Happy New Year, everyone! I am back from vacation in the UK visiting Scotland and England and am SO READY to share this dress tutorial with you! A fitted bodice, simple gathered skirt, and caps sleeves were the basis for this beauty, but the true magic comes from the beaded and embroidered fabric. I finished it weeks ago, but the post is just now ready… life, ya know?After spending weeks preparing for my British adventure watching numerous episodes of The Crown and dreaming about a proper English tea, I had party dresses on my mind. I wanted to make something really special, so once I saw this beaded pink fabric that is truly Disney princess worthy from Fabric Wholesale Direct I knew it was the perfect choice.

The silhouette, as I described, is simple in shape, but more complex in it’s construction. Since the fabric does not stretch much, the bodice must be constructed in a mathematical manner. I watched numerous videos on YouTube for how to construct a personal sized bodice pattern, or a sloper, to craft a pattern out of paper. Once I had the pattern created, I cut a trial bodice out of muslin, adjusted it to fit perfectly, and then used the final pattern for the bodice in the mesh material. From there, the skirt and cap sleeves were a breeze to put together.

The other major lesson I learned while constructing this dress was that working with beaded fabric is a test of your patience. Beads do not play nice with sewing machines, so they must be taken off where seams are to be added, or hand sewing must be implemented. I am not a strong hand-sewer, so I picked a lot of rhinestones and beads off of this mesh, but I think it was worth it in the end!

To get the full sewing tutorial for how you can make your own dress, check out the tutorial on Fabric Wholesale Direct!

Thank you to Fabric Wholesale Direct for sponsoring this blog post. All designs, photos, and opinions are my own.