Now that the gifts have all been unwrapped and the surprises are safely enjoyed, I’ve got a couple other handmade gifts to share! These fun gold dresses went to my sister’s girls, who Milo and Eliot had gotten in the cousin name drawing. Rather than give them each another toy or game, I thought it would be fun to make them pretty princess dresses.

I consulted with their mother about whether they should be full-on dress ups (with all the trimmings) or more wearable but still fancy dresses. She agreed it would be fun to have something that they could feel was super special, that she could still put them in for weddings, parties, pictures or even church. I went with a really lightweight gold crepe fabric then made them fun with neon pink linings. The simple pleats at the collar and along the wavy waistband set them apart from your everyday little dresses. They were perfect details to include.

In between the full gathered skirts and the shiny pink lining I added six layers of pink and gold tulle to give them just the right amount of poof. Princesses need a little poof, don’t you think? The word on the street is that the girls just loved them, and wanted to wear them all day long. I think they should… I kinda want to, too!