The holiday dress has been completed and I'm really happy with how it turned out. You might remember that the dress started as this little gem I picked up at the thrift store:
Some tweaking later and this is what we have:
a dress that's perfect for my woodland princess.
I took off the lace, plastic pearls, and roses and added some wood buttons I made, a bit of embroidery, and the top...
...painted.
I stitched around the painted area and it looks like leather. I doubt anyone would know it was painted unless I told them. This was a situation of "use what you have". I didn't trust my sewing skills to sew on a little bodice so I went with paint thinned with fabric medium. Hey, it works.
I love it, and so does the girl.
Have a happy Saturday, everyone.
Wow! That is amazing. I never would have known if you hadn't said that you had painted it. It is so darling
ReplyDeletethis little dress is so amazing. i totally thought it was leather. how clever.
ReplyDeleteWoodland Princess ... oh, that's exactly what she is
ReplyDeleteyou've done a remarkable work on this dress, my friend !
you're the best mama
xoxoxo
woodland princess is she...a job well done and a happy girl...what more do you need! :)
ReplyDeleteThat just shows what thrift, talent and imagination can come up with...magic! Have a wonderful Holidays Lisa with your woodland princess :D
ReplyDeleteFabulous job......
ReplyDeleteYou are SO inventive!
ReplyDeleteWOW! I thought you sewed up a new bodice until I read on, the paint works so well and looks amazing. She really does look like a woodland princess, so fantastic and I love E's smiling face.
ReplyDeleteMore cleverness from you - brilliant!
Happy weekend, Jx
Beautiful! You did a very wonderful creative project. She looks so cute.
ReplyDeletei love it and her so much
ReplyDeleteshe is just gorgeous.
It reminds me so much of some of the
folkloric clothing i used to sew up for my
girls when they were young.
xo
wow! that's fabulous :) i would never have guessed that was painted. love the little stitched birdies.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! And the paint, inspired. She looks a very happy Princess in her woodland finery :D
ReplyDeleteI am so amazed by you!!!
ReplyDeleteWe are having our first Christmas tree this year and I cannot wait to present my husband with our new ornaments :)
Thank you for making beauty everywhere.
xoxox,
Allison
I'm blown away by your paint use. It's fabulous. Darling little dress.
ReplyDeleteWow, gorgeous!! Painted?? Looks like leather. I love the buttons too! Lucky little girl, she is beautiful :)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! It totally fooled me. So very clever, resourceful, and sweet.
ReplyDeletepainting on fabric to make it look like leather? where did you get that idea?? what a fabulous upcycle !
ReplyDeletebtw, I loved her holiday dress last year, too :)
It looks just lovely, and the bodice does indeed look like leather, that was an incredibly creative solution. The dress reminds me of the Alpine region ones, I had something just like it as a little girl!
ReplyDeleteYour inventiveness and ability to turn something ordinary into something spectacular is transcendent.
ReplyDeleteThat did turn out well! Your little girl is adorable too. Mine are all grown up, and I miss those days.
ReplyDeletelovely lovely lovely repurposing
ReplyDeleteHow sweet! You definitely fooled me. I thought that was a real leather bodice you had made. I love it!
ReplyDeleteI never would have thought of painting it. You did an excellent job of it. Love the embroidery! Also thanks for the lovely little acorn ornament I ordered from you. It arrived in no time and I love it. I've always loved acorns, since I grew up on a road called Oak Orchard. We had huge old oak trees on our property and they always dropped little presents for us to collect. As little girls, my sisters and I made "soup" with them. Keep up the good work and Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteSue Addison
That dress is fantastic! I adore it! I would not have known it was not leather, had you not pointed it out. Great job!
ReplyDeletePaint? Paint! Sheer genius. = )
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely brilliant. How I would have loved a dress like this during my Heidi stage!
ReplyDeleteThank you all SO much! I was a little worried that you would all think me crazy for painting the dress. Glad to know I'm surrounded by like minds! (did I just call you all crazy? Maybe!) :D
ReplyDeleteSunny and Sue A - thank you! I'm sure the acorns are very happy to be with each of you!
What a beautiful little girl! the dress looks so perfect on her :-}
ReplyDeletelorraine
WoW!! Just found your blog through craft gossip and LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteLove the dress!
I just found your blog on craftgossip too! I love your refashion! I hope you come by my blog Saturday to link up this adorable project!
ReplyDeleteJustine @ Sew Country Chick.
You are a genius! What a wonderful transformation.
ReplyDeletePainting the dress bodice and outlining it with stitches is purely ingenious! I love love love the upgrades!
ReplyDelete