastic shirring makes the bodice fit nice and snugly, and the halter looks so pretty from the back.

 

The clever girl loves the twirliness of the dress.  Again, it is perfectly danceable!  She has already worn this dress several times.  It has quickly become a new favorite!

If you have a little girl who loves to twirl, I highly recommend making one of these dresses, either version!  They are very fast and infinitely rewarding!