Rainbow Layer Dresses

After I found this tutorial online and really wanted to make one of these dresses for my daughter. I read the tutorial, figured out the necessary math, and got inspired by this photo. Initially, I was going to make one for Leah who's 9 months old. Of course, when Naomi who's 3 1/2, saw the picture on the computer, she wanted one, too. At Naomi's request, their dresses are "opposites." In this case that simply means that one is in rainbow order from the top down while the other is in rainbow order from the bottom up. This tutorial is the way I constructed the skirts of both dresses. It took me a second to figure out the calculations the first time, but the second time around was a breeze.

Again, go to the tutorial for more specific information on the skirt, but here's the quick low down.

Cut a million little squares. The exact number and size will vary from dress to dress depending on the measurements of your small person.

Sew the squares into long strip. Then connect the ends to make a ring of each row.

Gather the top edge of one ring before attaching it to the bottom edge of the ring above. (For my second dress I skipped this step and hand pinned small pleats into the rings as I added them. either way works.) Repeat this step until all layers are attached.

Hem the bottom edge, add any embellishment you want, and...

The skirt is done. (I'd actually recommend hemming and embellishing the bottom ring before gathering it and attaching it to the rest of the skirt.)

To make the tops of the dresses I traced similar style items from each of the girls' closets, hoping that would help make them the right size. This isn't meant to be a true tutorial, so rather than bore you with all the details, here's a little photo journal of the top-making process.

The red top has shoulder strap button closures and very large arm holes which will allow for some growing. The purple has tie shoulder straps, which are fully adjustable.

I don't plan to ever put the girls in these dresses at the same time, though Noami might have other plans. Either way, I can't wait for spring when I can watch these two monkeys spin and twirl barefoot in the grass outside or in the sand at the beach.