Elsa Dress for Christmas

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A couple of months ago it seemed like every single one of my sewing blogger friends who had a daughter was dedicating themselves to recreating an Elsa dress because Halloween was on the horizon. There were some pretty impressive versions, I have to say, but I was totally smug. I had no intention of sewing a single stitch for Halloween. MY daughter was going to be TINKERBELL and I was going to order that costume online and be done with it, BAM! No slaving away over some stupid princess dress for me, NO SIR! BWAH HAH HAHAHAHAHAHA! Shoulda known.

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The thing is, when your kid asks for an Elsa dress for Christmas, and then you go to the store and look at what the $40 Elsa costume looks like, somehow it seems completely sane to immediately make a beeline for the nearest JoAnn so you can buy $50 worth of fabric to make your own (I KNOW. I didn’t have the 50% off coupon. GAAAAH!!! *smacks head against wall*).

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But I will tell you, the look on her face when she opened it up on Christmas Eve and then proceeded to put it on and prance around the house and then wear it every waking hour since that time has made it totally worth it. Completely and totally worth it. She has been spinning and twirling and singing “Let it Go” like it’s her job. The best is when I catch her staring at herself in the mirror with sophisticated Bad-Girl-Snow-Queen expressions.

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Her favorite part is the giant train. She races around the house with it flying behind her and her neck twisted as far back as possible so she can see it. Two yards (and $30 worth) of (probably plastic) snowflake fabric, gathered and carefully inserted between the two pieces of knit that comprise the sheath dress. I would also like to mention that sandwiching a gathered layer of poofy plastic between two layers of knit is not as easy as it sounds. Neither was sewing that heart-shaped seam on the front (shown below; let’s all pretend that she is singing Let It Go rather than expressing her frustration with the photographer). But otherwise the design is pretty simple and the dress itself is super comfy.

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There was also an enlightening conversation at dinner this evening which began with Elliot asking why it was called a “train” and was that related to a choo-choo train, and then ended with me discovering that Mr Rae has no recollection whatsoever of my wedding dress:

Me: I had a short train on my wedding dress.
Mr Rae (suddenly paying attention): Ah yes, I remember it well!
Me (looking skeptical): Oh, REALLY. What did it look like?
***long pause***
Mr Rae: Well…it had sleeves…?
Me (laughing): No it did NOT. UNBELIEVABLE.
*intermittent hysterical laughter continues throughout dinner*

Anyway, for a really good time, ask your husband to describe your wedding dress. I’m completely serious. Please do, because I really want to know what happens.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!