My granddaughter calls this the Petal Dress because of the double peplum which gives a petal effect by crossing over the 2 curved ends of each front layer. The top peplum is gathered along the side front and side back giving it more flair.
My petite 12 year old granddaughter needed an age appropriate special occasion dress. The pattern companies are devoid of this type of apparel. After much searching, we fell in love with Project Runway Season 5 winner Leanne Marshall’s Simplicity 1876 which is for an adult, is strapless and has a mini-skirt. It was my inspiration for her special dress. I shortened the peplum pattern pieces, used the girls McCalls 6020 for the bodice, and used the girls McCalls 6689 for the skirt and for the set-in sleeves. I lengthened the sleeves to elbow length for wintertime, and made the sleeve in two curved pieces to mimic the overlapping petal pattern of the double peplum. I lengthened the skirt to just above the knee. The dress is made in a crepe and in her favorite color, cobalt blue. It is fully lined in a coordinated lining fabric. The detachable flower is made with a coordinating satin that had a sparkle of glitter all over it. The center of the flower is a large crystal covered bead.
A beautiful job, Anita. As one of your American Sewing Guild group members, I know how much "labor of love" you put into this garment. We saw it as a work in progress and I'm glad that you shared a photo of your granddaughter in it. Hopefully she'll be able to wear it for several special events before she outgrows it. It should be come a family heirloom.
Thanks so much for your kind words. It was a labor of love, especially since my granddaughter lives almost 200 miles away! Fitting was quite a challenge. Without the encouragement and advice of our American Sewing Guild members, I doubt it would have turned out so well.
very sweet!! great job!!