Scrappy Monster Dress

“You’re never too old for anything!”~Betty White

A few weeks ago I made Alice a pinafore dress using leftover fabric from a dress I made her even longer ago. While digging out my fabric I found this piece of Monsters Inc. fabric. It was just a scrap but I matched it with some solid purple fabric that I had and figured I could make it into another dress. I chose this 1979 pattern and got to work!

I had to pay attention to the way I cut it out. Since I was working with two different fabrics I needed to make sure I cut one left back and one right back. So the purple I cut out with the pattern face down and the printed fabric with the pattern face up.

You can see just how “scrappy” this piece of fabric was! For the front I had to do the same thing. I had to cut one fabric with the pattern right side up, and the other with the pattern right side down.

I got ready to sew up the two back pieces. I’m pointing to the mark where I will sew up to. The open space above will be where the zipper goes.

Once that was sewn I pinned the zipper in place.

I sewed the two front pieces together and used a zig zag stitch to prevent fraying at the seam. Then I pinned the shoulders of the front and back pieces.

It was time to sew the front and back neck facings together.

I got the neck facing sewn into place, and stitched it down by the seams.

I pinned the sides together. Once they were sewn I again used a zig zag stitch to prevent fraying.

Then I needed sleeves. I pieced the printed fabric together to make a piece big enough for the sleeve pattern.

The seams aren’t too noticable.

For the purple sleeve I had to make sure I had enough and did not have to piece any of it together. I then cut out the sleeve, pattern front down.

The sleeves are gathered, poofy sleeves. I needed bias tape to run elastic through. I cut scrap purple on the bias, and ironed it though my bias tape maker. (The old, metal ruler I used came out of Grandma’s stash.)

I pinned the bias tape onto the inside of the sleeve, and sewed it to make elastic casing.

Then I had a decision to make. The pattern called for a ruffle around the bottom of the dress. I could either put it on or leave it off.

I thought about a time when I was a little girl, and Grandma Doris added a ruffle to the bottom of a hand me down dress that I had. It made the dress a little longer, and added a fun design element to it that I loved. Even though the dress was a hand me down, the ruffle made it different and made it feel like it was my own, new dress.

I decided to put the ruffle on Alice’s dress. I had even less fabric at this point so I just started sewing it together, in no particular pattern, to make a piece big enough for the ruffle.

The pieces I was working with.

I pinned the pattern on once it was big enough to cut.

I sewed the ruffle into place, and got Alice’s dress in the mail!

She was glad to get a surprise in the mail, and then went out and took the most adorable pictures ever!

Here it is, Alice’s second Monster’s Inc. dress of the summer!

She decided to take her Monster’s Inc. toys with her to take pictures and play!

Alice chose her hair do, and decided on some stick on earrings to finish off her look!

Enough with the pictures, time to play!

Looking adorable!

She’s growing up so fast! How much longer will she let me make her scrappy dresses?

I questioned my decision for making a scrappy Monster’s Inc. dress. I wondered if I should make her a nice, normal little dress that she could wear to church. But, Elizabeth said, little girls need a Monster’s Inc. dress while they are still little enough to enjoy it!

Dana said, what makes you think she won’t wear it to church!

But it was time to play again!

I’m glad that I can make special and fun little outfits for Alice. This one isn’t the last, or even the last Monster’s Inc. one! Elizabeth bought more Monster’s Inc. fabric so I decided that this summer would be a monster sew for Alice! So keep an eye out for the next monster of a sew!

And by the way, you’re never too old for a Monster’s Inc. dress!

You can see how I made this one for myself in the old blog post below!

Monsters, Inc.

As for me, onto the next!