Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Elmo Party Dress

Awhile back the little papoose was obsessed with Elmo, but she has now moved on to all things fairy, including Abby Cadabby, which inspired her Halloween costume this year. Last year she received tons of Elmo presents for Christmas, and this year will probably be all things Abby. My sister had bought tickets to a live showing of the Sesame Street gang featuring Elmo, so of course I had to make her a special party dress!

 
I knew exactly the kind of design I wanted, and the dress came out just like I'd imagined, which is always a good thing! I knew I wanted fun stripes and an Elmo print, naturally. I normally steer way clear of flashy prints, but since this was for a live show and a special occasion, I swallowed my pride and bought a print that wasn't too bright and childish.

 
The print has just the right amount of playfulness and charm without being horribly obnoxious, so kudos to the designer of this print! I was actually expecting a smaller face, but I grew to like it. I think it brings out the child-like quality of the dress. I wanted to stick fairly strictly with a red theme, so I was absolutely not interested in the prints with every color imaginable. I love primary colors, I think they are sweet and indicative of childhood and crayons, but that just wasn't the direction I wanted to go in.

 
I already had the red and white stripe fabric on hand, and it lends such a festive and whimsical element to the dress. It really brings out the playfulness, and I love how it's a more muted red than the hue found in the Elmo print. It creates a nice balance between the two fabrics, I think.

 
I really can't explain how I came about with this design because it was in my head from the very start with no reference that I can think of. Maybe circuses from the stripes, but who knows! It turned out so darling, and the little papoose was absolutely adorable in it! I made sure there was enough fabric in the skirt to make it full and twirly, and there was plenty of opportunity to dance around at the show!
 
Waiting outside before the show with Paw Paw!

There's Elmo!

Goodies from Nana and Paw Paw!
 

4 comments:

  1. Oh my, that little red dress is adorable and it suits your little girl perfectly!
    I hope she enjoyed the show :)

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  2. The dress is SO cute!!! The fabrics you chose are just perfect. Great job!

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  3. Cute dress! Elmo was one of my favourites as a kid. You always find the best fabrics :-)

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  4. She looks so adorable in that dress! You always make the cutest silhouette dress shapes for girls. :)

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