Cruisin' in the Fast Lane: It's Sew You!

We really wanted to get our bridal party gifts that they could a) use again, b) genuinely liked, and c) were meaningful. After brainstorming for a little while I decided I really wanted to get our flower girls American Girl dolls that looked like them.

My American Girl

So cute! I picked the hair color... blonde, the eye color.... blue, the hair style.... short, and clicked on the final result.......scccrreeeeaaaaccchhh. The dolls were $95 each. Not including any clothes, accessories, anything. $95 for a naked doll. Yeah, that's not happening.

And the search for the perfect doll commenced... I wanted it to be similar to the American Girl Doll but not a cheap knock-off. Our criteria included 15-18" tall, soft body and hard limbs, good hair that came in blonde, cute face, and cost under $40. After hours upon hours of looking Ryan and I finally agreed upon this sassy little girl:

Molly P. Originals

Although the baby doll was cute and I was sure our flower girls would love her I wanted to make her even more special. I decided to make the dolls dresses that looked like the flower girl dresses.

Flower Girl D modeling her dress

I started the dress making adventure by purchasing a Simplicity 18" Doll Dress Making Pattern (I used a modified version of the bottom left dress). I traced the pattern on some white silk and white lining I had purchased according to the pattern instructions. I then cut these pattern pieces out.

Pattern pieces cut

I had to cut a new pattern three times because the dolls we purchased were fuller than the 18" dolls the patterns were made for. I then began to painstakingly sew the lining to the satin, the back to the front, and the skirt to the top.

Dress

I also created bows with some leftover ribbon from my pomander project. I then added a sweater to cover the dolls half cloth/half plastic arms and a ribbon around the waist to complete the look.

The finished project

I was soooo pleased with how the dresses turned out and the girls loved their presents. One slept with hers and then carried it around the entire wedding. When I asked the other if she would like to take it out of the box she said, "No, I think this is a really special gift and that I should probably leave it in the box to keep it nice". She's five, people. Too cute.

For about $60 each of the girls not only got their dolls with the matching flower girl outfits, they got the autumn outfit the dolls came in, and mini monogrammed tote bags full of goodies like coloring books, crayons, and mini etch-a-sketches to occupy their time during the boring wedding events.

Flower Girl Inspirations

When I first started looking for flowergirl dresses I FELL HARD for this dress by Beane&Company:

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I mean, come on, it's perfect! But at $80 a dress they are quite pricey for two little growing girls. So I continued searching but obviously was comparing everything to these.

Option #1: Is this cute floor length number with pickups and a colored sash. They girls would wear a black sash instead of the purple.

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Option #2: Is a short option and although I am not a huge fan of the neon organza sash it could easily be changed out.

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Option #3: Is also a short option and not only has the black sash around the waist but also at the hem line. (Source)

Option #4: And finally this SUPER cute black number which perfectly matches the fabric of the bridesmaid's dress!

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Regardless of the dress we choose we will probably have to make a few modifications with sashes or flowers. I have seen some really cute fabric flower ideas (thank you Martha!) that I would like to incorporate. Like this one:

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How adorable would a smaller version of this be with a mixture of white, black, green, and damask flowers in varying fabrics such as cotton, satin, tulle, etc?!?

Or this one which could be very adorable in our damask fabric:

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How cute will these dresses look with ballet flats (a la Suri Holmes)?

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So what is your favorite option for the flower girl dresses? Is the fabric flower covered sash too much?