How to Sew a Cinderella Dress
Many girls have imagined themselves as Cinderella at some point in their lives. The popular Disney character swept millions of people up into her story of love and hope, and many of us hold dear memories of pretending to be in her place. The iconic transformation scene of a poor servant girl into a ballroom noblewoman can be reenacted in your own home through a different kind of magic, that of the needle and thread. Whether you wish to make a dress for a little girl or for an adult woman, follow these guidelines for sewing your own Cinderella dress.
Things You'll Need
- Truly Victorian pattern TV490 and TV170, and Mill Farm pattern MF13 for an adult-sized dress Simplicity pattern 9383 for a child-sized dress Sewing machine and supplies Notions Light or sky blue fabric White fabric Muslin
Instructions
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Planning
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1
Determine whether you are making the Cinderella dress for a child or an adult. For children, get Simplicity's out-of-print 9383, which can often be found on Ebay. This is the best-looking commercial pattern for this dress ever produced. For adult women, you will want to use a more sophisticated, realistic Victorian pattern, which will require some work. The Cinderella dress is not strictly historically accurate, so you will have to combine several patterns. If you are up to the challenge, use Truly Victorian's TV490 with sleeves for the bodice, and use the skirt of Mill Farm pattern MF13 with Truly Victorian's TV170 petticoat pattern for the skirts. For an easier pattern, use Simplicity 2813.
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2
Make a full muslin mock-up of the dress to test out the fit and proportions, and to practice executing the patterns. To properly follow the pattern instructions, make sure that you first measure the person the dress is for and cut out the pattern piece sizes that most closely match. Constantly reassess the fit as you make the mock-up, so that you can account for body shape differences not addressed by commercial pattern sizes. This will be especially important in the adult woman's dress, as Victorian dresses were very closely fitted to bodies.
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3
Following the fabric suggestions on the pattern, purchase enough blue and white fabric to make the real dress. To color-match with the dress in the Disney movie, use screen captures instead of the promotional material, as the colors used in today's Disney Princess merchandise are not the same as those in the original movie.
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Test the muslin mock-up on the body one last time and make all adjustments.
Sewing
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5
Take the mock-up apart at the seams and use the pieces as your new pattern pieces, if you have made many adjustments to the original pattern. If not, use the original pieces.
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6
Practice stitching on scraps of the new fabric, to see what technique or needle changes need to be made after working on the easy muslin.
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Recreate the Cinderella dress in the new blue and white fabric, taking care to neatly execute each part of the pattern. Pay special attention to any areas of trouble you previously encountered.
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Buy accessories to match the dress, based on the movie screen captures. Find a black choker, white evening gloves, a blue headband and your choice of "glass" shoes.
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Tips & Warnings
You can find accessories for girls and women in costume shops. Adults making the more complex dress will likely need hip pads, included in the Mill Farm pattern. Tie these under the skirt. If there is not enough skirt volume, you may need bigger hip pads or more petticoats. If you choose to use a bustle, know that not all bodices and skirts can fit a bustle. Those using the Mill Farm pattern can adjust the overskirt to look more like Cinderella's by making it shorter and wearing it in the tied-up position. Adult women may find that the Truly Victorian patterns fit better over a Victorian corset and chemise. Truly Victorian carries a few types. Victorian dresses are put on in this order: chemise and pantaloons with corset on top, petticoat over corset, skirt over petticoat, and bodice over corset and skirt.
